In Caprese Italy, on March 6, 1574, Judge Buonarroti says he “saw lucky stars in the sky”. The reason he said this was because his son, the famous Michelangelo was born. When Michelangelo was growing up, he was a very skinny, scrawny, and sickly looking boy but his father just knew there was something about him that he was going to be great one day. At the age of only twelve or thirteen, his father sent him to school to be a scholar. Michelangelo didn’t like school. He figured out that he was more interested in art. His father and uncle were horrified by this. They were thinking that their social status would lower because of Michelangelos actions and actually beat him! Finally in 1488, they agreed to let him study with Domenico Ghirlandaio, a famous Florentine painter. Michelangelo found out that he was very highly skilled, especially for his age. Ghirlandaio even gave him a small salary, which he had to give his father.

 When Michelangelo was 16, Ghirlandaio sent him to study sculpture with Bertoldo de Giovanni. The prince then saw Michelangelo’s abilities and was amazed and even treated him as a son figure. He lived with Lorenzo until 1492 when Lorenzo died. Michelangelo then left for Rome for a few years and returned to Florence a famous sculptor.

When Michelangelo was 26 years old, he created a statue that amazed everyone. The piece of Marble that was given to him was thin and scarred and also 16 feet long. It was so bad that many other sculptors refused to use it. Michelangelo never turned away from something just because it was going to be hard. From this horrid slab of marble he created his famous David. David was a biblical hero. Citizens of Florence became amazed by it and thought that the statue was a symbol of strength and vigor of their city.

After David was finished in 1504, Michelangelo was asked to do more work then he could handle. He was asked to tombs, libraries and statues. Even a tomb for the pope! Specifically Pope Julius 11. This was no normal project. It was the largest tomb of the Christian world and a new chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica had to be built to hold it! Michelangelo supervised the quarrying of the gigantic marble tomb for 8 months. But when he came to Rome to speak about it with the pope, the pope refused to talk to him. Furious, Michelangelo went back to Florence. When the pope found out that Michelangelo wasn’t coming back, he threatened war! When Michelangelo heard that, he came back to finish it. The tomb took him 40 years to finish.

Julius also wanted Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in St. Peter’s. He protested at fist, saying he was a sculptor, not a painter but he soon agreed to do it. Michelangelo had to lie on his back on a scaffold. To save time, he would sleep in his clothes. But Julius was so impatient that he threatened to throw him off the scaffold if he did not hurry! Also to save time, Michelangelo locked out his assistance and finished the 3,000 feet of surface area by himself! Despite the pope’s threats, it took Michelangelo 4 years to finish! The painting tells the story of the bible from the first testament.

Michelangelo was ordered to finish many other paintings of the Sistine Chapel. 24 years later, he painted The Last Judgment on the alter wall of the chapel. The St. Peter’s Chapel was constantly being enlarged and changed by Michelangelo. He even became chief architect in 1547. The St. Peter’s Chapel came to be known as the crowning glory of the renaissance period because of Michelangelo.

 It was said when Michelangelo was 60, he could still carve faster than three ordinary sculptors put together. He lived to be 89, working until his death in Rome on February 18, 1564.

Michelangelo is most remembered for Pope Julius 11’s tomb, which took him forty years to build and also for painting what is known to be considered by many to be the greatest single work of art ever created by one man. This work of art was called The Ceiling of the Sistine. Michelangelo took about 4 restless years painting 3,000 square feet at the Sistine Chapel in St. Peter's.

1. I would give Michelangelo’s Biography the title “Best Artist/ Sculptor of all times”. I would give it this title because that is exactly what he as known to be.

 2. If Michelangelo went to high school with me, I think he would be voted best artist because he was great at painting and sculpting.

Bibliography:

Morgan, Charles H. "Michelangelo." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 24 Feb. 2009 <http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0269460-00>.

 "Michelangelo." Reviewed by Aaron H. Jacobsen. The New Book of Knowledge®. 2009. Grolier Online. 3 Mar. 2009 <http://nbk.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=a2019100-h>.

Ciara N.