Artist Michelangelo biography. Biography of Michelangelo

full name Michelangelo de Francesco de Neri de Miniato del Sera and Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni; Italian Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni

Italian sculptor, artist, architect, poet, thinker; one of the greatest masters of the Renaissance and early Baroque

Michelangelo

short biography

Michelangelo- an outstanding Italian sculptor, architect, artist, thinker, poet, one of the brightest figures of the Renaissance, whose multifaceted creativity influenced the art not only of this historical period, but also the development of the entire world culture.

On March 6, 1475, a boy was born into the family of a city councilor, a poor Florentine nobleman living in the small town of Caprese (Tuscany), whose creations would be elevated to the rank of masterpieces, the best achievements of Renaissance art during the lifetime of their author. Lodovico Buonarroti said that higher powers inspired him to name his son Michelangelo. Despite the nobility, which gave grounds to be among the city elite, the family was not wealthy. Therefore, when the mother died, the father of many children had to give 6-year-old Michelangelo to be raised by his nurse in the village. Before he could read and write, the boy learned to work with clay and a chisel.

Seeing his son’s pronounced inclinations, Lodovico in 1488 sent him to study with the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio, in whose workshop Michelangelo spent a year. Then he becomes a student of the famous sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, whose school was patronized by Lorenzo de' Medici, who at that time was the de facto ruler of Florence. After some time, he himself notices the talented teenager and invites him to the palace, introducing him to the palace collections. Michelangelo stayed at the patron's court from 1490 until his death in 1492, after which he left home.

In June 1496, Michelangelo arrived in Rome: having bought a sculpture he liked, Cardinal Raphael Riario summoned him there. From that time on, the biography of the great artist was associated with frequent moves from Florence to Rome and back. Early creations already reveal features that will distinguish Michelangelo’s creative style: admiration for the beauty of the human body, plastic power, monumentality, dramatic artistic images.

During the years 1501-1504, returning to Florence in 1501, he worked on the famous statue of David, which the venerable commission decided to install in the main city square. Since 1505, Michelangelo is again in Rome, where Pope Julius II calls him to work on a grandiose project - the creation of his luxurious tomb, which, according to their joint plan, was to be surrounded by many statues. Work on it was carried out intermittently and was completed only in 1545. In 1508, he fulfilled another request of Julius II - he began frescoing the vault in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican and completed this grandiose painting work, working intermittently, in 1512.

Period from 1515 to 1520 became one of the most difficult in the biography of Michelangelo, was marked by the collapse of plans, throwing “between two fires” - service to Pope Leo X and the heirs of Julius II. In 1534 his final move to Rome took place. Since the 20s The artist’s worldview becomes more pessimistic and takes on tragic tones. An illustration of the mood was the huge composition “The Last Judgment” - again in the Sistine Chapel, on the altar wall; Michelangelo worked on it in 1536-1541. After the death of the architect Antonio da Sangallo in 1546, he took the position of chief architect of the Cathedral of St. Petra. The largest work of this period, work on which lasted from the late 40s. to 1555, there was a sculptural group “Pieta”. Over the last 30 years of the artist's life, the emphasis in his work gradually shifted to architecture and poetry. Deep, permeated with tragedy, dedicated to the eternal themes of love, loneliness, happiness, madrigals, sonnets and other poetic works were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. The first publication of Michelangelo's poetry was posthumous (1623).

On February 18, 1564, the great representative of the Renaissance died. His body was transported from Rome to Florence and buried in the Church of Santa Croce with great honors.

Biography from Wikipedia

Michelangelo Buonarroti, full name Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni(Italian: Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni; March 6, 1475, Caprese - February 18, 1564, Rome) - Italian sculptor, artist, architect, poet, thinker. One of the greatest masters of the Renaissance and early Baroque. His works were considered the highest achievements of Renaissance art during the lifetime of the master himself. Michelangelo lived for almost 89 years, an entire era, from the period of the High Renaissance to the origins of the Counter-Reformation. During this period, there were thirteen Popes - he carried out orders for nine of them. Many documents about his life and work have been preserved - testimonies from contemporaries, letters from Michelangelo himself, contracts, his personal and professional records. Michelangelo was also the first representative of Western European art whose biography was published during his lifetime.

Among his most famous sculptural works are "David", "Bacchus", "Pieta", statues of Moses, Leah and Rachel for the tomb of Pope Julius II. Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo's first official biographer, wrote that "David" "robbed the glory of all statues, modern and ancient, Greek and Roman." One of the artist’s most monumental works are the frescoes of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, about which Goethe wrote that: “Without seeing the Sistine Chapel, it is difficult to get a clear idea of what one person can do.” Among his architectural achievements are the design of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, the stairs of the Laurentian Library, Campidoglio Square and others. Researchers believe that Michelangelo's art begins and ends with the image of the human body.

Life and art

Childhood

Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in the Tuscan town of Caprese, north of Arezzo, in the family of the impoverished Florentine nobleman Lodovico Buonarroti (Italian: Lodovico (Ludovico) di Leonardo Buonarroti Simoni) (1444-1534), who at that time was the 169th Podesta. For several generations, representatives of the Buonarroti-Simoni family were petty bankers in Florence, but Lodovico failed to maintain the financial condition of the bank, so he took government positions from time to time. It is known that Lodovico was proud of his aristocratic origins, because the Buonarroti-Simoni family claimed blood relationship with the Margravess Matilda of Canossa, although there was not enough documentary evidence to confirm this. Ascanio Condivi argued that Michelangelo himself believed in this, recalling the aristocratic origins of the family in his letters to his nephew Leonardo. William Wallace wrote:

“Before Michelangelo, very few artists claimed such origins. The artists did not have not only coats of arms, but also real surnames. They were named after their father, profession or city, and among them were such famous contemporaries of Michelangelo as Leonardo da Vinci and Giorgione."

According to Lodovico's record, which is kept in the Casa Buonarroti Museum (Florence), Michelangelo was born "(...) on Monday morning, at 4 or 5:00 before dawn." This register also states that the christening took place on 8 March in the Church of San Giovanni di Caprese, and lists the godparents:

About his mother, Francesca di Neri del Miniato del Siena (Italian: Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena), who married early and died from exhaustion due to frequent pregnancies in the year of Michelangelo’s sixth birthday, the latter never mentions in his voluminous correspondence with his father and brothers . Lodovico Buonarroti was not rich, and the income from his small property in the village was barely enough to support many children. In this regard, he was forced to give Michelangelo to a nurse, the wife of a Scarpelino from the same village, called Settignano. There, raised by the Topolino couple, the boy learned to knead clay and wield a chisel before reading and writing. In any case, Michelangelo himself later said to his friend and biographer Giorgio Vasari:

“If there is anything good in my talent, it is because I was born in the rarefied air of your Aretina land, and I extracted both the chisels and the hammer with which I make my statues from the milk of my nurse.”

