One of the most influential figures in Western art, the Italian painter and sculptor Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni remains one of the most famous artists in the world even 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 nine stories from the Book of Genesis and is considered one of greatest works 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 shown in the Florentine National Museum Bargello 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
Madonna of Bruges was the only sculpture Michelangelo, who left 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
Main asset Art Museum Kimbell in Texas is the painting "The Torment of St. Anthony" - the first of famous paintings Michelangelo. It is believed that the artist painted her at the age of 12 - 13 years old based on an engraving German painter 15th century by 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 one that has survived to this day easel work Michelangelo. 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 later artistic direction Mannerist. 
Pieta in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican
Along with David, the Pieta statue from the late 15th century is considered one of the most outstanding and famous works Michelangelo. 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. It was general theme for funeral monuments in 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 Latin translation Vulgate 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 Michelangelo masterpiece is located in 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 mentioned as one of the most complex work Michelangelo. Magnificent piece art depicts God's judgment on humanity, which initially caused condemnation 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 much more dark theme- 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 pearl of the Vatican Museums.
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 father big 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. baby with early childhood played with pebbles and a chisel, becoming addicted to cultivating blocks. When the boy grew up, he often said that he owed his talent to the milk of his adoptive mother.
Dear mother The boy 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. Father worried about state of mind son, 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, is 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 reputed 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. In the brightest way The first man appears here - Adam. 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 own style letters.
Fresco "Adam" by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel 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 " Last Judgment"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. Emotional man I saw this as a divine sign and decided to give up the job. I could only convince him best friend, and part-time doctor who helped the patient heal.
Personal life
Around personal life famous sculptor There were always a lot of rumors going around. 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 find exact confirmation of it romantic relationship with Marchesa 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 begins the correspondence between Michelangelo and Vittoria, which has become a real monument 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.
Brief biography Italian artist and the sculptor is described in this article.
Michelangelo Buonarroti biography briefly
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in the city of Caprese into an aristocratic but impoverished family. Very early, in 1481, the boy's mother died. After some time, his father sends him to a Florentine school. The young man did not show any special talent for studying, but he loved to communicate with creative people and repaint frescoes from local churches.
At the age of 13, his father had to come to terms with the fact that Michelangelo wanted to be an artist. When he turned 14, Buonarotti entered the sculptor’s school under B. di Giovanni, who enjoyed the patronage of Lorenzo di Medici himself. The young man quickly made new and useful acquaintances. It is worth immediately noting that two countries - Rome and Florence - are the places where Michelangelo lived alternately. It was to these countries that the artist presented his greatest creations, which made him famous throughout the world.
In 1494, his work began to flourish as a great artist. He moved to Bologna for a while and worked on creating sculptures for the Arch of St. Dominica. 6 years later, having returned to Florence, Michelangelo works on commission. At this time, he created the sculpture “David”, which became the ideal image of the human body for many centuries.
In 1505, Michelangelo moved to Rome at the invitation of Pope Julius II. He ordered a tomb from the artist. From 1508 to 1512, the master painted the Sistine Chapel in the form of a biblical story. Despite the fact that the relationship between the two strong personalities was very complex, the pontiff also ordered Buonarotti to create his own sculpture.
Michelangelo ( full name- Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni) is an outstanding Italian sculptor, architect, artist, thinker, poet, one of the brightest figures of the Renaissance, whose multifaceted creativity influenced the art of not only 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 court of his patron 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 creative manner Michelangelo: admiration for the beauty of the human body, plastic power, monumentality, drama of 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 painting frescoes on the vault in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican and completed this grandiose painting, 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 eternal themes love, loneliness, happiness, madrigals, sonnets and other poetic works were highly appreciated by 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.
The climax High Renaissance and at the same time, the creativity of the third of the titans was a reflection of the deep contradictions of the culture of the era Italian art– Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564). Even in comparison with Leonardo and Raphael, who are striking in their versatility, Michelangelo is distinguished by the fact that in each of the areas artistic creativity he left works of grandiose scale and power, embodying the most progressive ideas of the era. Michelangelo was a brilliant sculptor, painter, architect, draftsman, military engineer, poet, and at the same time he was a fighter for high humanistic ideals, a citizen who defended the freedom and independence of his homeland with arms in hand.
The great artist and fighter are inseparable in the idea of Michelangelo. His whole life is a constant heroic struggle to assert the human right to freedom and creativity. Throughout the long creative path the artist’s focus was on a person who was efficient, active, ready for a feat, and overwhelmed by great passion. His works of the late period reflect the tragic collapse of Renaissance ideals.
Michelangelo was born in Caprese (in the vicinity of Florence), in the family of a city governor. As a thirteen-year-old boy, he entered Ghirlandaio’s workshop, and a year later he entered art school at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici the Magnificent. Here, in the so-called Medici gardens at the monastery of San Marco, he continued his studies under the guidance of Bertoldo di Giovanni, a staunch admirer of antiquity. Having become acquainted with the rich, refined culture of the Medici court, with the wonderful works of ancient and contemporary art, with famous poets and humanists, Michelangelo did not isolate himself in an elegant court environment. Already his early independent works confirmed his attraction to large monumental images, full of heroism and strength. The relief “Battle of the Centaurs” (early 1490s, Florence, Casa Buonarroti) reveals the drama and stormy dynamics of the battle, the fearlessness and energy of the fighters, the powerful plasticity of interconnected strong figures, permeated with a single rapid rhythm.
