Whose work undoubtedly left a mark on history and influenced the development and formation of Western art. In the West, he is considered the greatest sculptor, and although he spoke not flatteringly about painting, his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, the Last Judgment, and other works helped to establish him a place among the greatest artists. In addition, Michelangelo was one of the best architects of his time. This list of works included both sculptures and architectural projects, as well as paintings.

10 Iconic Works by Michelangelo

10. Madonna Doni.

Type: Tondo.
Year of writing: 1507.

Madonna Doni

Angelo Doni in the early 1500s gives the master an order to depict the “Family of Saints” in order to present it to his wife in the future. The master used a round frame (tondo) for the picture.

The Doni Madonna includes the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the Christ Child and John the Baptist. Behind are five nude male figures.

9. Bacchus.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1497.

This statue was completed by the sculptor at the age of 22. The famous work depicts the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, holding a glass of wine in his right hand and a tiger skin in his left. Behind him sits a faun eating a bunch of grapes. "Bacchus" is one of two surviving sculptures from the early period of Michelangelo's work in Rome.

8. Madonna of Bruges.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1504.

Madonna of Bruges

"Madonna of Bruges" depicts Mary with the baby Jesus. In this sculpture, Michelangelo does not adhere to the traditions of depicting this composition. The face of the virgin is removed, she does not look at Christ, as if she knows his future. At this time, the baby, without maternal support, departs into the world.

7. Laurentian Library.

Type: Architecture.
Year of creation: 1559.

Laurentian Library

The Laurentian Library was designed by Michelangelo in 1524 for the church of San Lorenzo in Florence (Italy). The entire construction, including the interior of the premises, was developed by the master in an innovative, at that time, Mannerist style.

This work is one of the most important architectural achievements of Michelangelo. It is characterized by innovation and revolutionary ways of using space.

6. Moses.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1515.

In 1505, Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to work on his tomb. The statue is located in Rome (Church of San Pietro in Vincoli). There is a legend that when the work was completed, Michelangelo hit the right knee of the sculpture with a hammer, as she began to speak, he was so realistic.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1499.

The pieta depicts the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of Jesus after the crucifixion, which lies on her lap. The statue is not based on real biblical stories, but still gained popularity in Northern Europe during the Middle Ages.

Buonarroti was only 24 years old when he completed what is now considered one of the world's greatest masterpieces of sculpture.

4. The Last Judgment.

Type: fresco painting.
Year of creation: 1541.

Last Judgment

In Western art, The Last Judgment is one of the most significant works. Painted on the altar wall of the chapel, it demonstrates the second coming of Christ to earth. Jesus is shown in the center and surrounded by eminent saints who have risen from the dead.

Type: Architecture.
Year of issue: 1626.

Located in the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica is the most famous piece of Renaissance architecture. Many famous masters worked on the creation (including Antonio da Sangallo). Although Michelangelo did not create it from scratch, the cathedral has come down to our time in the form in which Buonarroti was conceived.

2. Creation of Adam.

Type: fresco painting.
Year of creation: 1512.

The cornerstone of Renaissance painting, The Creation of Adam, is located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which spawned a number of followers and a large number of parodies.

1. David.

Type: Marble statue.
Year of creation: 1504.

Probably the most famous work of Michelangelo is the masterpiece sculpture of the biblical character David, who is ready to fight Goliath. The theme of David and Goliath was quite popular in the art of that time. Caravaggio, for example, has three works dedicated to this subject.

The colossal statue, 5.17 meters high, demonstrates Michelangelo's exceptional technical skills as well as the power of symbolic imagination.

10 Iconic Works by Michelangelo updated: October 2, 2017 by: Gleb

Portrait of Michelangelo by Daniele da Volterra

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni(March 6, 1475–February 18, 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer of the High Renaissance who had an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Despite attempts to transcend art, his versatility in the disciplines he practiced was of such a high degree that he is often considered a contender for the Renaissance man, along with his Italian counterpart Leonardo da Vinci.

Michelangelo was considered the finest contemporary artist of his time, and since then one of the greatest artists of all time. Many of his works in painting, sculpture and architecture are among the most famous of the existing ones. The result of his work in every field over a long life is incredible. Given the sheer volume of correspondence, sketches, and notes that have survived, Michelangelo is the most documented artist of the 16th century.

Two of his most famous creations, Pieta and David, were created by Michelangelo before he was thirty. Despite his low opinion of painting, Michelangelo also painted two of the most influential frescoes in the history of Western art: the Genesis scene on the ceiling and the Last Judgment on the altar wall in Sistine Chapel in Rome. As an architect, he laid the foundation for Mannerism in the Laurenzian Library. At the age of 74, Michelangelo became the successor of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, one of the creators of St. Peter's Basilica. He changed the plan, the western part was completed according to the project of Michelangelo, and the dome was completed after his death with some changes.

Pieta (Pieta) Michelangelo in St. Peter's Basilica (1498–1499)

Demonstrating the unique position of Michelangelo, it is worth emphasizing that he was the first Western artist whose biography was published during his lifetime. Two biographies were published during his lifetime. In one of them, Giorgio Vasari noted that Michelangelo was the pinnacle of all artistic achievements since the beginning of the Renaissance. This view has remained relevant in the history of art for centuries.

During his lifetime, Michelangelo was often referred to as Il Divino ("The Divine"). One of the qualities most admired by his contemporaries was his "terribilità", a sense of grandeur that inspired awe.

Subsequent artists ate to imitate the passionate and highly individual style of the master, which led to the formation of mannerism - the next mainstream in Western art after the High Renaissance.

life path

Youth (1475–1488)

Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese near the province of Arezzo, Tuscany. (Today, Caprese is known as Caprese Michelangelo) For generations, his family were small-time bankers. The bank went bankrupt and his father Lodovico di Leonardo Buanarroti Simoni accepted a government position in Caprese. At the time of Michelangelo's birth, his father was a magistrate in Caprese and a local official in Chiusi. Michelangelo's mother is Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena. The Buanarroti family claimed to be descended from Countess Mathilde di Canossa. This claim remains unproven, however, Michelangelo himself believed in it. A few months after Michelangelo's birth, the family returned to Florence, where he grew up.

