Michelangelo: creativity and biography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Michelangelo Buonarroti is considered by many to be the most famous artist of the Italian Renaissance. Among his most famous works are the statues of "David" and "Pieta", the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel.

Unsurpassed Master

The work of Michelangelo Buonarroti can be briefly described as the greatest phenomenon in art of all time - this is how he was assessed during his lifetime, this is how they continue to be considered to this day. Several of his works in painting, sculpture and architecture are among the most famous in the world. Although the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican are probably the most famous works of the artist, he considered himself primarily a sculptor. Engaging in multiple arts was not uncommon in his time. All of them were based on a drawing. Michelangelo was engaged in marble sculpture all his life, and other forms of art only at certain periods. The high appreciation of the Sistine Chapel is partly a reflection of the increased attention paid to painting in the 20th century, and partly the result of the fact that many of the master's works were left unfinished.

A side effect of lifetimeMichelangelo's fame was a more detailed description of his path than any other artist of that time. He became the first artist whose biography was published before his death, there were even two of them. The first was the last chapter of a book on the life of artists (1550) by the painter and architect Giorgio Vasari. It was dedicated to Michelangelo, whose work was presented as the culmination of the perfection of art. Despite such praise, he was not entirely satisfied and commissioned his assistant Ascanio Condivi to write a separate short book (1553), probably based on the comments of the artist himself. In it, Michelangelo, the work of the master are depicted the way he wanted others to see them. After Buonarroti's death, Vasari published a refutation in the second edition (1568). Although scholars prefer Condivi's book to Vasari's lifetime description, the latter's importance in general and its frequent reprinting in many languages have made the work a major source of information about Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists. Buonarroti's fame also resulted in the preservation of countless documents, including hundreds of letters, essays and poems. However, despite the huge amount of accumulated material, in controversial issues often only the point of view of Michelangelo himself is known.

Short biography and work

Painter, sculptor, architect and poet, one of the most famous artists of the Italian Renaissance was born under the name of Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy. His father, Leonardo di BuanarottaSimoni, briefly served as magistrate in a small village when he and his wife Francesca Neri had the second of five sons, but they returned to Florence when Michelangelo was still an infant. Due to his mother's illness, the boy was given to be raised by a stonemason's family, about which the great sculptor later joked that he absorbed a hammer and chisels with the nurse's milk.

Indeed, studies were the least of Michelangelo's interests. The work of painters in neighboring churches and the repetition of what he saw there, according to his early biographers, attracted him much more. Michelangelo's school friend, Francesco Granacci, who was six years older than him, introduced his friend to the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. The father realized that his son was not interested in the family financial business and agreed to give him at the age of 13 as an apprentice to a fashionable Florentine painter. There he got acquainted with the fresco technique.

Medici Gardens

Michelangelo had only spent a year in the studio when he had a unique opportunity. On the recommendation of Ghirlandaio, he moved to the palace of the Florentine ruler Lorenzo the Magnificent, a powerful member of the Medici family, to study classical sculpture in his gardens. It was a fertile time for Michelangelo Buonarroti. The biography and work of the novice artist were marked by acquaintance with the elite of Florence, the talented sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, prominent poets, scientists and humanists of that time. Buonarroti also received special permission from the church to examine the corpses forstudying anatomy, although this had a negative impact on his he alth.

The combination of these influences formed the basis of Michelangelo's recognizable style: muscular precision and realism combined with an almost lyrical beauty. Two surviving bas-reliefs, "The Battle of the Centaurs" and "Madonna at the Stairs", testify to his unique talent at the age of 16.

Early success and impact

The political struggle after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent forced Michelangelo to flee to Bologna, where he continued his studies. He returned to Florence in 1495 and began working as a sculptor, borrowing style from the masterpieces of classical antiquity.

There are several versions of the intriguing story of Michelangelo's Cupid sculpture, which was artificially aged to resemble rare antiques. One version claims that the author wanted to create a patina effect with this, and according to another, his art dealer buried the work to pass it off as an antique.

Cardinal Riario San Giorgio bought the Cupid, considering the sculpture as such, and demanded a refund when he discovered that he had been deceived. In the end, the deceived buyer was so impressed by the work of Michelangelo that he allowed the artist to keep the money for himself. The cardinal even invited him to Rome, where Buonarroti lived and worked until the end of his days.

"Pieta" and "David"

Shortly after moving to Rome in 1498, another cardinal, Jean Bilaire de Lagrola, papal envoy of the FrenchKing Charles VIII. Michelangelo's sculpture "Pieta", which depicts Mary holding the dead Jesus on her knees, was completed in less than a year and was placed in the temple with the tomb of the cardinal. At 1.8m wide and almost the same height, the statue was moved five times before finding its current location in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.

Carved from a single piece of Carrara marble, the fluidity of the fabric, the position of the subjects, and the "movement" of the Pieta's skin (which means "pity" or "compassion") plunged its first viewers into fear. Today it is an incredibly revered work. Michelangelo created her when he was only 25 years old.

Legend says that the author, having overheard a conversation about the intention to attribute the work to another sculptor, boldly carved his signature on the ribbon on Mary's chest. This is the only work with his name on it.