"Count of Canossa"
(Drawing by Michelangelo)

Michelangelo was the second son of Lodovico. Fritz Erpeli gives the birth years of his brothers Lionardo (Italian: Lionardo) - 1473, Buonarroto (Italian: Buonarroto) - 1477, Giovansimone (Italian: Giovansimone) - 1479 and Gismondo (Italian: Gismondo) - 1481. In the same year, his mother died, and in 1485, four years after her death, Lodovico married for the second time. Michelangelo's stepmother was Lucrezia Ubaldini. Soon Michelangelo was sent to the school of Francesco Galatea da Urbino (Italian: Francesco Galatea da Urbino) in Florence, where the young man did not show much inclination to study and preferred communicating with artists and redrawing church icons and frescoes.

Youth. First works

In 1488, the father came to terms with his son’s inclinations and placed him as an apprentice in the workshop of the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio. Here Michelangelo had the opportunity to familiarize himself with basic materials and techniques; his pencil copies of works by such Florentine artists as Giotto and Masaccio date back to the same period; already in these copies Michelangelo’s characteristic sculptural vision of forms appeared. His painting “The Torment of St. Anthony” (a copy of an engraving by Martin Schongauer) dates back to the same period.

He studied there for one year. A year later, Michelangelo moved to the school of the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni, which existed under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto master of Florence. The Medici recognized Michelangelo's talent and patronized him. From approximately 1490 to 1492, Michelangelo was at the Medici court. Here he met the philosophers of the Platonic Academy (Marsilio Ficino, Angelo Poliziano, Pico della Mirandola and others). He was also friends with Giovanni (the second son of Lorenzo, the future Pope Leo X) and Giulio Medici (the illegitimate son of Giuliano Medici, the future Pope Clement VII). Perhaps at this time " Madonna at the Stairs" And " Battle of the Centaurs" It is known that at this time Pietro Torrigiano, who was also Bertoldo’s student, quarreled with Michelangelo and broke the guy’s nose with a blow to the face. After the death of the Medici in 1492, Michelangelo returned home.

In 1494-1495, Michelangelo lived in Bologna, creating sculptures for the Arch of St. Dominic. In 1495, he returned to Florence, where the Dominican preacher Girolamo Savonarola ruled, and created sculptures “ Saint Johannes" And " Sleeping Cupid" In 1496, Cardinal Raphael Riario bought Michelangelo's marble "Cupid" and invited the artist to work in Rome, where Michelangelo arrived on June 25. In 1496-1501 he creates " Bacchus" And " Roman Pieta».

In 1501 Michelangelo returned to Florence. Commissioned works: sculptures for " altar of Piccolomini" And " David" In 1503, work was completed on order: “ Twelve Apostles", start of work on " Saint Matthew"for the Florentine Cathedral. Around 1503-1505, the creation of " Madonna Doni», « Madonna Taddei», « Madonna Pitti" And " Brugger Madonna" In 1504, work on " David"; Michelangelo receives an order to create " Battles of Kashin».

In 1505, the sculptor was summoned by Pope Julius II to Rome; he ordered a tomb for him. An eight-month stay in Carrara follows, selecting the marble necessary for the work. In the years 1505-1545, work was carried out (with interruptions) on the tomb, for which sculptures were created “ Moses», « Tied up slave», « Dying Slave», « Leah».

In April 1506 he returned to Florence again, followed by reconciliation with Julius II in Bologna in November. Michelangelo receives an order for a bronze statue of Julius II, which he works on in 1507 (later destroyed).

In February 1508, Michelangelo returned to Florence again. In May, at the request of Julius II, he goes to Rome to paint ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel; He works on them until October 1512.

In 1513, Julius II dies. Giovanni Medici becomes Pope Leo X. Michelangelo enters into a new contract to work on the tomb of Julius II. In 1514, the sculptor received an order for “ Christ with the cross"and the chapel of Pope Leo X in Engelsburg.

In July 1514, Michelangelo returned to Florence again. He receives an order to create the facade of the Medici Church of San Lorenzo in Florence, and he signs a third contract for the creation of the tomb of Julius II.

In the years 1516-1519, numerous trips took place to buy marble for the façade of San Lorenzo to Carrara and Pietrasanta.

In 1520-1534, the sculptor worked on the architectural and sculptural complex of the Medici Chapel in Florence, and also designed and built the Laurentian Library.

Death and burial

A few days before Michelangelo's death, his nephew, Leonardo, arrived in Rome, to whom on February 15, at Michelangelo's request, Federico Donati wrote a letter.

Michelangelo died on February 18, 1564 in Rome, just short of his 89th birthday. Witnesses to his death were Tommaso Cavalieri, Daniele da Volterra, Diomede Leone, doctors Federico Donati and Gherardo Fidelissimi, as well as servant Antonio Franzese. Before his death, he dictated his will with all his characteristic laconicism: “I give my soul to God, my body to the earth, my property to my relatives.”

Pope Pius IV planned to bury Michelangelo in Rome, building him a tomb in St. Peter's Basilica. On February 20, 1564, Michelangelo's body was temporarily laid to rest in the Basilica of Santi Apostoli.

In early March, the sculptor's body was secretly transported to Florence and solemnly buried on July 14, 1564 in the Franciscan church of Santa Croce, not far from Machiavelli's tomb.

Works

Michelangelo's genius left its mark not only on the art of the Renaissance, but also on all subsequent world culture. His activities are connected mainly with two Italian cities - Florence and Rome. By the nature of his talent, he was primarily a sculptor. This can also be felt in the master’s paintings, which are unusually rich in plasticity of movements, complex poses, and distinct and powerful sculpting of volumes. In Florence, Michelangelo created an immortal example of the High Renaissance - the statue of "David" (1501-1504), which became the standard image of the human body for many centuries, in Rome - the sculptural composition "Pieta" (1498-1499), one of the first incarnations of the figure of a dead man in plastic. However, the artist was able to realize his most ambitious plans precisely in painting, where he acted as a true innovator of color and form.

Commissioned by Pope Julius II, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512), representing the biblical story from the creation of the world to the flood and including more than 300 figures. In 1534-1541, in the same Sistine Chapel, he painted the grandiose, dramatic fresco “The Last Judgment” for Pope Paul III. The architectural works of Michelangelo - the ensemble of the Capitol Square and the dome of the Vatican Cathedral in Rome - amaze with their beauty and grandeur.