Later, during his mother's illness and after her death in 1481, when he was only six years old, Michelangelo lived with a stonemason and his wife and family in Settignano, where his father owned a marble quarry and a small farm. Giorgio Vasari quotes Michelangelo: “If there is anything good in me, it is only because I was born in the refined atmosphere of Arezzo. Together with my mother's milk, I received the ability to handle a chisel and a hammer, with which I carve statues.

Period of study (1488–1492)

As a boy, Michelangelo was sent to Florence to study grammar under the humanist Francesco da Urbino. The young artist, however, showed no interest in learning, preferring to copy paintings from churches and seek the company of painters.

Madonna of the Steps Michelangelo's earliest work

At that time, Florence was the largest center of art and learning in Italy. The signoria (city council), merchant guilds, wealthy patrons such as the Medici and their banking partners supported the arts. The Renaissance, the renewal of classical science and art, had its first flowering in Florence. At the beginning of 1400, the architect Brunelleschi studied the ruins of classical buildings in Rome and created two churches, San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito, in which he embodied classical principles. The sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti labored for fifty years to create the bronze doors of the Baptistery, which Michelangelo described as the "Gates of Paradise". The exterior niches of the Church of Orsanmichele contain a gallery of works by the greatest sculptors of Florence: Donatello, Ghiberti, Verrocchio and Nanni di Banco. Basically, the interiors of old churches are covered with frescoes in the style of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Renaissance, ranging from Giotto to Masaccio in the Brancacci Chapel, both of these works Michelangelo studied and copied in drawings. During Michelangelo's childhood, a team of artists was called from Florence to the Vatican to decorate the walls of the Sistine Chapel. Among them was Domenico Ghirlandaio, a master of fresco technique, perspective, drawing and portraiture. During that period, he had the largest workshop in Florence.

In 1488, at the age of thirteen, Michelangelo was sent to study with Ghirlandaio. When he was only fourteen, his father persuaded Ghirlandaio to pay for his studies by working with Michelangelo as an artist, which was very unusual for that time. When, in 1489, Lorenzo de' Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence, asked Ghirlandaio about his two best students, Ghirlandaio sent Michelangelo and Francesco Granacci. From 1490 to 1492, Michelangelo entered the Academy of Humanism, which was founded by the Medici together with the direction of the Neoplatonists. At the academy, both Michelangelo's worldview and his art were influenced by many of the most famous philosophers and writers of the day, including Marsilio Ficino, Pico della Mirandola, and Poliziano. At this time, Michelangelo carved the reliefs of the Madonna at the Stairs (1490-1492) and the Battle of the Centaurs (1491-1492). The latter is based on a theme suggested by Politian and commissioned by Lorenzo de' Medici. Michelangelo worked for some time on the sculpture of Bertoldo di Giovanni. When he was seventeen years old, another student, Pietro Torrigiano, hit him on the nose, causing the deformity that is thrown into all Michelangelo's portraits.

Bologna, Florence and Rome (149 - 1499)

The death of Lorenzo de' Medici on April 8, 1492 brought about a change in Michelangelo's circumstances. He left the safety of the Medici court and returned to his father's house. In the following months, he carved a polychrome wooden Crucifixion (1493), as a gift to the rector of the Florentine church of Santo Spirito, which allowed him some time to study anatomy on cadavers in the hospital of the church. Between 1493 and 1494 Michelangelo bought a piece of marble and carved a larger than life size statue of Hercules which was sent to France and then disappeared around the 18th century. On January 20, 1494, after heavy snowfalls, Lorenzo's heir, Piero de Medici, ordered a snow statue, and Michelangelo again entered the Medici courtyard.

In the same year, the Medici were expelled from Florence as a result of Savonarola's revolt. Michelangelo left the city before the end of the political upheaval, moving to Venice and then to Bologna. In Bologna, he was commissioned to carve the last few small figures to complete the tomb of St. Dominic in the church dedicated to this saint. During this time, Michelangelo studied the difficult reliefs that Jacopo della Quercia carved around the main entrance of the Basilica of San Petronio, including the Creation of Eve fresco, a composition revived on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. At the end of 1494, the political situation in Florence became calmer. The city, previously under threat from the French, was already safe, since Charles VIII had been defeated. Michelangelo returned to Florence, but did not receive an order from the new government of the city under Savonarola. He returned to work for the Medici. For half a year in Florence, Michelangelo worked on two statues, "Young John the Baptist" and "Sleeping Cupid". According to Condivi, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, for whom Michelangelo was working on the sculpture of Saint John the Baptist, asked Michelangelo to "fix it so that it looks like it was buried" so he could "send it to Rome ... betray [her ] as an antique work and... sell for a much higher price.” Both Lorenzo and Michelangelo were deceived by an intermediary with the real cost of the work. Cardinal Rafael Riario, the one to whom the statue was sold, discovered the deception, but he was so impressed with the quality of the sculpture that he invited the artist to Rome. This apparent success in selling his sculpture abroad, like the conservatism of the Florentine situation, encouraged Michelangelo to accept the prelate's invitation.

Michelangelo arrived in Rome on June 25, 1496 at the age of 21. On July 4, the same year, he began work on a commission for Cardinal Rafael Riario, an over-life-size statue of the Roman god of wine, Bacchus. Upon completion, the cardinal rejected the work, and it subsequently entered the collection of the banker Jacopo Galli, for his garden.

In November 1497, the French ambassador of the Holy See, Cardinal Jean Bilaire de Lagrola, commissioned him to carve the Pieta, a sculpture showing the Virgin Mary mourning the body of Jesus. The theme, which is not part of the biblical account of the Crucifixion of Christ, was widely used in the religious sculpture of medieval Northern Europe and is well known to the cardinal. The agreement was agreed upon in August of the following year. By the time the sculpture was completed, Michelangelo was 24 years old. It soon came to be seen as one of the world's great sculpture masterpieces, "the full potential and power of the art of sculpture." Vasari succinctly summed up the modern opinion: "It is an absolute miracle that a shapeless piece of stone was transformed into a perfection that nature can hardly recreate in the flesh." Now it is in St. Peter's Basilica.