The final formation of Michelangelo's social consciousness occurred during the expulsion of the Medici from Florence and the establishment of a republican system there. Trips to Bologna and Rome help complete art education. Antiquity opens up to him the gigantic possibilities hidden in sculpture. In Rome, the marble group “Pieta” (1498–1501, Rome, St. Peter’s Cathedral) was created - the master’s first large original work, imbued with faith in the triumph of the humanistic ideals of the Renaissance. The sculptor solves the dramatic theme of the mourning of Christ by the Mother of God in deep psychologically, expressing immeasurable grief by tilting his head, exactly found in the gesture of the Madonna’s left hand. The moral purity of the image of Mary, the noble restraint of her feelings reveal the strength of character and are conveyed in classically clear forms, with amazing perfection. Both figures are arranged into an indissoluble group, in which not a single detail disturbs the closed silhouette or its plastic expressiveness.
Deep conviction and the excitement of a person striving for a feat are captured in the statue of David (Florence, Academy of Fine Arts), executed in 1501–1504 upon the sculptor’s return to Florence. The idea of civil feat, courageous valor and intransigence was embodied in the image of the legendary hero. Michelangelo abandoned the narrative style of his predecessors. Unlike Donatello and Verrocchio, who depicted David after defeating the enemy, Michelangelo presented him before the battle. He focused on the strong-willed composure and intensity of all the hero’s powers, conveyed by plastic means. This colossal statue clearly expresses the peculiarity of Michelangelo’s plastic language: with the hero’s outwardly calm pose, his entire figure with a powerful torso and superbly modeled arms and legs, his beautiful, inspired face expresses the utmost concentration of physical and spiritual forces. All muscles seem to be permeated with movement. Michelangelo's art returned to nudity the ethical meaning it had in ancient sculpture. The image of David acquires even more broad meaning as an expression of creative forces free man. Already in those days, the Florentines understood the civic pathos of the statue and its significance, installing it in the city center in front of the Palazzo Vecchio as a call for the defense of the fatherland and for fair rule.
Having found a convincing form for the statue (with support on one leg), masterfully modeling it, Michelangelo made him forget about the difficulties that he had to overcome in working with the material. The statue was carved from a block of marble, which everyone believed had been ruined by an unlucky sculptor. Michelangelo managed to fit the figure into a ready-made block of marble so that it fit extremely compactly.
At the same time as the statue of David, cardboard was made for painting the Council Hall of the Palazzo Vecchio “The Battle of Cascina” (known from engravings and a pictorial copy). By entering into competition with Leonardo, the young Michelangelo received greater public appreciation for his work; he contrasted the theme of exposing the war and its atrocities with glorification sublime feelings the valor and patriotism of the soldiers of Florence, who rushed to the battlefield at the call of the trumpet, ready for a feat.
Having received an order from Pope Julius II to build his tombstone, Michelangelo, without finishing the Battle of Cascina, moved to Rome in 1505. He creates a project for a majestic mausoleum, decorated with numerous statues and reliefs. To prepare the material - marble blocks - the sculptor went to Carrara. During his absence, the pope lost interest in the idea of building a tomb. Insulted, Michelangelo left Rome and only after persistent calls from the pope returned. This time he received a new grandiose order - painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which he accepted with great reluctance, since he considered himself primarily a sculptor, and not a painter. This painting became one of the greatest creations of Italian art.
Under the most difficult conditions, Michelangelo worked for four years (1508–1512), completing the entire painting of the huge ceiling (600 sq. m.) with his own hand. In accordance with the architectonics of the chapel, he divided the vault covering it into a number of fields, placing in a wide central field nine compositions on scenes from the Bible about the creation of the world and the life of the first people on earth: “The Separation of Light from Darkness”, “The Creation of Adam”, “The Fall” , “The Intoxication of Noah”, etc. On the sides of them, on the slopes of the vault, are depicted figures of prophets and sibyls (soothsayers), in the corners of the fields are seated naked young men; in the vault sails, formwork and lunettes above the windows are episodes from the Bible and the so-called ancestors of Christ. The grandiose ensemble, including more than three hundred figures, seems to be an inspired hymn to the beauty, power, and intelligence of man, glorifying his creative genius and heroic deeds. Even in the image of God - a majestic, powerful old man, what is emphasized first of all is the creative impulse expressed in the movements of his hands, as if truly capable of creating worlds and giving life to man. Titanic strength, intelligence, insightful wisdom and sublime beauty characterize the images of the prophets: the deeply thoughtful, mournful Jeremiah, the poetically inspired Isaiah, the mighty Cumaean Sibyl, the beautiful young Delphic Sibyl. The characters created by Michelangelo are characterized by enormous strength generalizations; for each character he finds a special pose, turn, movement, gesture.
If tragic thoughts were embodied in individual images of the prophets, then in the images of naked young men, the so-called slaves, a feeling of the joy of being, irrepressible strength and energy is conveyed. Their figures, presented in complex angles and movements, receive the richest plastic development. All of them, without destroying the plane of the vaults, enrich them, reveal tectonics, enhancing the overall impression of harmony. The combination of grandiose scale, harsh power of action, beauty and concentration of color gives rise to a feeling of freedom and confidence in the triumph of man.