Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in the Tuscan town of Caprese north of Arezzo, the son of an impoverished Florentine nobleman, Lodovico Buonarroti, a city councilor. The father was not rich, and the income from his small property in the village was barely enough to support many children. In this regard, he was forced to give Michelangelo to a nurse, the wife of a Scarpelino from the same village, called Settignano. There, raised by the Topolino couple, the boy learned to knead clay and use a chisel before reading and writing. In 1488, Michelangelo's father came to terms with his son's inclinations and placed him as an apprentice in the workshop. Thus began the flowering of genius.
1) Although Michelangelo often complained about losses and was often described as a poor man, in 1564, when he died, his fortune was equal to tens of millions of dollars in modern dollars.
2) Distinctive feature Michelangelo's works are a nude human figure, executed in the smallest detail and striking in its naturalism. However, at the beginning of his career, the sculptor did not know the features of the human body so well. And he had to learn them. He did this in the monastery morgue, where he examined dead people and their insides.
3) Many of his caustic judgments about the works of other artists have reached us. Here, for example, is how he responded to someone’s painting depicting grief over Christ: “It is truly sorrowful to look at it.” Another creator, who painted a picture where the bull turned out best, received the following comment from Michelangelo about his work: “Every artist paints himself well.”
4) One of the greatest works is the vault Sistine Chapel, on which he worked for 4 years. The work consists of individual frescoes, which together represent a huge composition on the ceiling of the building. Michelangelo kept the whole picture as a whole and its individual parts in his head. There were no preliminary sketches, etc. During his work, he did not let anyone into the room, not even the Pope.
5) When Michelangelo completed his first “Pieta” and it was exhibited in St. Peter’s Basilica (At that time Michelangelo was only 24 years old), the author heard rumors that people attributed this work to another sculptor - Cristoforo Solari. Then Michelangelo carved on the belt of the Virgin Mary: “This was done by the Florentine Michelangelo Buonarotti.” He later regretted this outburst of pride and never signed his sculptures again - this is the only one.
6) Michelangelo did not communicate with women until he was 60 years old. That is why his female sculptures resemble male bodies. Only in his seventies did he meet his first love and muse. She herself was then over forty, she was a widow and found solace in poetry.
7) The sculptor did not consider anyone his equal. Sometimes he yielded to those in power, on whom he depended, but in relations with them he showed his indomitable temper. According to a contemporary, he inspired fear even in the popes. Leo X said about Michelangelo: “He is terrible. You can't deal with him."
8) Michelangelo wrote poetry:
And even Phoebus can’t hug at once
With its ray the cold globe of the earth.
And we are even more afraid of the hour of the night,
Like a sacrament before which the mind fades.
The night flees from the light, as from leprosy,
And is protected by pitch darkness.
The crunch of a branch or the dry click of a trigger
She doesn't like it - she's so afraid of the evil eye.
Fools are free to prostrate themselves before her.
Envious like a widow queen
She doesn’t mind destroying fireflies either.
Although prejudices are strong,
From sunlight a shadow will be born
And at sunset it turns into night.
9) Before his death, he burned many sketches, realizing that there were no technical means to implement them.
10) The famous statue of David was made by Michelangelo from a piece of white marble left over from another sculptor who unsuccessfully tried to work with this piece and then abandoned it.
11) In the winter of 1494, there was a very heavy snowfall in Florence. The ruler of the Florentine Republic, Piero di Medici, ordered Michelangelo to sculpt a snow statue. The artist completed the order, but, unfortunately, no information about what the snowman sculpted by Michelangelo looked like has been preserved.
12) Having ascended the papal throne, Julius II decided to build himself a magnificent tomb. The Pontiff gave Michelangelo unlimited freedom in creativity and cash. He was carried away by the idea, and personally went to the place of extraction of marble for the statues - to Cararra. Returning to Rome almost a year later, having spent a lot of money on the delivery of marble, Michelangelo discovered that Julius II had already lost interest in the tomb project. And he is not going to pay the expenses! The angry sculptor immediately abandoned everything - the workshop, the blocks of marble, the orders - and left Rome without the pope's permission.