By the time Michelangelo returned to Florence, he was already a celebrity. The sculptor received a commission for a statue of David, which two previous sculptors had unsuccessfully tried to make, and turned a five-meter block of marble into a dominant figure. The strength of the tendons, the vulnerable nakedness, the humanity of the expressions and the general courage made the "David" a symbol of Florence.

Art and architecture

Other commissions followed, including an ambitious project for the tomb of Pope Julius II, but work was interrupted when Michelangelo was asked to move from sculpture to painting to decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

The project fired the artist's imagination, andthe original plan of writing 12 apostles turned into more than 300 figures. This work was later completely removed due to fungus in the plaster and then restored. Buonarroti fired all the assistants he considered incompetent and completed the painting of the 65-meter ceiling himself, spending endless hours lying on his back and jealously guarding his work until it was completed on October 31, 1512.

The artistic work of Michelangelo can be briefly described as follows. This is a transcendent example of the high art of the Renaissance, which contains Christian symbols, prophecies and humanistic principles, absorbed by the master during his youth. The bright vignettes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel create a kaleidoscope effect. The most iconic image is the Creation of Adam, depicting God touching a person with his finger. Roman artist Raphael apparently changed his style after seeing this work.

Michelangelo, whose biography and work forever remained associated with sculpture and drawing, due to physical exertion during the painting of the chapel was forced to turn his attention to architecture.

The master continued to work on the tomb of Julius II over the next few decades. He also designed the Medici Chapel and the Laurencin Library opposite the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, which was to house the library of the Medici house. These buildings are considered a turning point in the history of architecture. But the crowning glory of Michelangelo in this area was the work of the chief architect of the cathedral. Saint Peter in 1546.

Conflict nature

Michelangelo unveiled a hovering Last Judgment on the far wall of the Sistine Chapel in 1541. Voices of protest were immediately heard - nude figures were inappropriate for such a holy place, calls were made to destroy the largest fresco of the Italian Renaissance. The artist responded by introducing new images into the composition: his main critic in the form of the devil and himself as a skinned St. Bartholomew.

Despite the connections and patronage of the rich and influential people of Italy, which provided a brilliant mind and all-round talent of Michelangelo, the life and work of the master were full of ill-wishers. He was cocky and quick-tempered, which often led to quarrels, including with his customers. This not only brought him trouble, but also created a feeling of dissatisfaction in him - the artist constantly strived for perfection and could not compromise.

Sometimes he had bouts of melancholy, which left a mark in many of his literary works. Michelangelo wrote that he was in great sorrow and labor, that he had no friends and did not need them, and that he did not have enough time to eat enough, but these inconveniences bring him joy.

In his youth, Michelangelo teased a fellow student and got hit in the nose, which disfigured him for life. Over the years, he experienced growing fatigue from his work, in one of the poems he described the enormous physical effort that he had to make to paint the ceiling of the Sistinechapels. Political strife in his beloved Florence also tormented him, but his most notable foe was the Florentine artist Leonardo da Vinci, who was 20 years his senior.

Literary works and personal life

Michelangelo, whose creativity was expressed in his sculptures, paintings and architecture, took up poetry in his mature years.

Never married, Buonarroti was devoted to a pious and noble widow named Vittoria Colonna, the addressee of over 300 of his poems and sonnets. Their friendship provided great support to Michelangelo until Colonna's death in 1547. In 1532, the master became close to the young nobleman Tommaso de' Cavalieri. Historians are still arguing about whether their relationship was homosexual or whether he had paternal feelings.

Death and legacy

After a short illness, on February 18, 1564 - just a few weeks before his 89th birthday - Michelangelo died at his home in Rome. The nephew moved the body to Florence, where he was revered as "the father and master of all arts", and buried him in the Basilica di Santa Croce - where the sculptor himself bequeathed.

Unlike many artists, Michelangelo's work brought him fame and fortune during his lifetime. He was also fortunate to see the publication of two of his biographies by Giorgio Vasari and Ascanio Condivi. The appreciation of Buonarroti's craftsmanship goes back centuries, and his name has become synonymous with the Italian Renaissance.

Michelangelo featurescreativity

In contrast to the great fame of the artist's works, their visual impact on later art is relatively limited. This cannot be explained by the reluctance to copy the works of Michelangelo simply because of his fame, since Raphael, who was equal in talent, was imitated much more often. It is possible that a certain, almost cosmic scale type of expression by Buonarroti imposed restrictions. There are only a few examples of almost complete copying. The most talented artist was Daniele da Volterra. But nevertheless, in certain aspects, creativity in the art of Michelangelo found a continuation. In the 17th century he was considered the best in anatomical drawing, but was less praised for the broader elements of his work. The Mannerists used his spatial contraction and the writhing poses of his Victory sculpture. 19th century master Auguste Rodin applied the effect of unfinished marble blocks. Some masters of the XVII century. Baroque style copied it, but in such a way as to exclude literal resemblance. In addition, Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Peter Paul Rubens have best shown how to use the work of Michelangelo Buonarroti for future generations of sculptors and artists.