Florence (1499–1505)

Michelangelo returned to Florence in 1499. The republic changed after the fall of the anti-Renaissance priest and ruler of Florence, Girolamo Savonarola (executed in 1498) and the rise of the gonfalonier Piero Soderini. The consuls of the woolen guild asked him to complete an unfinished project begun 40 years ago by Agostino di Duccio, a colossal Carrara marble statue that depicted David, the symbol of Florentine freedom. It was to be placed outside the Cathedral of Florence. Michelangelo responded to the proposal by completing his most famous work, the statue of David, in 1504. The masterpiece finally consolidated his fame as a sculptor of outstanding skill and power of symbolic imagination. A team of consultants, including Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci, were called together to decide where to place it, which eventually became Piazza della Signoria, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Today, the statue is in the Academy, while its exact copy takes its place in the square.

Statue of David completed by Michelangelo in 1504. One of the most famous works of the Renaissance

With the completion of David came another order. In early 1504, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to depict the "Battle of Anghiari" between the forces of Florence and Milan in 1434 in the council chamber of the Palazzo Vecchio. Later, Michelangelo was entrusted with writing the Battle of Kashin. The two paintings are very different, Leonardo depicted soldiers fighting on horseback, and Michelangelo showed them being ambushed while swimming in the river. Neither work was completed and both were lost when the meeting room was restored. Both frescoes are admired and copies have been preserved. Rubens painted a copy of Leonardo's work, and Bastiano da Sangallo painted a copy of Michelangelo's.

Also during this period, Michelangelo was commissioned by Angelo Doni to paint Madonna Doni (Holy Family) as a gift for his wife, Maddalena Strozzi. The product is also known as Doni Tondo and hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in its original magnificent frame, which may have been designed by Michelangelo. He also may have painted the "Madonna and Child with John the Baptist", known as the "Manchester Madonna", which is currently in the National Gallery in London, UK.

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1505–1512)

In 1505, Michelangelo was again invited to Rome by the newly elected Pope Julius II. He was commissioned to build the Pope's tomb, which was to include forty statues, and was completed within five years.

Under the patronage of the Pope, Michelangelo faced constant interruptions in his work on the tomb in order to complete numerous other tasks. Although Michelangelol worked on the tomb for 40 years, it was never brought to a state that would satisfy him. The tomb is located in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome and is best known for the central figure of Moses, completed in 1516. Of the other statues destined for the tomb, two known as "The Dying Slave" and "The Bound Slave" are now in the Louvre.

During the same period, Michelangelo painted the ceiling Sistine Chapel, the completion of which approximately took 4 years (1508-1512). According to Condivi's description, Donato Bramante, who was working on the building of St. Peter's, resented Michelangelo's commission and persuaded the pope to entrust him with material with which he was unfamiliar, thus he would have failed.

Initially, Michelangelo was commissioned to depict the Twelve Apostles on triangular sails that support the ceiling, and cover the central part of the ceiling with an ornament. Michelangelo persuaded Pope Julius to give him free rein, and proposed another, more complex plan, representing the Creation of the world, the Fall, the Hope of salvation through the prophets, and the genealogy of Jesus. This work is part of a larger plan of decoration within the chapel, which represents a significant part of the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

The work extends over an area of ​​more than 500 square meters of ceiling and contains over 300 figures. In its center are nine scenes from the Book of Genesis, divided into three groups: God's creation of the Earth; God's creation of the human race and its fall, turning away from God's grace; and, finally, the Essence of humanity in the person of Noah and his family. The sails supporting the ceiling depict twelve men and women who foretold the coming of Jesus. They were the seven prophets of Israel and the five sibyls, soothsayers of the ancient world. Among the most famous frescoes on the ceiling are The Creation of Adam, The Fall and Expulsion of Adam and Eve, The Flood, The Prophet Jeremiah and The Cum Sibyl.

Florence under the Medici popes (1513 - early 1534)

In 1513, Pope Julius II died and was succeeded by Pope Leo X, the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici. Pope Leo commissioned Michelangelo to reconstruct the façade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence and decorate it with sculptures. He reluctantly agreed, and spent three years creating drawings and models for the façade, as well as trying to open a new marble quarry in Pietrasanta specifically for the project. In 1520, the work was abruptly interrupted, before any real progress was made, due to a lack of funds from his patron. To this day, the basilica lacks a façade.

Statue of Moses for the tomb of Pope Julius II

In 1520, the Medici approached Michelangelo again with another major proposal, this time with a family funerary chapel in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Fortunately for future generations, this project was more fully realized, and the artist was engaged in it during most of the 1520s and into the 1530s. Michelangelo designed the Medici Chapel at his own discretion. It housed the large tombs of two younger members of the Medici family, Giuliano, Duke de Nemours and Lorenzo, his nephew, but it also commemorated more famous predecessors. Lorenzo "the Magnificent" and his brother Giuliano were buried not far from them. The tombs display statues of two representatives from the Medici, and allegorical figures personify day and night, dusk and dawn. The chapel also houses the Medici Madonna by Michelangelo. In 1976, they discovered a hidden corridor with drawings on the walls, which are connected with the chapel itself.

Pope Leo X died in 1521, briefly succeeded by the ascetic Adrian VI and then by his cousin Giulio de' Medici as Pope Clement VII. In 1524, Michelangelo received an architectural commission from the Medici pope for the Laurentian Library in the church of San Lorenzo. He designed both the interior of the library itself and its lobby. This building uses architectural forms to such a dynamic effect that it is seen as a forerunner of the Baroque. He was left to other architects to interpret Michelangelo's plans and carry out his instructions. The library was opened in 1571, and the vestibule remained incomplete until 1904.