13) In the history of art there is the following incident. Michelangelo placed high demands on his works and judged them strictly. When asked what an ideal statue is, he replied: “Every statue should be designed in such a way that it could be rolled down a mountain without a single piece breaking off.
Michelangelo was born on March 6, 1475 in the Tuscan town of Caprese north of Arezzo, the son of an impoverished Florentine nobleman, Lodovico Buonarroti, a city councilor. The father was not rich, and the income from his small property in the village was barely enough to support many children. In this regard, he was forced to give Michelangelo to a nurse, the wife of a Scarpelino from the same village, called Settignano. There, raised by the Topolino couple, the boy learned to knead clay and use a chisel before reading and writing. In 1488, Michelangelo's father came to terms with his son's inclinations and placed him as an apprentice in the workshop. Thus began the flowering of genius.
Today we present to you a selection of the most interesting facts about the Italian sculptor, one of the greatest masters of the Renaissance - Michelangelo Buonarroti.
1) According to the American edition of The New York Times, although Michelangelo often complained about losses and was often spoken of as a poor man, in 1564, when he died, his fortune was equal to tens of millions of dollars in modern equivalent.
2) A distinctive feature of Michelangelo’s works is the nude human figure, executed in the smallest detail and striking in its naturalism. However, at the beginning of his career, the sculptor did not know the features of the human body so well. And he had to learn them. He did this in the monastery morgue, where he examined dead people and their entrails.
3) Many of his caustic judgments about the works of other artists have reached us. Here, for example, is how he responded to someone’s painting depicting grief over Christ: “ It's truly sad to look at her" Another creator, who painted a picture where the bull turned out best, received the following comment from Michelangelo about his work: “ Every artist paints himself well».
4) One of the greatest works is the vault of the Sistine Chapel, on which he worked for 4 years. The work consists of individual frescoes, which together represent a huge composition on the ceiling of the building. Michelangelo kept the whole picture as a whole and its individual parts in his head. There were no preliminary sketches, etc. During his work, he did not let anyone into the room, not even the Pope.
"Lamentation of Christ", Michelangelo Buonarotti. St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican.
5) When Michelangelo completed his first “Pieta” and it was exhibited in St. Peter’s Basilica (At that time Michelangelo was only 24 years old), the author heard rumors that people attributed this work to another sculptor - Cristoforo Solari. Then Michelangelo carved on the belt of the Virgin Mary: “This was done by the Florentine Michelangelo Buonarotti.” He later regretted this outburst of pride and never signed his sculptures again - this is the only one.
6) Michelangelo did not communicate with women until he was 60 years old. That is why his female sculptures resemble male bodies. Only in his seventies did he meet his first love and muse. She herself was then over forty, she was a widow and found solace in poetry.
7) The sculptor did not consider anyone his equal. Sometimes he yielded to those in power, on whom he depended, but in relations with them he showed his indomitable temper. According to a contemporary, he inspired fear even in the popes. Leo X said about Michelangelo: “ He's scary. You can't deal with him».
8) Michelangelo wrote poetry:
And even Phoebus can’t hug at once
With its ray the cold globe of the earth.
And we are even more afraid of the hour of the night,
Like a sacrament before which the mind fades.
The night flees from the light, as from leprosy,
And is protected by pitch darkness.
The crunch of a branch or the dry click of a trigger
She doesn't like it - she's so afraid of the evil eye.
Fools are free to prostrate themselves before her.
Envious like a widow queen
She doesn’t mind destroying fireflies either.
Although prejudices are strong,
From sunlight a shadow is born
And at sunset it turns into night.
Tomb of Michelangelo Buonarroti in Santa Croce
9) Before his death, he burned many sketches, realizing that there were no technical means to implement them.
