Michelangelo
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Lorenzo de Medici
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Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known simply as Michelangelo, was born in Caprese, Italy, in 1475. His father held a position in the local government and when Michelangelo was only a baby the family moved to Florence. Michelangelo’s wet nurse was the wife of a stonemason and Michelangelo always credited his sculptural skills to drinking her milk.
When Michelangelo was only fifteen he went to live at the de Medici court in Florence at the request of Lorenzo the Great, the ruler of Florence. He spent the next few years of his life living between his family home and the court, learning from some of the greatest artists of his time. However, in 1494 the ruling family was run out of Florence and Michelangelo relocated to Bologna.
Nevertheless it was not long before Michelangelo was back working in Florence and there he produced the False Eros, which was sold to a cardinal in Rome as an antique at a highly inflated price. Although the antique Eros was discovered to be modern it was admired by all for its beauty and it shot Michelangelo to fame.
Michelangelo relocated to Rome and became such a favorite of the Pope that he was eventually asked to paint the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Although originally skeptical about taking on this project, thinking that others were trying to sabotage him, Michelangelo eventually did to great critical acclaim.
The artist spent the next years of his life moving between Florence and Rome, until eventually he left Florence for good. He created many great artworks during this period. Michelangelo’s last commission was to continue the work on St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City, Italy. Although it was not finished before he died his work on the dome cannot be underestimated.
Michelangelo Biography