The Life Of Michelangelo By Ascanio Buonarroti

The Life of Michelangelo
Michelangelo Buonarroti was a brilliant Italian artist from the 15th century. Author Ascanio Condivi wrote an interesting biography called The Life of Michelangelo, which talks about Michelangelo’s journey through life. Michelangelo came from a noble family, the counts of Canossa, who are from a part of Reggio, Italy. Michelangelo’s father realized at a young age that his son was brilliant. He wanted his son to study in the field of letter so he sent Michelangelo to an upscale grammar school. Even though Michelangelo’s father did not approve of this he became an art apprentice under Domenico and David Ghirlandaio. Soon he left Domenico and David Ghirlandaio’s studio and entered Bertoldo do Giovanni’s school of sculpture.
Michelangelo was forced to go back to Florence, Italy to take care of his family, there he made and carved Gigante. This sculpture can still be seen today in front of the Palazzo della Signoria. Right after the completion of Gigante a friend requested Michelangelo to make life-sized cast in bronze of Gigante. Michelangelo’s famous Modanna with her son on her lap was cast and sent to Flanders which is the northern part of Belgium. For a time period in Michelangelo’s life he stopped making artwork instead, he spent his time reading poems and writing sonnets until Pope Alexander VI died. When this occurred Pope Julius paid for Michelangelo’s traveling cost. Pope Julius asked Michelangelo to make his tomb. The pope loved the design and sent Michelangelo to St. Peters to see if it would look appropriately there; it did. Michelangelo was paid two hundred thousand scudi. Many people were almost in competition to have Michelangelo work for them, at one point the pope was literally made to ask Michelangelo to paint Pope Sixtus IV’s chapel. So, Michelangelo began painting what we now call the Sistine Chapel. He did it with effort and grace and painted scenes of the Bible onto the walls. Michelangelo finished this long project in
At the same time people like the pope started to criticize Michelangelo for painting nude people in the Last Judgment. After this incident Michelangelo started to become more involved in architecture. He also sculpted and painted famous and important pieces of art in his life time. The Pieta is an example, in fact, Michelangelo wanted to be buried at the foot of the Pieta. After Michelangelo’s father died at the age of ninety-two, Michelangelo became interested in the anatomy of the bod and started to dissect bodies. When Michelangelo’s heart and health started to weaken and go down he started to focus on designs and plans for his architectural projects. He did this while simultaneously working on the several pietas he made. In 1564 Michelangelo fell severely ill and died a couple days later. The pope wanted Michelangelo’s body to be buried in St. Peters, but a family member took his body to Florence and buried it in Santa Croce. Michelangelo was a brilliant painter who is still admired today for his wonderful marble statues and sculptures, the beautiful Bible scenes painted on the walls of Sistine Chapel with such patience and grace, and his vibrant paintings. Michelangelo tried