Everything about Michelangelo

BCrowned this new message that you will guide to discover Michelangelo BuonarrotiOne of the greatest protagonists of the Italian Renaissance and universal art history. This article has been conceived as an introduction to the life and works of Michelangelo and offers a first orientation to those who want to approach their extraordinary artistic and human path. To make you easier to deepen, I recorded links to the more detailed content that is present in the blog and videos selected by the YouTube channel.

With this method you can explore Michelangelo’s work after your rhythm and according to your specific curiosities. Let’s start with an essential overview in ten points that trace the biography and the most important creative moments of Michelangelo. This introductory schedule offers you a solid foundation to discuss it later in the shades and complexity of the work of one of the most brilliant, innovative and influential artists of all time.

Michelangelo the artist and the works

Michelangelo was born in 1475 in Caprese, Tuscany. From a very young age he shows an extraordinary talent for drawing and sculpture. His formation takes place in Florence, in the lively cultural environment of the Renaissance, where he enters the circle of Lorenzo the ‘Medici, called the beautiful, causing them to come into contact with artists, philosophers and humanists who will mark his artistic vision.

As a young man, Michelangelo shows extraordinary skills. Under his first famous works there is Pietà (1498-1499), made in Rome for San Pietro. Sculpture, who represents the Madonna with the Dead Christ, is considered an absolute masterpiece of sensitivity and anatomical perfection, so much so that Michelangelo Signature, a unique case in his career. Between 1501 and 1504, the David depicts, now preserved in the gallery of the Academy of Florence.

Gained from a block of marble that has already been thrown away by other artists, the work shows the Biblical hero before the collision with Goliath. With David, Michelangelo improves the physical and moral power of man and becomes a symbol of the Florentine Republic. 0SU allocation of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo creates the fresco of the ceiling of the Sixtine Chapel in the Vatican. In just over four years he paints more than 300 figures, with scenes from the book Genesis. Among this, Adam’s creation is perhaps the most iconic and recognizable image in the history of Western art.

The architect of San Pietro

Michelangelo was also a sculptor and painter, but also a great architect. In the last years of his life he hired the direction of the works of the Basilica of San Pietro in the Vatican, who plan the famous dome. His architectural conception will influence all the next baroque architecture in depth.

Also in the Sixtine Chapel, commissioned by Pope Paul III, Michelangelo creates the monumental universal judgment over the entire background wall. The dramatic strength and the expressive intensity of this work mark the transition to mannerism and show a tortured vision of human destination.

In recent decades, Michelangelo has increasingly devoted himself to working with a strong spiritual content, such as Pietà Rondanini, which remained unfinished at his death. The latest sculptures creates a mystical and inner tension that is accompanied by his progressive detachment of the classic canons. Michelangelo was known for its lonely character, obsessive perfectionism and total dedication to art. His letters, poems and rhymes also bear witness to the depth of his philosophical and religious thoughts. Despite successes and fame, he always lived with a certain detachment of the courts and worldly.

Influence on art history

Michelangelo’s vision had a lasting impact on generations of artists. His ability to combine Renaissance idealism and human drama has his works essential models during the sixteenth century and then made, inspiring figures such as Caravaggio, Bernini and even modern artists. Michelangelo died in Rome in 1564, at the age of 88 and left an unparalleled artistic and cultural heritage. Even today, his works are the most visited and studied in the world, which represent the essence of the Renaissance genius and the constant tension of man to the divine and perfection.

To get to know Michelangelo, you can visit different places and museums through his works:

In Florence The most important places are the Galleria Dell’Accademia, the Bargello Museum, the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici Library Laurenziana, Casa Buonarroti (museum dedicated to Michelangelo) and Piazza della Signoria (David Replica). In Rome The most important places are the Sixtine Chapel, the basilica of San Pietro, Piazza del Campidoglio, the basilica of Santa Maria Degli Angeli and Martiri and the Basilica of San Pietro in limitations.

Other places are: Carrara For the marble quarries from which Michelangelo personally selected the blocks for his sculptures. Bologna And the Basilica of San Domenico where we admire a San Petronio and an Angelo Reggi Candelabro. Sculptures made during a short youth stay. London (Victoria and Albert Museum) where some casts of Michelangel work are exhibited (for study and comparison). Paris (Louvre) that keeps the dying slave and rebellious slave, originally intended for the grave of Julius II.

Continues the exploration

It is clear that, like all icons, love, curiosity and interest in Michelangelo, have inspired an infinite series of things over time. Books, gadgets, prints, DVDs … everything you can give and give yourself, inspired by the artist you can find here: https://amzn.to/3zqas8i

If you want to continue the exploration of this artist:
https://www.artesplorando.it/tag/michelangelo

It paints with the brain and not with your hands

Michelangelo

See you soon!

Cc