In 1527, the Florentine citizens, encouraged by the sack of Rome, expelled the Medici and restored the republic. The siege of the city followed, and Michelangelo went to the aid of his beloved Florence, working on the city's fortifications from 1528 to 1529. The city fell in 1530 and the Medici again came to power.

Michelangelo fell out of favor with the young Alessandro de' Medici, who was introduced as the first Duke of Florence. Fearing for his life, he fled to Rome, leaving assistants to complete the Medici Chapel and the Laurentian Library. Despite Michelangelo's support for the Republic and the resistance of the Medici authorities, Pope Clement welcomed him, paying a fee for the work that the artist had done earlier, and made him a new contract to work on the tomb of Pope Julius.

Rome (1534–1546)

In Rome, Michelangelo lived near the church of Santa Maria di Loreto. It was during this time that he met the poetess, Vittoria Colonna, Marquis of Pescara, who became one of his closest friends until her death in 1547.

Shortly before his death in 1534, Pope Clement VII ordered Michelangelo to paint the Last Judgment fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. His successor, Paul III, played an important role in the beginning and completion of the artist's project. Michelangelo worked on the fresco from 1534 until October 1541. The fresco depicts the Second Coming of Christ and his judgment on souls. Michelangelo ignored conventional artistic conventions in depicting Jesus, and showed him young, beardless and naked, with a massive, muscular body. He is surrounded by saints, among whom Saint Bartholomew holds a flayed skin hanging down, taking on the likeness of Michelangelo. The dead who rise from their graves will be sent to either Heaven or Hell.

After completion, the depiction of Christ and the Virgin Mary naked was considered sacrilege, and Cardinal Caraffa and Monsignor Sernini (Ambassador of Mantua) advocated the removal of the fresco or censorship, but the Pope opposed. At a meeting of the Council of Trent, shortly before Michelangelo's death in 1564, they decided to hide the genitals, and instructed Michelangelo's student, Daniele da Volterra, to make changes. A copy of the original, which has not been censored by the hand of Marcello Venusti, is in the Museo Capodimonte in Naples.

During this time, Michelangelo worked on a number of architectural projects. They included the design of the Capitoline Hill, with its trapezoidal square, which would have displayed an antique bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius. He designed the upper floor of the Palazzo Farnese and the interior of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, in which he modified the arched interior of the ancient Roman bath. Other architectural works included: the Church of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, the Sforza Chapel (Sforza Chapel) in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and Porta Pia.

St. Peter's Cathedral (1546–1564)

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica,photo by Myrabella, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

In 1546, Michelangelo was appointed architect of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The process of restoring the Basilica of Constantine of the IV century has been going on for 50 years, since in 1506 the foundation was laid for the plan of Bramante. Various architects worked successively on it, but little progress was made. Michelangelo was convinced to take over the project. He returned to Bramante's original ideas and developed them into a central plan for the church, strengthening the structure both physically and visually. The dome, completed only after his death, was called by Banister Fletcher "the greatest creation of the Renaissance."

As construction progressed at St. Peter's, there was concern that Michelangelo would pass away before he completed the dome. However, once construction began on the underside of the dome, the support ring, completion of the project became inevitable. Michelangelo died in Rome in 1564, at the age of 88 (three weeks before his 89th birthday). His body was taken from Rome for burial in the Basilica of Santa Croce, fulfilling the last wish of the master to be buried in his beloved Florence.

On December 7, 2007, the red chalk dome of St. Peter's Basilica was discovered in the Vatican archives, perhaps the last one Michelangelo made before his death. This is an extreme rarity, as he destroyed his designs at a later age. The sketch is a partial plan for one of the radial columns of the drum of St. Peter's dome.

Personal life

In his personal life, Michelangelo was abstinent. He once said to his student, Ascanio Condivi: "However, I may have been rich, I have always lived like a poor man." Condivi described that he was indifferent to food and drink, ate "more out of need than pleasure" and that he "often slept in clothes... boots". His biographer Paolo Giovio says: "By nature, he was so rude and uncouth, and his inner habits were incredibly miserable, which deprived the next generation of students who might have followed him." Michelangelo could not have like-minded people, since by nature he was a hermit and a melancholic person, "bizzarro e fantastico", a man who "left the company of men."

It is impossible to know for sure whether Michelangelo had a physical relationship (Condivi described him as "like a chaste monk"), but his poetry testifies to the nature of his sexuality. He wrote over 300 sonnets and madrigals. The longest sequence was written by Tommaso de Cavalieri (c. 1509–1587), who was 23 years old when Michelangelo met him in 1532, at the age of 57. They wrote the first great sequence of poems in any modern language in which one person addresses another, predating Shakespeare's Sonnets of Bright Youth by fifty years:

A cold face burns me from afar,
But glaciation grows in him;
In two slender hands - strength without movement,
Even though each load would be small for them.

(translated by A.M. Efros)

Cavalieri replied: “I vow to return your love. I have never loved a person more than I love you, I have never wanted friendship more than I want yours. Cavalieri remained devoted to Michelangelo until his death.

In 1542, Michelangelo met Cecchino de Bracci, who, however, died a year later, inspired Michelangelo to write forty-eight mournful epigrams. Some of the objects of Michelangelo's affections, and the subjects of his poetry, deceived him in order to achieve their interests: the model Febo di Poggio asked for money in return for a love poem, and the second model, Gerardo Perini shamelessly stole it from him.

The figure of Ignudo from the fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (Sistine Chapel)

The overtly homoerotic nature of poetry became a source of discomfort for later generations. Michelangelo's great-nephew, Michelangelo the Younger, published the poems in 1623 with generic pronoun changes until John Addington Symonds translated them into English in 1893 and restored them to their original gender. Even in modern times, some scholars continue to insist that, despite the restoration of pronouns, the poems are "a dispassionate and elegant reinterpretation of the Platonic dialogue, which makes erotic poetry look like an expression of refined feelings."