The arts have reached such perfection in him that you will not find either among ancient or modern people over many, many years. He had such and such a perfect imagination, and the things that seemed to him in the idea were such that it was impossible to carry out such great and amazing plans with his hands, and he often abandoned his creations, moreover, he destroyed many; Thus, it is known that shortly before his death he burned a large number of drawings, sketches and cardboards created with his own hands, so that no one could see the work he had overcome, and the ways in which he tested his genius in order to show it as nothing less than perfect.
Giorgio Vasari. "Biographies of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects." T. V. M., 1971.

Notable works

Madonna at the stairs. Marble. OK. 1491. Florence, Buonarroti Museum.
Battle of the Centaurs. Marble. OK. 1492. Florence, Buonarroti Museum.
Pieta. Marble. 1498-1499. Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica.
Madonna and Child. Marble. OK. 1501. Bruges, Notre Dame Church.
David. Marble. 1501-1504. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts.
Madonna Taddei. Marble. OK. 1502-1504. London, Royal Academy of Arts.
Madonna Doni. 1503-1504. Florence, Uffizi Gallery.
Madonna Pitti. OK. 1504-1505. Florence, National Bargello Museum.
Apostle Matthew. Marble. 1506. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts.
Painting the vault of the Sistine Chapel. 1508-1512. Vatican.
- Creation of Adam
Dying slave. Marble. OK. 1513. Paris, Louvre.
Moses. OK. 1515. Rome, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli.
Atlant. Marble. Between 1519, ca. 1530-1534. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts.
Medici Chapel 1520-1534.
Madonna. Florence, Medici Chapel. Marble. 1521-1534.
Laurentian Library. 1524-1534, 1549-1559. Florence.
Tomb of Duke Lorenzo. Medici Chapel. 1524-1531. Florence, Cathedral of San Lorenzo.
Tomb of Duke Giuliano. Medici Chapel. 1526-1533. Florence, Cathedral of San Lorenzo.
Crouching boy. Marble. 1530-1534. Russia, St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum.
Brutus. Marble. After 1539. Florence, National Bargello Museum.
Last Judgment. The Sistine Chapel. 1535-1541. Vatican.
Tomb of Julius II. 1542-1545. Rome, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli.
Pietà (Entombment) of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Marble. OK. 1547-1555. Florence, Opera del Duomo Museum.

In 2007, Michelangelo's last work was found in the Vatican archives - a sketch of one of the details of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. The drawing, done in red chalk, is "a detail depiction of one of the radial columns that make up the drum of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome." It is believed that this is the last work of the famous artist, completed shortly before his death in 1564.

This is not the first time that Michelangelo's works have been found in archives and museums. So, in 2002, in the storerooms of the National Design Museum in New York, among the works of unknown Renaissance authors, another drawing was found: on a sheet of paper measuring 45x25 cm, the artist depicted a menorah - a candlestick for seven candles. At the beginning of 2015, it became known about the discovery of the first and probably the only bronze sculpture by Michelangelo that has survived to this day - a composition of two panther riders.

Poetic creativity

Michelangelo's poetry is considered one of the brightest examples of the Renaissance. About 300 poems by Michelangelo have survived to this day. The main themes are the glorification of man, the bitterness of disappointment and the loneliness of the artist. Favorite poetic forms are madrigal and sonnet. According to R. Rolland, Michelangelo began writing poetry as a child, however, there are not many of them left, since in 1518 he burned most of his early poems, and destroyed another part later, before his death.

Some of his poems were published in the works of Benedetto Varchi (Italian: Benedetto Varchi), Donato Giannotto (Italian: Donato Giannotti), Giorgio Vasari and others. Luigi Ricci and Giannotto invited him to select the best poems for publication. In 1545, Giannotto began preparing the first collection of Michelangelo, however, things did not go any further - Luigi died in 1546, and Vittoria died in 1547. Michelangelo decided to abandon this idea, considering it vanity.

Vittoria and Michelangelo at "Moses", 19th century painting

Thus, during his lifetime, a collection of his poems was not published, and the first collection was published only in 1623 by his nephew Michelangelo Buonarroti (the younger) under the title “Poems of Michelangelo, collected by his nephew” in the Florentine publishing house Giuntine. This edition was incomplete and contained certain inaccuracies. In 1863, Cesare Guasti published the first accurate edition of the artist’s poems, which, however, was not chronological. In 1897, the German art critic Karl Frey published “The Poems of Michelangelo, collected and commented by Dr. Karl Frey "(Berlin). The edition by Enzo Noe Girardi (Bari, 1960) Italian. Enzo Noe Girardi) consisted of three parts, and was much more perfect than Frey's edition in the accuracy of the text and was distinguished by a better chronology of the arrangement of poems, although not entirely indisputable.

The study of Michelangelo's poetic work was carried out, in particular, by the German writer Wilhelm Lang, who defended a dissertation on this topic, published in 1861.

Use in music

Even during his lifetime, some of the poems were set to music. Among the most famous composers-contemporaries of Michelangelo are Jacob Arkadelt (“Deh dimm" Amor se l"alma” and “Io dico che fra voi”), Bartolomeo Tromboncino, Constanza Festa (a lost madrigal on a poem by Michelangelo), Jean de Cons (also - Consilium).

Also, composers such as Richard Strauss (a cycle of five songs - the first with words by Michelangelo, the rest by Adolf von Schack, 1886), Hugo Wolf (vocal cycle “Songs of Michelangelo” 1897) and Benjamin Britten (song cycle “ Seven Sonnets by Michelangelo", 1940).

On July 31, 1974, Dmitri Shostakovich wrote a suite for bass and piano (opus 145). The suite is based on eight sonnets and three poems by the artist (translated by Abram Efros).

In 2006, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies completed Tondo di Michelangelo (for baritone and piano). The work includes eight sonnets by Michelangelo. The premiere took place on October 18, 2007.

In 2010, Austrian composer Matthew Dewey wrote “Il tempo passa: music to Michelangelo” (for baritone, viola and piano). It uses a modern translation of Michelangelo's poems into English. The world premiere of the work took place on January 16, 2011.

Appearance

There are several portraits of Michelangelo. Among them are Sebastiano del Piombo (c. 1520), Giuliano Bugiardini, Jacopino del Conte (1544-1545, Uffizi Gallery), Marcello Venusti (museum in the Capitol), Francisco d'Holanda (1538-1539), Giulio Bonasone (1546) and others. His image was also in the biography of Condivi, which was published in 1553, and in 1561 Leone Leoni minted a coin with his image.

