1. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni By David Ochoa

2. Birth and Early Life Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy. He was the son of a magistrate and the second of five sons. His family returned to Florence but was left to a family of stonecutters when his mother fell ill. Michelangelo watched the painters of nearby churches and drew what he saw. His father recognized Michelangelo had no interest in banking and arranged to have him become an apprentice at 13. At the advise of his tutor, Michelangelo moved into the palace of Lorenzo Medici and studied the Medici gardens. Through this he became familiarized with high Florentine society and even was allowed, by the Catholic Church, to study cadavers for knowledge of the human anatomy.

3. After the Medici After Lorenzo’s death Michelangelo fled to Bologna but returned to Florence in 1495 as a sculptor. Michelangelo sculpted “Cupid” which was artificially aged. The cardinal who bought it let Michelangelo keep the money because we was so impressed by the work. The Cardinal even invited him to work and live in Rome.

4. Sculptures of note After Michelangelo’s move to Rome in 1498, the representative of King Charles VIII of France to the Pope loved what became known as “The Pieta”. According to legend, Michelangelo heard people attributing the sculpture to another artist, so he carved his name into the sash of Mary, making the ‘Pieta’ the only work with Michelangelo’s name. Under the permission and request of Pope Alexander VI, Michelangelo began work on “The Statue of David”.

5. After David Michelangelo was selected by Pope Julius II to create the tomb of the Pope. This was interrupted for some time when the Pope forced him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, leaving him with back pain for the rest of his life. The original plan was for the 12 apostles to be painted but became 300 figures. It soon developed a fungus however and had to be completely redone. He fired all his assistants and guarded the work until its completion on October 31, 1512. The work was so inspiring that fellow Renaissance artist, Raphael, changed his painting style.

6. Architect After the completion of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo began designing the tomb of Julius II as well as the Medici Chapel and Laurentian Library to house the Medici book collection. In 1546 Michelangelo designed his crowning achievement, St. Peter’s Basilica.

7. Personal Problems Michelangelo painted the “Last Judgment” into his work, using naked figures- people believed a holy place shouldn’t hold naked people. To counter Michelangelo painted his chief critic as Satan and himself as a flayed St. Bartholomew. Michelangelo was very quick tempered and a perfectionist. He also had a fiery rivalry between himself and Leonardo da Vinci.

8. Personal Life Michelangelo was very poetic in his elderly years. He never married but was devoted to a noble widow named Vittoria Colonna. This friendship remained in solace until her death in 1547. In 1532 he developed an attachment to a young nobleman named Tommaso de’Cavalieri, whom may or may not have been his lover.

9. Death Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564 after recovering from a mild illness in Rome. His nephew had his body returned to Florence. He was heralded as the “father and master of all the art”. He has been buried at the Basilica di Santa Croce.

10. Reflection Michelangelo is one of the greatest artists of not just the Renaissance period, but of all time. His work has been remained respected, inspiring, and memorable throughout all time. His ability to master all aspects of art is an amazing feat few, if any, can accomplish. His artwork remains a symbol of the rebirth of art and the beauty it expresses, as all art should. He shall go down in history as one of the greatest artists that has ever graced the earth with their skills and talents.

11. Bibliography Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 10 Feb. 2015..