At the end of his life, Michelangelo had a great love for the poetess and noble widow Vittoria Colonna, whom he met in Rome in 1536 or 1538 and with whom he was the last 40 years of her life. They wrote sonnets for each other and maintained an ongoing relationship until she died. Condivi recalls Michelangelo saying that his only regret in life was that he did not kiss the widow's face in the same manner as her hand.

Artworks

Madonna and Child

The Madonna at the Stairs is known as Michelangelo's earliest work. It is carved in fine relief, a technique often used by master sculptors of the early 15th century, Donatello and others such as Desiderio da Settignano.

Madonna of the Steps (1490-1492)

While the Madonna is in profile, the simplest aspect of shallow relief, the child displays the rotational movements that have become a characteristic feature of Michelangelo's work.

Marble bas-relief of Taddei Tondo (1502)

"Tondo Taddei" of 1502 shows the baby Christ, who was afraid of a bullfinch, a symbol of the crucifixion. The living form of the child was later adapted by Raphael in the painting Madonna of Bridgewater. The "Madonna of Bruges", at the time of its creation, unlike other such statues that show the Virgin Mary, proudly represents her son. The Christ Child, restrained by the hand of his mother, is already ready to go out into the world. The Doni Madonna, depicting the Holy Family, has elements of all three previous works: the frieze with figures in the background has the appearance of a bas-relief, while the round shape and dynamism of the figures are reminiscent of Taddei's Tondo. The painting emphasizes the twisting movements present in the Madonna of Bruges. The painting commemorated the shapes, direction, and color that Michelangelo used on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

Marble statue of the Madonna and Child (Madonna and Child) in Bruges, Belgium (1504)

Tondo Madonna Doni (Doni Tondo) (1504-1506)

male figure

The kneeling angel is an early work, one of several that Michelangelo created as part of a large decorative project for the Ark of St. Dominic in the church dedicated to this saint in Bologna. Several other artists worked on the project, starting with Niccolò Pisano in the 13th century. At the end of the 15th century, this project was managed by Niccolò del Arca. The angel holding the candlestick, created by Niccolò, has already been put in place.

Statue of an Angel (Angel), an early work by Michelangelo (1494–1495)

Two angels forming a couple have a great difference between themselves, one is depicted as a weak child with loose hair, dressed in a gothic cassock with deep folds. The young man Michelangelo is depicted strong and strong with eagle wings, dressed in antique style clothes. Everything is dynamic in Michelangelo's angel. Michelangelo's Bacchus sculpture was commissioned with a specific theme, the young god of wine. The sculpture has all the traditional trappings: a vine wreath, a bowl of wine and a satyr, but Michelangelo breathed the spirit of reality into the subject, depicting him with sleepy eyes, a swollen bladder, and in a pose that suggests he is unsteadily on his feet. While the work is clearly inspired by classical sculpture, it is unconventional due to its twist and strong three-dimensionality, which invites the viewer to look at it from all angles. In the so-called "Dying Slave", Michelangelo again used a figure with a pronounced contraposto, suggesting a specific pose of a person, in this case waking up from sleep. "Rebellious Slave" is one of two earlier statues of this kind for the tomb of Pope Julius, which the sculptor brought to an almost finished state. Today it is in the Louvre. These two works deeply influenced later sculpture through Rodin, who studied it at the Louvre. "Bound Slave" is one of the later statues for the tomb of Pope Julius. In the works collectively known as The Slaves, each shows a figure desperately trying to free itself from the bonds of the rock in which it is stuck. The works provide a unique insight into the sculptural methods used by Michelangelo and his way of shedding light on what he saw in stone.

Statue of the god of wine Bacchus, an early work by Michelangelo (1496–1497)

Statue Dying slave, Louvre (1513)

Statue of a Bound slave known as Atlas (1530–1534)

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The completion of this work took about four years (1508-1512). The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was painted between 1508 and 1512. The ceiling has a flattened barrel vault supported by twelve triangular sails rising between the windows of the chapel. The order, as Pope Julius II imagined it, was to decorate the sails with the figures of the twelve apostles. Michelangelo, who reluctantly took on the job, persuaded the Pope to give him free rein. The resulting decoration project was awe-inspiring to his contemporaries and has inspired other artists ever since. The plan has nine panels illustrating scenes from the Book of Genesis and is arranged in an architectural frame. On sail, Michelangelo replaced the proposed apostles with prophets and sibyls who foretold the coming of the Messiah. Michelangelo began painting from the later scenes of the story. The paintings included details of the area and groups of figures, The Drunkenness of Noah was the first in this group. In later compositions, painted after the original scaffolding had been removed, Michelangelo made the figures larger. One of the central images "The Creation of Adam"- one of the most famous and most reproduced works in the history of art. On the last panel, "Separation of Light from Darkness" is presented. This fresco is the widest in terms of depiction and was painted in one day. As a model for Creation, Michelangelo depicted himself in the process of painting the ceiling. In the role of assistants for small scenes, the artist painted twenty young men. They have been variously interpreted as angels, muses, or simply as decoration. Michelangelo referred to them as "ignudi". The figure is transmitted in context with what he saw on the fresco "Separation of Light from Darkness". In the process of painting the ceiling, Michelangelo examined various bodies. Some of the frescoes, such as the survivor "Libyan Sibyl", demonstrate the artist's attention to detail, such as hands and feet. The prophet Jeremiah, who foresaw the fall of Jerusalem, is an image of the artist himself.

Multi-figured compositions

The relief of Michelangelo "Battle of the Centaurs" was created at a time when he was still a young man, associated with the Medici Academy. The image has an unusually complex relief that shows a large number of figures involved in a vigorous struggle. Such a complex of disorderly figures is rare in Florentine art, where it is generally found only in images showing either the Massacre of the Innocents or the Torments of Hell. Some figures on the relief are transferred quite boldly. Its performance may indicate Michelangelo's familiarity with Roman sarcophagus reliefs from the collection of Lorenzo de' Medici. Similar marble panels were created by Niccolo and Giovanni Pisano, and figurative compositions by Ghiberti on the bronze doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni.