Describing Michelangelo's appearance, Romain Rolland chose portraits of Conte and d'Hollande as a basis:

Bust of Michelangelo
(Daniele da Volterra, 1564)

“Michelangelo was of medium height, broad-shouldered and muscular (...). His head was round, his forehead was square, wrinkled, with strongly pronounced brow ridges. Black, rather sparse hair, slightly curly. Small light brown eyes, the color of which was constantly changing, dotted with yellow and blue specks (...). Wide straight nose with a slight hump (...). Thinly defined lips, the lower lip protrudes slightly. Thin sideburns, and a forked thin beard of a faun (...) a high-cheeked face with sunken cheeks.”

Michelangelo Buonarroti is a recognized genius of the Renaissance, who made an invaluable contribution to the treasury of world culture.

On March 6, 1475, a second child was born into the Buonarroti Simoni family, who was named Michelangelo. The boy's father was the mayor of the Italian town of Carpese and was the scion of a noble family. Michelangelo's grandfather and great-grandfather were considered successful bankers, but his parents lived poorly. The status of mayor did not bring his father much money, but he considered other work (physical) humiliating. A month after the birth of his son, Lodovico di Lionardo's tenure as mayor came to an end. And the family moved to the family estate located in Florence.

Francesca, the baby's mother, was constantly sick, and while pregnant, she fell from a horse, so she could not feed the baby on her own. Because of this, tiny Mika was assigned to a wet nurse, and the first years of his life were spent in the family of a stonemason. From early childhood, the child played with pebbles and a chisel, becoming addicted to the cultivation of blocks. When the boy grew up, he often said that he owed his talent to his adoptive mother’s milk.

The boy's birth mother died when Mika was 6 years old. This has such a strong impact on the child’s psyche that he becomes withdrawn, irritable and unsociable. The father, worried about his son’s state of mind, sends him to the Francesco Galeota school. The student does not show any zeal for grammar, but he makes friends who instill in him a love of painting.

At the age of 13, Michelangelo announced to his father that he did not intend to continue the family financial business, but would study artistic skills. Thus, in 1488, the teenager became a student of the Ghirlandaio brothers, who introduced him to the art of creating frescoes and instilled in him the basics of painting.

Relief sculpture by Michelangelo "Madonna of the Stairs"

He spent a year in the Ghirlandaio workshop, after which he went to study sculptures in the Medici gardens, where the ruler of Italy, Lorenzo the Magnificent, became interested in the young man’s talent. Now Michelangelo's biography has been enriched by acquaintance with the young Medici, who later became popes. While working in the Gardens of San Marco, the young sculptor received permission from Nico Bicellini (the rector of the church) to study human corpses. In gratitude, he gave the clergyman a crucifix with a face. By studying the skeletons and muscles of dead bodies, Michelangelo became thoroughly acquainted with the structure of the human body, but undermined his own health.

Relief sculpture by Michelangelo "Battle of the Centaurs"

At the age of 16, the young man created his first two relief sculptures - “Madonna of the Stairs” and “Battle of the Centaurs”. These first bas-reliefs that came out of his hands prove that the young master is endowed with an extraordinary gift, and a brilliant future awaits him.

Creation

After the death of Lorenzo Medici, his son Piero ascended the throne, who, through political shortsightedness, destroyed the republican system of Florence. At the same time, Italy is attacked by the French army led by Charles VIII. A revolution breaks out in the country. Florence, torn apart by internecine factional wars, cannot withstand the military onslaught and surrenders. The political and internal situation in Italy is heating up to the limit, which is not at all conducive to Michelangelo’s work. The man goes to Venice and Rome, where he continues his studies and studies statues and sculptures of antiquity.

In 1498, the sculptor created the statue of Bacchus and the composition Pietà, which brought him worldwide fame. The sculpture of young Mary holding the dead Jesus in her arms was placed in St. Peter's Church. A few days later, Michelangelo heard a conversation from one of the pilgrims, who stated that the Pietà composition was created by Christoforo Solari. That same night, the young master, overcome with anger, made his way into the church and carved an inscription on Mary’s breast ribbon. The engraving read: "MICHEL ANGELUS BONAROTUS FLORENT FACIBAT - made by Michelangelo Buonaroti, Florence."

A little later, he repented of his attack of pride and decided not to sign his works anymore.

At the age of 26, Mieke took on the incredibly difficult task of carving a statue from a 5-meter block of damaged marble. One of his contemporaries, without creating anything interesting, simply threw a stone. None of the masters were ready to refine the crippled marble. Only Michelangelo was not afraid of difficulties and three years later showed the world the majestic statue of David. This masterpiece has an incredible harmony of forms, filled with energy and inner strength. The sculptor managed to breathe life into a cold piece of marble.

When the master finished work on the sculpture, a commission was created that determined the location of the masterpiece. This is where Michelangelo's first meeting took place. This meeting could not be called friendly, because 50-year-old Leonardo was losing heavily to the young sculptor and even elevated Michelangelo to the ranks of rivals. Seeing this, the young Piero Soderini organizes a competition between the artists, entrusting them with painting the walls of the Great Council in the Palazzo Vecchio.

Da Vinci began work on a fresco based on the “Battle of Anghiari” plot, and Michelangelo took the “Battle of Cascina” as a basis. When 2 sketches were put on public display, none of the critics could give preference to any of them. Both cardboards turned out to be made so skillfully that the scale of justice equalized the talent of the masters of brushes and paints.

Since Michelangelo was also known as a brilliant artist, he was asked to paint the ceiling of one of the Roman churches in the Vatican. The painter was hired for this work twice. From 1508 to 1512 he painted the ceiling of the church, the area of which was 600 square meters. meters, scenes from the Old Testament from the moment of the Creation of the world to the Flood. The first man, Adam, appears most clearly here. Initially, Mieke planned to draw only 12 Apostles, but the project inspired the master so much that he devoted 4 years of his life to it.

At first, the artist painted the ceiling together with Francesco Granaxi, Giuliano Bugardini and a hundred laborers, but then, in a fit of anger, he fired his assistants. He hid the moments of creating the masterpiece even from the Pope, who repeatedly rushed to look at the painting. At the end of 1511, Michelangelo was so exhausted by the requests of those eager to see his creation that he lifted the veil of secrecy. What they saw shocked the imagination of many people. Even being impressed by this painting, he partially changed his own writing style.

The work in the Sistine Chapel tired the great sculptor so much that he wrote the following in his diary:

“After four tortured years of making over 400 life-size figures, I felt so old and tired. I was only 37, and all my friends no longer recognized the old man I had become.”

He also writes that from hard work his eyes almost stopped seeing, and life became gloomy and gray.

In 1535, Michelangelo again took up painting the walls in the Sistine Chapel. This time he creates the fresco “The Last Judgment,” which caused a storm of indignation among the parishioners. In the center of the composition is Jesus Christ, surrounded by naked people. These human figures symbolize sinners and righteous people. The souls of the faithful rise to heaven to the angels, and the souls of sinners are collected by Charon on his boat and drive them to Hell.

