The life of Michelangelo

Are you interested in learning more about Michelangelo and his life and creations? We have prepared a timeline below to showcase the important dates and periods of his life, providing you with a better understanding of his achievements and contributions.

Biography

Michelangelo (di Lodovico Buonarroti), (born March 6, 1475, Caprese, Republic of Florence—died Feb. 18, 1564, Rome, Papal States), Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet. His father, Lodovico, briefly served as a magistrate in the small village when he recorded the birth of his second of five sons with his wife, Francesca Neri.

In Florence, Michelangelo studied grammar under tutor Francesco da Urbino, but he was much more interested in art and painting than traditional academics. 

Achievements towards the landmark

The masterpiece of his early years, in which he demonstrated his unique ability to extract two distinct figures from one marble block.His David (1501–04), commissioned for the cathedral of Florence, is still considered the prime example of the Renaissance ideal of perfect humanity. 

Famous Sculptures of Michelangelo

Michelangelo became an apprentice relatively late, at 13, perhaps after overcoming his father’s objections. He was apprenticed to the city’s most prominent painter, Domenico Ghirlandaio, for a three-year term, but he left after one year, having (Condivi recounts) nothing more to learn. 

• The creation of Adam
• San Spirito Crucifix
• Madonna of Bruges

The creation of Adam

The most famous of these paintings is The Creation of Adam, which depicts God and Adam outstretching their hands to one another. The Sistine Chapel ceiling took Michelangelo four years to complete, 1508-1512.

San Spirito Crucifix (1492)

One is a polychrome wood sculpture possibly finished in 1492 that had been lost from view by scholars until it re-emerged in 1962. Usually the sculpture is entitled the Santo Spirito Crucifix to reflect its current location.

Madonna of Bruges (1504) 

The Madonna of Bruges is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo of the Virgin and Child. Michelangelo's depiction of the Madonna and Child differs significantly from earlier representations of the same subject, which tended to feature a pious Virgin smiling down on an infant held in her arms.

Michelangelo's sculpture embodies complexity, physical realism, psychological tension, and meticulous consideration of space, light, and shadow. Though it was not quite finished at Michelangelo’s death, its exterior owes more to him than to any other architect. He is regarded today as among the most exalted of artists.