The composition "Battle of Kashin" is known as a whole only from its copies. According to Vasari, she was so admired that she deteriorated, and was eventually taken to pieces. It reflects earlier reliefs with its energy and variety of figures in various poses, many looking from behind as they face the approaching enemy and prepare for battle.

Bas-relief The Battle of the Centaurs (1492)

A copy of the lost cardboard Battle of Cascina, drawn by Bastiano da Sangallo

Fresco of the Crucifixion of St. Peter "(Crucifixion of St. Peter)

For The Last Judgment, Michelangelo drew inspiration from a fresco by Melozzo da Forli in the church of Santi Apostoli in Rome. At the same time, the work is very different from Michelangelo's in character. Melozzo depicted figures from different sides, as if they were floating in Heaven and were seen from below. The majestic figure of Christ, with a cape inflating from the wind, demonstrates the degree of vision of the figure in perspective, which Andrea Mantegna also used, but this was not usual for the frescoes of the Florentine painters. In The Last Judgment, Michelangelo had the opportunity, on an unprecedented scale, to depict figures that in action also rise or fall and are pulled off.

In the two frescoes of the Paolina Chapel, the Crucifixion of Peter and the Crucifixion of Paul, Michelangelo used different groups of figures to convey a complex narrative. In The Crucifixion of Peter, the soldiers are busy with their duty to dig a hole and raise a cross, while people look at them and discuss what is happening. A group of frightened women crowd in the foreground, while another group of Christians, led by a tall man, act as witnesses to the event. To the right in the foreground, Michelangelo entered the painting with a look of disappointment on his face.

Architecture

Michelangelo's architectural commissions included a number of those that were not realized, most notably the façade for Brunelleschi's Church of San Lorenzo in Florence. Michelangelo created a wooden model for it, however, to this day it remains an unfinished rough bar. In the same church, Giulio de' Medici (later Pope Clement VII) commissioned him to design the Medici Chapel and the tomb of Giuliano and Lorenzo de' Medici.

Pope Clement also commissioned the Laurentian Library, for which Michelangelo designed an unusual vestibule with columns built into niches and a staircase that seems to pour from the library like a lava flow. According to Pevsner: "... the disclosure of mannerism in its most sublime architectural form."

In 1546, Michelangelo created a very elaborate oval design for the pavement of the Capitol and began planning the upper floor of the Palazzo Farnese. In 1547 he took over the completion of St. Peter's Basilica, begun according to the design of Bramante, and with a number of intermediate sketches by several architects. Michelangelo returned to Bramante's plan, maintaining the basic form and concepts by simplifying and strengthening the design to create a more dynamic and cohesive whole. Although a late 16th-century engraving shows the dome in section as hemispherical, Michelangelo's model of the dome is partly oval and is the final version, as Giacomo della Porta completed it better.

The lobby of the Laurentian Library had Mannerist features that challenged the classical order of Brunelleschi's neighboring church.

Michelangelo, redesigned the ancient Capitol (Capitoline Hill), which included intricate pavement spirals with a star in the center

Michelangelo's plan for St. Peter's was both massive and restrained, with angles between the apsidal arcs of a Greek cross, executed in a square projection

The exterior is surrounded by a giant order of pilasters that support a continuous cornice. Four small domes are united around a large

Death

In his old age, Michelangelo created several Pietas in which he seems to be contemplating death. They were marked by the statue "Spirit of Victory", which may have been created for the tomb of Pope Julius II, but remained unfinished. In this work, the young victor overcomes an older hidden figure with Michelangelo traits.

Vittoria's Pieta Colonna is a pencil drawing that has been described as "gift drawings" as it may have been a gift from the artist and it was not necessary to study the work. In this image, Mary's raised hands testify to her prophetic role. The frontal direction resembles the fresco "Holy Trinity" by Masaccio in Santa Maria Novella in Florence.

In the Florentine Pieta, Michelangelo again depicts himself, this time the aged Nicodemus lowering the body of Jesus from the cross into the hands of his mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. Michelangelo broke the left arm and leg of the statue of Jesus. His student Tiberio Calcagni rebuilt the arm and drilled a hole to fit the leg. He also worked on the statue of Mary Magdalene.

Probably the Pieta Rondanini, Michelangelo's last sculpture, will never be finished because Michelangelo carved it before there was enough stone. The legs and the separated arm are left over from a previous stage of work. Since the statue has survived, it has an abstract character, in line with the concept of sculpture in the 20th century.

Michelangelo's legacy

Michelangelo, with Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, one of the three giants of the Florentine High Renaissance. Although their names are often mentioned together, Michelangelo was 23 years younger than Leonardo and eight years older than Raphael. Due to his reclusive nature, he has nothing to do with either of the artists and outlived them both by over forty years.

Michelangelo took on several sculptor apprentices. He provided the work to Francesco Granacci, who was his companion and student of the Medici Academy. Granacci became one of several assistants to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo seems to have used assistants mainly for the more manual work of preparing surfaces and rubbing paint. Despite this, his works had a great influence on painters, sculptors and architects for many generations.

David is the most famous male nude statue of all time. She was destined to be propagated to decorate cities around the world. However, some of Michelangelo's other works may have had a greater influence on the course of art. The twisted figures and contradictions of The Spirit of Victory, the Bruges Madonna, and the Medici Madonna made them forerunners of Mannerism. The unfinished giants for the tomb of Pope Julius II deeply influenced late 19th and 20th century sculptors such as Rodin and Henry Moore.

The foyer of the Laurenzian Library was one of the first buildings to use classical forms in a plastic and expressive manner. This dynamic came too late to find its main expression in the centrally planned St. Peter's Basilica, with its gigantic ordinance, slightly undulating cornice and rising pointed dome. The dome of St. Peter's has influenced church building for many centuries, including Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London, as well as the city domes of many public buildings and administrative centers throughout America.

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet.

He was born on March 6, 1475 in the Tuscan village of Caprese, where Michelangelo's father was headman. Despite the sharp protests of his father, he became an apprentice to the fresco painter Ghirlandaio and soon began to study at the Florentine art school of Lorenzo Medici.

