MICHELANGELO BUONAROTTI (Italian Renaissance Painter)
Michelangelo Buonarotti was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6, 1475. His mother died when he was young, and his family moved to Florence. His father was a government official who, noticing Michelangelo's talent and intelligence, apprenticed him to a painter and sculptor named Domenico Ghirlandaio. Michelangelo was 16 when he began working as an artist under the patronage of the Medici family.
Michelangelo acted as an artist with a sense of civic responsibility. His statue of David, sculpted between 1501-04, was created for the city of Florence whose citizens were beset by turmoil from external threats. David, who slew Goliath in the Bible, acted as a reminder that, even when one appears to be smaller and weaker then one's opponent, man is glorious in himself and capable of achieving great acts when courage demands it.
By 1508, Michelangelo was so well-established that he could pick and choose among projects. However, he was not immune to pressure from the very powerful Catholic Church, and at the Pope's behest, he agreed to paint the ceiling of what was then an unimportant chapel located at one end of the Vatican. It was a project of gigantic proportion, depicting biblical history on a majestic scale. Michelangelo toiled on the Sistine chapel, creating one of the greatest masterpieces ever known.
Michelangelo left a large body of work, but his public works of art have given him the name recognition that persists worldwide. Along with Picasso, Monet, and van Gogh, he is most often referred to by only one name; an indication of his lasting fame.
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