Fresco "The Last Judgment" by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel

The protest of believers was caused not by the picture itself, but by the naked bodies, which should not be in a holy place. There have been repeated calls for the destruction of the largest fresco of the Italian Renaissance. While working on the painting, the artist fell from the scaffolding, severely injuring his leg. The emotional man saw this as a divine sign and decided to give up the job. Only his best friend, and part-time doctor, who helped the patient heal, was able to convince him.

Personal life

There have always been many rumors surrounding the personal life of the famous sculptor. He is prescribed various close relationships with his sitters. The version of Michelangelo's homosexuality is supported by the fact that he was never married. He himself explained it as follows:

“Art is jealous and demands the whole person. I have a wife to whom everything belongs, and my children are my creations.”

Historians accurately confirm his romantic relationship with Marchioness Vittoria Colonna. This woman, distinguished by her extraordinary intelligence, earned the love and deep affection of Michelangelo. Moreover, the Marchioness of Pescara is considered the only woman whose name is associated with the great artist.

It is known that they met in 1536, when the marquise arrived in Rome. A few years later, the woman was forced to leave the city and go to Viterbo. The reason was her brother's rebellion against Paul III. From this moment the correspondence between Michelangelo and Vittoria begins, which became a real monument of the historical era. It is believed that the relationship between Michelangelo and Vittoria was only platonic love. Remaining devoted to her husband, who died in battle, the marquise felt only friendly feelings for the artist.

Death

Michelangelo completed his earthly journey in Rome on February 18, 1564. A few days before his death, the artist destroyed sketches, drawings and unfinished poems. He then went to the tiny church of Santa Maria del Angeli, where he wanted to perfect the sculpture of the Madonna. The sculptor believed that all his works were unworthy of the Lord God. And he himself is not worthy of meeting Paradise, since he did not leave behind any descendants, with the exception of soulless stone statues. In his last days, Mieke wanted to breathe life into the statue of the Madonna in order to thus complete earthly affairs.

But in church he lost consciousness from overexertion, and woke up the next morning. Having reached home, the man falls into bed, dictates his will and gives up the ghost.

The great Italian sculptor and painter left behind many works that still delight the minds of mankind. Even on the threshold of life and death, the master did not let go of the instruments, striving to leave only the best for his descendants. But there are moments in the Italian’s biography that not many people know.

Michelangelo studied the corpses. The sculptor sought to recreate the human body in marble, observing the smallest details. And for this he needed to know anatomy well, so the master spent dozens of nights in the monastery morgue.
The artist did not like painting. Surprisingly, Buonarroti considered creating landscapes and still lifes a waste of time and called these paintings “empty pictures for ladies.”
The teacher broke Michelangelo's nose. This became known from the diaries of Giorgio Vasari, who described in detail a situation where a teacher, out of envy, beat a student, breaking his nose.
The sculptor's serious illness. It is known that for the last 15 years of his life Micke suffered from severe joint pain. At that time, many paints were poisonous, and the artist was forced to constantly breathe in fumes.
A good poet. A talented person is talented in many ways. These words can be safely attributed to the great Italian. His portfolio contains hundreds of sonnets that were not published during his lifetime.

The work of the famous Italian brought him fame and wealth during his lifetime. And he was able to fully taste the veneration of fans and enjoy popularity, which was inaccessible to many of his colleagues.

One of the most influential figures in Western art, Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni remains one of the most famous artists in the world, more than 450 years after his death. I invite you to get acquainted with Michelangelo's most famous works, from the Sistine Chapel to his sculpture of David.

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

When you mention Michelangelo, what immediately comes to mind is the artist’s beautiful fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo was hired by Pope Julius II and worked on the fresco from 1508 to 1512. The work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel depicts the nine stories from the Book of Genesis and is considered one of the greatest works of the High Renaissance. Michelangelo himself initially refused to take on the project, since he considered himself more of a sculptor than a painter. Nevertheless, this work continues to delight the approximately five million visitors to the Sistine Chapel each year.

Statue of David, Accademia Gallery in Florence

The Statue of David is the most famous sculpture in the world. Michelangelo's David took three years to sculpt, and the master took on it at the age of 26. Unlike many earlier depictions of the biblical hero, which depict David triumphant after his battle with Goliath, Michelangelo was the first artist to depict him in tense anticipation before the legendary fight. Originally placed in Florence's Piazza della Signoria in 1504, the 4-meter-tall sculpture was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in 1873, where it remains to this day. You can read more about the Accademia Gallery in the selection of Florence attractions on LifeGlobe.

Sculpture of Bacchus in the Bargello Museum

Michelangelo's first large-scale sculpture is the marble Bacchus. Together with the Pietà, it is one of only two surviving sculptures from Michelangelo's Roman period. It is also one of several works by the artist that focus on pagan rather than Christian themes. The statue depicts the Roman god of wine in a relaxed position. The work was originally commissioned by Cardinal Raffaele Riario, who eventually abandoned it. However, by the early 16th century, Bacchus had found a home in the garden of the Roman palace of banker Jacopo Galli. Since 1871, Bacchus has been on display in Florence's National Bargello Museum, along with other works by Michelangelo, including a marble bust of Brutus and his unfinished sculpture of David-Apollo.

Madonna of Bruges, Church of Our Lady of Bruges

The Madonna of Bruges was the only sculpture by Michelangelo to leave Italy during the artist's lifetime. It was donated to the Church of the Virgin Mary in 1514, after it was bought by the family of the cloth merchant Mouscron. The statue left the church several times, first during the French Wars of Independence, after which it was returned in 1815, only to be stolen again by Nazi soldiers during World War II. This episode is dramatically depicted in the 2014 film Treasure Hunters, starring George Clooney.

The Torment of Saint Anthony

The main asset of the Kimbell Art Museum in Texas is the painting "The Torment of St. Anthony" - the first of the known paintings by Michelangelo. It is believed that the artist painted it at the age of 12 - 13 years old, based on an engraving by the 15th century German painter Martin Schongauer. The painting was created under the tutelage of his older friend Francesco Granacci. The Torment of St. Anthony was praised by the 16th-century artists and writers Giorgio Vasari and Ascanio Condivi - Michelangelo's earliest biographers - as a particularly curious work with a creative take on Schongauer's original engraving. The picture received wide acclaim from peers.

Madonna Doni

Madonna Doni (Holy Family) is the only easel work by Michelangelo that has survived to this day. The work was created for the wealthy Florentine banker Agnolo Doni in honor of his wedding to Maddalena, daughter of the prominent Tuscan noble Strozzi family. The painting is still in its original frame, created from wood by Michelangelo himself. The Doni Madonna has been in the Uffizi Gallery since 1635 and is the only painting by the master in Florence. With his unusual presentation of objects, Michelangelo laid the foundation for the later Mannerist art movement.

Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican

Along with David, the Pietà from the late 15th century is considered one of Michelangelo's most important and famous works. Originally created for the tomb of French Cardinal Jean de Biglier, the sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Body of Christ after his crucifixion. This was a common theme for funeral monuments during the Renaissance era of Italy. Moved to St. Peter's Basilica in the 18th century, the Pietà is the only work of art signed by Michelangelo. The statue has suffered significant damage over the years, especially when Hungarian-born Australian geologist Laszlo Toth hit it with a hammer in 1972.

Michelangelo's Moses in Rome

Located in the beautiful Roman basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, "Moses" was commissioned in 1505 by Pope Julius II, as part of his funeral monument. Michelangelo never finished the monument before the death of Julius II. The sculpture, carved from marble, is famous for the unusual pair of horns on the head of Moses - the result of a literal interpretation of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. It was intended to combine the statue with other works, including the Dying Slave, now located in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel

Another masterpiece of Michelangelo is located in the Sistine Chapel - the Last Judgment is on the wall of the church altar. It was completed 25 years after the artist painted his awe-inspiring fresco on the ceiling of the Chapel. The Last Judgment is often cited as one of Michelangelo's most difficult works. The magnificent work of art depicts God's judgment on humanity, which was initially condemned due to nudity. The Council of Trent condemned the fresco in 1564 and hired Daniele da Volterra to cover up the obscene parts.

Crucifixion of St. Peter, Vatican

The Crucifixion of St. Peter is the final fresco by Michelangelo in the Vatican's Cappella Paolina. The work was created by order of Pope Paul III in 1541. Unlike many other Renaissance-era depictions of Peter, Michelangelo's work focuses on a much darker topic—his death. The five-year, €3.2 million restoration project began in 2004 and has revealed a very interesting aspect of the mural: researchers believe that the blue-turbaned figure in the upper left corner is in fact the artist himself. Thus - the Crucifixion of St. Peter in the Vatican is the only known self-portrait of Michelangelo and a real gem

As a child, I read a lot, and there was a period when I became hooked on books from the “Lives of Remarkable People” series. I enjoyed reading the biographies of various writers, musicians, and artists, but I was especially struck by the biography of Michelangelo Buonaotti. I even begged my mother for an album with illustrations of his works, however, in German and terribly expensive for those times (3 rubles 40k), I still have it.

1. Portrait of Michelangelo Buanorotti. OK. 1535. Marcello Venusti. Capitoline Museum, Florence.

"The life and work of Michelangelo Buonarroti lasted almost a whole century - from 1475 to 1564. Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, in Tuscany. He was the son of a minor official. His father named him Michelangelo: without thinking for a long time, but by inspiration from above, he wanted it to show that this being was heavenly and divine to a greater extent than is the case with mortals, as was later confirmed. His childhood was spent partly in Florence, partly in the countryside, in the family estate. The boy’s mother died when he was six years old. According to the tax census, the family belonged to the upper strata of the city for centuries, and Michelangelo was very proud of this. At the same time, he remained lonely, lived quite modestly and, unlike other artists of his era, never sought to improve his own financial situation. First of all, he cared. about his father and four brothers. Only for a short period, already at the age of sixty, along with his creative activity, friendly relations with Tommaso Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna also acquired deep vital significance for him.

1. Marble bas-relief. 1490-1492. (Florence, Buonarroti Museum.)

In 1488, his father sent thirteen-year-old Michelangelo to study in the bottega (workshop) of Domenico Ghirlandaio, who at that time was revered as one of the best masters not only in Florence, but throughout Italy. Michelangelo's skill and personality grew so much that Domenico was amazed, seeing how he did some things differently than a young man should, for it seemed to him that Michelangelo defeated not only other students, and Ghirlandaio had many of them, but also often is not inferior to him in the things created by him as a master. So, when one of the young men who studied with Domenico, drew several figures of dressed women with a pen from Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo snatched this sheet from him and, with a thicker pen, re-circulated the figure of one of the women in a manner that he considered more perfect, so that it amazes not only the difference between the two manners, but also the skill and taste of such a brave and daring youth, who had the courage to correct the work of his teacher. And so it happened that when Domenico was working in the large chapel in Santa Maria Novella and somehow came out of there, Michelangelo began to draw from life a plank scaffold with several tables covered with all the accessories of art, as well as several young men who worked there. It was not for nothing that when Domenico returned and saw Michelangelo’s drawing, he said: “Well, this one knows more than I do” - so he was amazed at the new manner and the new way of reproducing nature.

2. "Holy Family" ("Madonna Doni") 1503 -1504. Florence, Uffizi Gallery.

But a year later, Lorenzo Medici, nicknamed the Magnificent, called him to his palace and gave him access to his gardens, where there was a rich collection of works by ancient masters. The boy practically independently mastered the necessary technical skills of the sculptor's craft. He sculpted from clay and drew from the works of his predecessors, accurately choosing exactly what could help him develop his own innate inclinations. They say that Torrigiano, who became friends with him, but motivated by envy because, as he saw, he was valued higher and was worth more than him in art, as if in jest, punched him on the nose with such force that he forever marked it broken and an ugly crushed nose; for this Torrigiano was expelled from Florence...

3. Crucifixion.

After the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent in 1492, Michelangelo returned to his father's house. For the church of Santo Spirito in the city of Florence, he made a wooden crucifix, placed and still stands above the semicircle of the high altar with the consent of the prior, who provided him with premises where, often dissecting corpses to study anatomy, he began to perfect that great art of drawing which he purchased later.

Shortly before the French king Charles VIII forced the artist's patrons, the Medici, to leave Florence in 1494, Michelangelo fled to Venice and then to Bologna. Michelangelo realized that he was wasting his time; he returned with pleasure to Florence, where for Lorenzo, the son of Pierfrancesco de' Medici, he carved St. John as a child and immediately from another piece of marble of a life-size sleeping Cupid, and when it was finished, through Baldassarre del Milanese it was shown as a beautiful thing to Pierfrancesco, who agreed with this and said to Michelangelo: “If you bury it in the ground and then send it to Rome, having forged it as an old one, I am sure that it will pass for an ancient one there and you will get much more for it than if you sell it here.”

4. Lamentation of Christ ("Pieta"), 1498 - 1499. Vatican, Cathedral of St. Petra.

Thanks to this story, Michelangelo's fame became such that he was immediately summoned to Rome. An artist of such rare talent left a worthy memory of himself in a city so famous by sculpting a marble, entirely round sculpture of the lamentation of Christ, which upon its completion was placed in the Cathedral of St. Peter's in the chapel of the Virgin Mary, healer of fever, where the temple of Mars used to be. Michelangelo put so much love and work into this creation that only on it (which he did not do in his other works) he wrote his name along the belt tightening the chest of the Mother of God.