The work of Michelangelo belongs to the era of the High Renaissance. Already in youthful works, such as the reliefs "Madonna at the Stairs", "Battle of the Centaurs" (both around 1490-1492), the main features of Michelangelo's art emerge: monumentality, plastic power and drama of images, reverence for the beauty of man. Fleeing from the civil unrest that arose as a result of the reign of Savonarola, Michelangelo moved from Florence to Venice, then to Rome.

During his five years in Rome, he produced the first of his famous works, including the Bacchus (1496-1497) and Pieta (1498-1501) sculptures in St. Peter's Basilica. In 1500, at the invitation of the citizens of Florence, Michelangelo returned in triumph to this city.

Soon at his disposal was a four-meter-high marble block, which had already been abandoned by two sculptors. For the next three years he worked selflessly, almost without leaving his workshop. In 1504, a monumental statue of a naked David appeared before the public.

In 1505, the power-hungry Pope Julius II ordered Michelangelo to return to Rome, ordering a tomb for himself. The sculptor worked for a whole year on a giant bronze statue, which was supposed to crown the monument, so that almost immediately after the end of the work he would become a witness of how his creation was melted down into cannons.

After the death of Julius II in 1513, his heirs insisted on the execution of another project for the tomb sculpture. This, including numerous alterations caused by the whims of customers, took 40 years of Michelangelo's life. As a result, he was forced to abandon the implementation of his plan, which included the erection of a tombstone as part of the internal architecture of St. Peter's Cathedral.

The colossal marble Moses and the statues known as "Slaves" have forever remained impressive parts of an unfinished whole.

According to contemporaries, Michelangelo was a closed and self-absorbed person, prone to sudden outbursts of violence. In private life he was almost an ascetic, he went to bed late and got up early. It was said that he often slept without even taking off his shoes. When he was almost sixty, Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo to create wall frescoes in the Sistine Chapel depicting scenes of the Last Judgment (1536-1541).

In 1547 he received the post of chief architect for the reconstruction of St. Peter's and designed the huge dome, which to this day remains one of the greatest masterpieces of architecture.

Michelangelo Buonarroti(1475-1564) is the third great genius of the Italian Renaissance. In terms of personality, he approaches Leonardo. He was a sculptor, painter, architect and poet. The last thirty years of his work fall on the Late Renaissance. During this period, anxiety and anxiety, a premonition of future troubles and upheavals appear in his works.

Among his first creations, the statue “Swung Boy” draws attention, which echoes the “Disco Thrower” of the ancient sculptor Myron. In it, the master manages to vividly express the movement and passion of a young being.

Two works - the Bacchus statue and the Pieta group - created at the end of the 15th century, brought Michelangelo wide fame and fame. In the first, he was able to amazingly subtly convey the state of light intoxication, unstable balance. The Pieta group depicts the dead body of Christ, lying on the lap of the Madonna, mournfully leaning over him. Both figures are merged into a single whole. The impeccable composition makes them surprisingly truthful and authentic. Breaking away from tradition. Michelangelo portrays the Madonna as young and beautiful. The contrast of her youth with the lifeless body of Christ further enhances the tragedy of the situation.

One of the greatest achievements of Michelangelo was statue of David which he ventured to carve out of an unused and already spoiled block of marble lying around. The sculpture is very high - 5.5 m. However, this feature remains almost invisible. Ideal proportions, perfect plasticity, rare harmony of forms make it surprisingly natural, light and beautiful. The statue is filled with inner life, energy and strength. It is a hymn to human masculinity, beauty, grace and grace.

Among the highest achievements of Michelangelo are also works. created for the tomb of Pope Julius II - "Moses", "Shackled Slave", "Dying Slave", "Awakening Slave", "Crouching Boy". The sculptor worked on this tomb with a break for about 40 years, but never brought it to completion. However, that. that the sculptor managed to create are considered the greatest masterpieces of world art. According to experts, in these works Michelangelo managed to achieve the highest perfection, ideal unity and correspondence between the inner meaning and the outer form.

One of the significant creations of Michelangelo is the Medici Chapel, which he added to the church of San Lorenzo in Florence and decorated with sculptural tombstones. The two tombs of the Dukes Lorenzo and Giuliano Medici are sarcophagi with sloping lids, on which are located two figures - "Morning" and "Evening", "Day" and "Night". All figures look bleak, they express anxiety and a gloomy mood. Michelangelo himself experienced such feelings, since his Florence was captured by the Spaniards. As for the figures of the dukes themselves, when depicting them, Michelangelo did not strive for portrait resemblance. He presented them as generalized images of two types of people: the courageous and energetic Giuliano and the melancholic and thoughtful Lorenzo.

Of Michelangelo's last sculptural works, the Entombment group deserves attention, which the artist intended for his tomb. Her fate was tragic: Michelangelo smashed her. However, it was restored by one of his students.

In addition to sculptures, Michelangelo created beautiful works painting. The most significant of them are Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

He took them twice. First, by order of Pope Julius II, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, spending four years (1508-1512) on it and doing fantastically difficult and tremendous work. He had to cover over 600 square meters with frescoes. On the huge surfaces of the ceiling, Michelangelo depicted Old Testament scenes - from the Creation of the world to the Flood, as well as scenes from everyday life - a mother playing with children, an old man immersed in deep thought, a young man reading, etc.

For the second time (1535-1541), Michelangelo creates the Last Judgment fresco, placing it on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. In the center of the composition, in a halo of light, is the figure of Christ, who raised his right hand in a formidable gesture. Around it are many naked human figures. Everything depicted on the canvas is given in a circular motion, which begins at the bottom.

on the left side, where the dead are depicted rising from the graves. Above them are the upwardly striving souls, and above them are the righteous. The topmost part of the fresco is occupied by angels. At the bottom of the right side is a boat with Charon, who drives sinners to hell. The biblical meaning of the Last Judgment is expressed vividly and impressively.

In the last years of his life, Michelangelo engaged in architecture. He completes the construction of St. Peter, making changes to Bramante's original design.

