Michelangelo
A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Michaelangelo, one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance, was a painter, architect, sculptor, and poet. Michaelangelo was born on 6th March 1475, in Caprise, Florence. (Italy). He was a considerable influence on the development of western art. 

Considered the greatest living artist during his lifetime, Michaelangelo has numerous works of art ranking among the most famous in existence. 

 

Michelangelo worked in marble sculpture mainly but also created some of the world's most famous paintings.  
Michaelangelo was one of the few artists who achieved great fame in their lifetime, and this resulted in excellent documentation of his work. 
He was honored to become the first Western artist whose biography was published during his lifetime.
 
At 13, Michaelangelo started an apprentice with Florence's most prominent painter, Domenico Ghirlandaio. He left after one year as he considered he had learned everything. He showed an immense talent which made his teacher jealous. 

Michaelangelo was taken under the wing of the Medici family, who were the most prominent family in Florence. Lorenzo de Medici, known as the Magnificent, surrounded himself with intellectuals,  artists, and poets. And Michelangelo was included. He had access to the famous Medici art collection, which included Roman artifacts. Here he developed his skills in sculpture and painting. 
In 1496 Michaelangelo moved to Rome, where he earned a commission to make a sculpture called The Pieta,  which became one of the most famous masterpieces of the Renaissance. The Pieta made Michelangelo a renowned sculptor, and he returned to Florence to create his Statue of David.
David was a commission for a giant statue, 13 feet tall. The Statue of David became Michaelangelos most famous work. Today the statue of David resides at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, Italy.

Michaelangelo's next major commission was by the Pope to paint a mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. 
He worked on the painting for four years. Michaelangelo worked upside down on scaffolding to paint the ceiling. The picture was enormous, 141 feet long by 43 feet wide. The painting contains nine Biblical scenes. 
The most famous scene in the painting is that of  The Creation of Adam at the center. This scene is one of the most famous artworks in art history.

After painting the Sistine Chapel, Michaelangelo was regarded as Italy's greatest living artist.