On August 4, 1501, after several years of civil unrest, a republic was proclaimed in Florence. Some of his friends wrote to him from Florence asking him to come there, for the marble that lay spoiled in the care of the cathedral should not be missed. A wealthy corporation of wool merchants gave the master an order to create a sculpture of David.

5.David, 1501-1504. Florence, Academy of Fine Arts.

Michelangelo breaks with the traditional way of interpreting the image of David. He did not depict the winner with a giant's head at his feet and a strong sword in his hand, but presented the young man in the situation that precedes the clash, perhaps just at the moment when he senses the confusion of his fellow tribesmen before the duel and from afar distinguishes Goliath mocking his people. The artist gave his figure the most perfect contrapposto, as in the most beautiful images of Greek heroes. When the statue was completed, a commission consisting of prominent citizens and artists decided to install it in the main square of the city, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. This was the first time since antiquity, that is, in more than a thousand years, that a monumental statue of a naked hero had appeared in a public place. This could have happened due to the fortunate coincidence of two circumstances: firstly, the ability of the artist to create for the residents of the commune a symbol of its highest political ideals and, secondly, the ability of the community of townspeople to understand the power of this symbol. His desire to defend the freedom of his people answered at this moment the most sublime aspiration of the Florentines.

6. Moses. OK. 1515. Rome, Church of San Pietro in Vincoli .

After the Lamentation of Christ, the Florentine giant and the cardboard, Michelangelo's fame became such that in 1503, when Julius II was elected after the death of Pope Alexander VI (and Michelangelo was then about 29 years old), he was invited with great respect by Julius II to work on his tomb. Since antiquity, nothing like this has been built for an individual in the West. In total, this work included forty marble statues, not counting various stories, puttas and decorations, all the cutting of cornices and other architectural debris. He also completed a marble Moses five cubits high (235 cm!), and none of the modern works can compare with this statue in beauty. They say that while Michelangelo was still working on it, the rest of the marble that was intended for the said tomb and remained in Carrara arrived by water, and was transported to the rest in the Piazza St. Petra; and since the delivery had to be paid, Michelangelo went, as usual, to the pope; but since on that day His Holiness was busy with important matters relating to the events in Bologna, he returned home and paid for the marble with his own money, believing that His Holiness would immediately give orders in this regard. The next day he went again to talk to the pope, but when they did not let him in, the gatekeeper said that he should be patient, because he was ordered not to let him in.

7. Madonna and Child, 1504 (Church of Notre Dame, Bruges, Netherlands).

Michelangelo did not like this act, and since it seemed to him that this was not at all like what had happened to him before, he, angry, told the papal gatekeepers that if His Holiness needed him in the future, let him be told where he was going - left. Returning to his workshop, he boarded the post office at two o'clock in the morning, ordering his two servants to sell all household items to the Jews and then follow him to Florence, where he was leaving. Arriving in Poggibonsi, in the Florentine region, he stopped, feeling safe.

But not much time passed before five messengers arrived there with letters from the pope to bring him back. But, despite the requests and the letter in which he was ordered to return to Rome under pain of disfavor, he did not want to hear anything. Only yielding to the requests of the messengers, he finally wrote a few words in response to His Holiness that he asked for forgiveness, but was not going to return to him, for he had thrown him out like some kind of tramp, which he did not deserve for his faithful service, and that the pope could where Still look for a servant for yourself.

8. Christ Carrying the Cross, 1519-1521. Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome.

Soon the pope, perhaps concerned about the lack of a suitable place for the tomb, became involved in an even more ambitious project - the reconstruction of St. Peter's Basilica. Therefore, he temporarily abandoned his previous plans. In 1508, the master finally returned to Rome, but did not get the opportunity to work on the tomb. His Holiness did not insist on completing his tomb, saying that building a tomb during his lifetime was bad luck and meant inviting death. An even more stunning order awaited him: in memory of Sixtus, the uncle of His Holiness, to paint the ceiling of the chapel built in the palace by Sixtus. But Michelangelo wanted to finish the tomb, and the work on the ceiling of the chapel seemed big and difficult to him: bearing in mind his little experience in painting with paints, he tried in every way to get rid of this burden. Seeing that His Holiness persisted, Michelangelo finally decided to take it on. Until October 31, 1512, Michelangelo painted more than three hundred figures on the vault of the Sistine Chapel.

9. "The Creation of Adam" (fragment of the Sistine Chapel painting)

After completing the chapel, he willingly took up the tomb in order to complete it this time without so many hindrances, but he always subsequently received more troubles and difficulties from it than from anything else, but throughout his life and for a long time he became known as one way or another, ungrateful towards the pope who so patronized and favored him. So, returning to the tomb, he worked on it continuously, at the same time putting in order the drawings for the walls of the chapel, but fate did not want this monument, begun with such perfection, to be completed in the same way, for something happened at that time the death of Pope Julius, and therefore this work was abandoned due to the election of Pope Leo X, who, shining with enterprise and power no less than Julius, wished to leave in his homeland, as a memory of himself and the divine artist, his fellow citizen, such miracles as he could to be created only by such a great sovereign as he. And therefore, since he ordered that the façade of San Lorenzo in Florence, the church built by the Medici family, be entrusted to Michelangelo, this circumstance was the reason why the work on the tomb of Julius remained unfinished.

10.Tomb of Duke Lorenzo. Medici Chapel. 1524—1531. Florence, Cathedral of San Lorenzo.

Throughout the pontificate of Leo X, political vicissitudes did not leave Michelangelo. Firstly, the pope, whose family was hostile to the della Rovere family, prevented the continuation of work on the tomb of Julius II, from 1515 he occupied the artist with the design, and from 1518 with the implementation of the facade of the Church of San Lorenzo. In 1520, after useless wars, the pope was forced to abandon the construction of the facade and, in turn, commissioned Michelangelo to erect the Medici Chapel next to San Lorenzo, and in 1524 ordered the construction of the Laurentian Library. But the implementation of these projects was also interrupted for a year when the Medici were expelled from Florence in 1526. For the Florentine Republic, now proclaimed for the last time, Michelangelo, acting as commander of the fortifications, hastened to carry out plans for new fortifications, but betrayal and political intrigue contributed to the return of the Medici, and his projects remained on paper.

11. Angel with a candlestick. 1494-1495. Church of San Domenico, Bologna.

The death of Leo led to such confusion among artists and art in both Rome and Florence that during the life of Adrian VI, Michelangelo remained in Florence and worked on the tomb of Julius. But when Adrian died and Clement VII was elected pope, who strove to leave behind glory in the arts of architecture, sculpture and painting, no less than Leo and his other predecessors, Michelangelo was summoned to Rome by the pope.