He received recognition during his lifetime and was considered a genius of world significance.

Born on March 6, 1475, he lived a long life, dying in 1564. During his 88 years, he created so many magnificent works that they would be enough for a dozen talented people. In addition to being a great painter, sculptor and architect, Michelangelo Buonarroti is also the greatest thinker and famous poet of the Renaissance.

Surely everyone has seen the famous sculptures of David and Moses, as well as the stunning frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. By the way, the statue of "David", according to the great contemporaries of the master, "took glory from all the statues, modern and ancient, Greek and Roman." It is still considered one of the most famous and perfect works of art.

Portrait of Michelangelo Buonarroti

It is curious that this outstanding figure had a very unsightly appearance. A similar situation was with the appearance of another genius - about which we have already written. Maybe that's why Michelangelo did not leave a single self-portrait, as many artists did?

According to the description of people who knew the master, he had a sparse, slightly curly, thin beard, a round face with a square forehead and sunken cheeks. A wide hooked nose and prominent cheekbones did not make him attractive, but rather the opposite.

But this did not at all prevent the rulers of that time and the most noble people from treating the hitherto unseen genius of art with reverent awe.

So, Michelangelo Buonarroti is offered to your attention.

History of one fake

In ancient Rome, noble and wealthy citizens complained that too many various fakes of even more ancient masterpieces of art began to appear on sale.

At the time of the great Italian, about whom we are talking, talented craftsmen also sinned.

Michelangelo once made a copy of a famous Greek statue. It was very good, and a close friend told him: "If you bury it in the ground, then in a few years it will look like the original."

Without thinking twice, the young genius followed this advice. And indeed, after some time, he very successfully and for a high price sold the "ancient sculpture."

As you can see, the history of fakes and all kinds of fakes is as old as the world.

Florentine Michelangelo Buonarroti

It is known that Michelangelo never signed his works. However, there is one exception here. He signed the sculptural composition "Pieta". It is said that it happened in the following way.

When the masterpiece was ready and put on public display, the young 25-year-old master was lost in the crowd and tried to determine what impression his work had on the people.

And to his horror, he heard two residents of the Italian city actively discussing that only their fellow countryman could create such a wonderful thing.

And at that time, between the cultural centers of Europe, there were real competitions for the title of the most prestigious and prolific, in terms of geniuses, cities.

Being a native inhabitant of Florence, our hero could not stand the vile accusation that he was a Milanese and made his way to the cathedral at night, taking with him the necessary cutters and other tools. By the light of a lamp, he carved a proud inscription on the belt of the Madonna: "Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine."

After that, no one dared to "privatize" the origin of the great master. However, it is said that he later regretted this outburst of pride.

By the way, you may be interested in one, also a great Renaissance artist.

The Last Judgment by Michelangelo

When the artist was working on the Last Judgment fresco, Pope Paul III often visited him and watched the progress of the case. Often he came to see the fresco with his master of ceremonies Biagio da Cesena.

One day, Paul III asked Cesena how he liked the fresco being created.

“Your grace,” answered the master of ceremonies, “these images are more suitable for some inn, and not for your holy chapel.

Hearing this insult, Michelangelo Buonarroti depicted his critic on a fresco in the form of King Minos, judge of the souls of the dead. He had donkey ears and a snake-wrapped neck.

The next time, Cesena immediately noticed that this image was written from him. Infuriated, he persistently asked Pope Paul to order Michelangelo to erase his image.

But the pope, amused by the impotent malice of his courtier, said:

- My influence extends only to the heavenly forces, and, unfortunately, I have no power over the representatives of hell.

Thus, he hinted that Cesara himself had to find a common language with the artist and agree on everything.

Over corpses to art

At the beginning of his career, Michelangelo Buonarroti was very poorly versed in the features. But he was strongly attracted by this topic, because in order to become a good sculptor and artist, one had to know anatomy flawlessly.

Interestingly, in order to fill in the missing knowledge, the young master spent a lot of time in the mortuary, which was located at the monastery, where he studied the corpses of dead people. By the way, (see) he hunted in his scientific research in a similar way.

Michelangelo's broken nose

The ingenious abilities of the future master manifested themselves very early. Studying at the school of sculptors, which was patronized by Lorenzo de Medici himself, the head of the Florentine Republic, he made many enemies not only for his unusual talent, but also for his stubborn character.

It is known that once one of the teachers named Pietro Torrigiano broke the nose of Michelangelo Buonarroti with a fist. They say that he could not control himself because of the wild envy of a talented student.

Miscellaneous facts about Michelangelo

An interesting fact is that the great genius did not have close relationships with women until the age of 60. Apparently, art completely absorbed him, and he directed all his energy only to serve his vocation.

However, at the age of 60, he met a 47-year-old widow named Victoria Colonna, Marquis of Pescara. But even when he wrote her many sonnets full of sweet longing, according to many biographers, they had no closer relationship than platonic love.

When Michelangelo Buonarroti worked on the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, he seriously undermined his health. The fact is that without assistants, for 4 whole years he worked tirelessly on this world masterpiece.

Witnesses report that he could not take off his shoes for weeks and, forgetting about sleep and food, painted thousands of square meters of the ceiling with his own hands. With all this, he breathed harmful vapors of paints, which, moreover, constantly got into his eyes.

Finally, it is only worth adding that Michelangelo was distinguished by a sharp and extremely strong character. His will was harder than granite, and this fact was recognized by many of his contemporaries who dealt with him.

They say that Leo X said about Michelangelo: “He is terrible. You can't do business with him!"

How could the great sculptor and artist so intimidate the almighty pope is unknown.

Works by Michelangelo

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most famous works of Michelangelo. The master did many works without any sketches and sketches, but just like that, keeping the finished model in his head.

Last Judgment

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

David

Bacchus

Madonna of Bruges

Torment of Saint Anthony

Madonna Doni

Pieta

Moses

Crucifixion of Saint Peter

Staircase in the Laurenzian Library

Project of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica

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