Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti 1474-1564 is the best documented artist of the 16th century. He was the only artist that rivaled Leonardo da VInci in the era. He was also an architect, poet, and an engineer. Michelangelo's view of art differed from da Vinci's. He felt that the nature was an enemy, and he must conquer it to bring out his art. He believed that the marvel block was already a beautiful sculpture that is covered with unnecessary compounds which must be chipped away, so he did to create his marvelous sculptures. He is considered as one of the greatest painter and sculptor ever lived.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was born in 1475 in Tuscany, Italy, to Lodovico di Leonardo i Buonarroti di Simoni. His father sent him to school to learn grammar but young Michelangelo showed no interestes in education. Soon he worked as an apprentice to an artist named Dominico Ghirlandaio, where began to learn arts and crafts. One day, the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici asked Ghirlandaio to send two of his best pupils to work for him and Michelangelo was selected.

In 1492, Lorenzo de Medici died, and Michelangelo left the Medici court and returned home to his father. There he spent time to carbve a wooden crucifix which he gifted to the Florentine church of Santo Spirito. Pleased with the gift, the church allowed Michelangelo to use the corpses at the church hospital to study the human anatomy.

In 1494, Michelangelo returned to work for the Medici court when the heir of Lorenzo de Medici, Piero de Medici, contacted Michelangelo to commision some more works.

In 1496 Michelangelo Buonarroti arrived in Rome to work for the Cardinal, and completed the statue "Bacchus", but the cardinal was dissatisfied with the outcome and did not accept it. The piece eventually was bought by a banker Jacopo Galli for his collection in the sculpture garden of his home. Later Michelangelo fell in love with a poet and a marquise of Pescara, named Vittoria Colonna and lived near the church of Santa Maria di Loreto.

In 1504, Michelangelo completed the statue of David in Florence. It was commissioned by the consuls of the Guild of Wool. This sculpture marked the artists prominence as an artist and became known as the most skillful artisan of that time.

In 1505 Michelangelo Buonarroti went back to Rome to start his works for the Sistine Chapel, commissioned by the pope. Due to the popes constant interruptions, it took over 40 years for Michelangelo to finish the works. Within hte famous murals of the Sistine Chapel, there are the well known, "Garden of Eden", and "The Creation of Adam".

Michelangelo Buonarroti (XL Series)

This book contains the artists works with beautiful enlarged reproductions which enables the audience to observe his works in detail. Also it is a good biographical essay of the artist.

Study of Legs

This is a beautiful study of the legs by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Notice the beautiful line qualities that wraps around the forms with great anatomical knowledge and sense of forms. The sculptural quality of the study makes it seem almost three-dimensional. One can see the process of the drawing by observing the master's lay-in. You can see how he laid things in, with such mastery and accuracy. The master rendered the forms with shading, always describing the roundness of the forms by hatching it out with the pencil. Each little marks seem to have a purpose to describe the forms.

On the most finished part of the drawing, the leg on the left, you can see the anatomy of the shin, as it indicates the muscles and bones. This indicates that the artist drew as if he was sculpting, starting from the bones, then the muscles, then the outer layer or the skin.

Even though it is a study, the artist placed the elements to unify as a whole composition. One can notice his natural sense of graphic design

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