The Pope decided to paint the walls of the Sistine Chapel, in which Michelangelo painted the ceiling for his predecessor Julius II. Clement wanted the Last Judgment to be written on these walls, namely on the main one, where the altar is, so that it would be possible to show in this story everything that was possible in the art of drawing, and on the other wall, on the contrary, it was ordered It was above the main doors to show how Lucifer was expelled from heaven for his pride and how all the angels who sinned with him were cast into the depths of hell.

12. "The Last Judgment". 1534-1541

Many years later it was discovered that Michelangelo made sketches and various drawings for this plan, and one of them was used to paint a fresco in the Roman church of Trinita by a Sicilian painter who served Michelangelo for many months, rubbing his paints.

This work was commissioned by Pope Clement VII shortly before his death. His successor, Paul III Farnese, prompted Michelangelo to hastily complete this painting, the most extensive and spatially unified in the entire century. The first impression we get when standing before the Last Judgment is the feeling that we are facing a truly cosmic event. In the center of it is the powerful figure of Christ. In addition to the extraordinary beauty in this creation, one can see such a unity of painting and its execution that it seems as if it was painted in one day, and such subtlety of finishing cannot be found in any miniature. He worked on completing this creation for eight years and opened it in 1541, on Christmas Day, striking and surprising all of Rome with it, and moreover, the whole world.

13. Apostles Peter and Paul, c. 1503/1504. Cathedral, Siena.

In 1546, the artist was entrusted with the most significant architectural commissions of his life. For Pope Paul III, he completed the Palazzo Farnese (the third floor of the courtyard façade and the cornice) and designed for him a new decoration of the Capitol, the material embodiment of which, however, lasted for quite a long time. But, of course, the most important order, which prevented him from returning to his native Florence until his death, was for Michelangelo his appointment as the chief architect of St. Peter's Cathedral. Convinced of such trust in him and faith in him on the part of the pope, Michelangelo, in order to show his good will, wished that the decree should declare that he served on the construction for the love of God and without any remuneration. In full consciousness, he made a will consisting of three words: he gave his soul into the hands of the Lord, his body to the earth, and his property to his closest relatives, ordering his loved ones to remind him of the passions of the Lord when he departed from this life. And so on February 17, 1563, according to the Florentine reckoning (which would have been in 1564 according to the Roman reckoning), Michelangelo passed away.

14. Pieta Bandini (Pieta with Nicodemus). 1550. Museum of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.

Michelangelo's talent was recognized during his lifetime, and not after death, as happens with many; for we saw that the high priests Julius II, Leo X, Clement VII, Paul III and Julius III, Paul IV, and Pius IV always wanted to have him with them, and also, as we know, Suleiman - the ruler of the Turks, Francis of Valois - the king French, Charles V - Emperor. The Venetian Signoria and Duke Cosimo de' Medici - all of them rewarded him with honor only in order to take advantage of his great talent, and this falls to the lot only of those people who have great merits. But he belonged to such people, for everyone knew and everyone saw that all three arts had achieved such perfection in him that you would not find either among ancient or modern people over many, many years. He had such and such a perfect imagination, and the things that seemed to him in the idea were such that it was impossible to carry out such great and amazing plans with his hands, and he often abandoned his creations, moreover, he destroyed many; Thus, it is known that shortly before his death he burned a large number of drawings, sketches and cardboards created with his own hands, so that no one could see the work he had overcome, and the ways in which he tested his genius in order to show it as nothing less than perfect.

And let it not seem strange to anyone that Michelangelo loved solitude, like a man in love with his art, which requires that a person be completely devoted to it and think only about it; and it is necessary that the one who wants to engage in it avoids society, for the one who indulges in thinking about art is never left alone and without thoughts, but those who attribute this to eccentricities and oddities in him are mistaken, for whoever wants to work well, he should remove himself from all worries, since talent requires reflection, solitude and peace, and not mental wandering."

Giorgio Vasari. "Biography of Michelangelo."

15.Head of Christ (fragment of the Lamentation of Christ statue)

Personal life of Michelangelo.

In 1536, Vittoria Colonna, Marchioness of Pescara, came to Rome, where this 47-year-old widow poetess earned the deep friendship, or rather, even the passionate love of 61-year-old Michelangelo. He dedicated several of his most ardent sonnets to his great platonic love, created drawings for her and spent many hours in her company. The ideas of religious renewal that worried the participants in Vittoria’s circle left a deep imprint on Michelangelo’s worldview in these years. Their reflection is seen, for example, in the fresco “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel.

Vittoria is the only woman whose name is firmly associated with Michelangelo, whom most researchers tend to consider homo-, or at least bisexual.

According to researchers of Michelangelo's intimate life, his ardent passion for the Marquise was the fruit of a subconscious choice, since her holy lifestyle could not pose a threat to his homosexual instincts, although Michelangelo's friend and biographer Condivi generally described his chastity as monastic. “He put her on a pedestal, but his love for her could hardly be called heterosexual: he called her “the man in the woman.”

16.Vittoria Colonna, portrait by Sebastiano del Piombo

Biographers of the famous artist note: “The correspondence of these two remarkable people is not only of high biographical interest, but is an excellent monument to a historical era and a rare example of a live exchange of thoughts, full of intelligence, subtle observation and irony.” Researchers write about the sonnets dedicated to Michelangelo Vittoria: “The deliberate, forced platonism of their relationship aggravated and brought to crystallization the love-philosophical structure of Michelangelo’s poetry, which largely reflected the views and poetry of the Marchioness herself, who during the 1530s played the role of Michelangelo’s spiritual guide . Their poetic “correspondence” attracted the attention of their contemporaries; Perhaps the most famous was sonnet 60, which became the subject of special interpretation.” Records of conversations between Vittoria and Michelangelo, heavily processed, were preserved in the posthumously published notes of the Portuguese artist Francesco d'Holland.

Sonnet No. 60

And the highest genius will not add
One thought to the fact that marble itself
It conceals in abundance - and that’s all we need
A hand obedient to reason will reveal.
Am I waiting for joy, is anxiety pressing on my heart,
The wisest, good donna, - to you
I am obliged to everything, and the shame is heavy for me,
That my gift does not glorify you as it should.
Not the power of Love, not your beauty,
Or coldness, or anger, or the oppression of contempt
They bear the blame for my misfortune, -
Because death is merged with mercy
In your heart - but my pathetic genius
By loving, he is capable of extracting one death.

Michelangelo

Fragments of the painting of the Sistine Chapel:

17. Christ.