10) The famous statue of David was made by Michelangelo from a piece of white marble left over from another sculptor who unsuccessfully tried to work with this piece and then abandoned it.
David
11) In the winter of 1494, there was a very heavy snowfall in Florence. The ruler of the Florentine Republic, Piero di Medici, ordered Michelangelo to sculpt a snow statue. The artist completed the order, but, unfortunately, no information about what the snowman sculpted by Michelangelo looked like has been preserved.
12) Having ascended the papal throne, Julius II decided to build himself a magnificent tomb. The Pontiff gave Michelangelo unlimited freedom in creativity and money. He was carried away by the idea, and personally went to the place of extraction of marble for the statues - to Cararra. Returning to Rome almost a year later, having spent a lot of money on the delivery of marble, Michelangelo discovered that Julius II had already lost interest in the tomb project. And he is not going to pay the expenses! The angry sculptor immediately abandoned everything - the workshop, the blocks of marble, the orders - and left Rome without the pope's permission.
13) In the history of art there is the following incident. Michelangelo placed high demands on his works and judged them strictly. When asked what an ideal statue is, he replied: “Every statue should be designed in such a way that it could be rolled down a mountain without a single piece breaking off.”
😉 Greetings to history and art lovers! In the article “Michelangelo Buonarroti: biography, facts, video” - about the life of the Italian sculptor, artist, architect, greatest master Renaissance.
Michelangelo: biography
The future genius in the field of painting and sculpture was born at the very beginning of the spring of 1475 in the town of Caprese, not far from His full name sounds like this: Michelangelo di Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni.
His father, Lodovico, was the mayor of this town, and then returned to Florence. The Buonarroti family was ancient, but impoverished. Aristocrat Lodovico considered it unworthy to work. The family lived on modest income from a farm in the village of Settignano, also near Florence. There the baby was given to a nurse, the wife of a stonecutter.
Stone has been mined here since time immemorial, and the sculptor often repeated that he “imbibed with milk the ability to work with a chisel and a hammer.” The boy's creative abilities manifested themselves in early childhood. But the father was categorically against his son becoming a painter.
However, the 13-year-old teenager was already able to show his freedom-loving character and, after much objection, received consent to study with the artist Domenic Ghirlandaio. Then he moved on to the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni.
This school was patronized by Lorenzo de' Medici, who was well versed in art. He immediately saw the undoubted talent of the unusual student. The young man even lived in the Medici palace for several months. But Lorenzo died and at the age of seventeen Michelangelo Buonarroti returned home.
There was confusion in Florence political leaders and in 1494 the young artist left her. He also visits Bologna, and then goes back to his parents. And again not for long.
The new rulers were unable to pacify the inhabitants, and then suddenly a terrible epidemic of a merciless plague struck the city, mowing down its victims left and right. In the middle of the summer of 1496, Michelangelo found himself in Rome and lived there for more than five years. Here his success and subsequent enormous popularity were expected.
First masterpieces
Almost immediately, as soon as he set foot on this blessed land for many painters, he received an offer to build a statue of Bacchus from marble, and two years later another large order followed, also from marble - the composition “Pieta”.
Michelangelo "Pieta", 1499 (Marble. Height 174 cm) St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican
The composition was unanimously recognized as a masterpiece and this strengthened the position young man V creative world. The next order was the painting “Burial”, but it was not completed. At the age of 26, he returns to his homeland, where life becomes more stable.
Buonarroti proposes to create a statue of David. This work was completed in 1504. The statue brought fame to the sculptor in his homeland. The Florentines were simply stunned by the magnificence of this work.
Michelangelo "David", 1501-1504 (Marble. Height 5.17 m) Academy fine arts, Florence
It was planned to install the statue not far from the cathedral, but this elegance and at the same time majesty was worthy of the very heart of Florence. And she rightfully took her place on central square. Very soon the statue turned into a symbol of the republic, which fought for freedom.
Of interest is the order from the city authorities to paint a canvas on the plot of the Battle of Kashin. It was necessary to depict the convincing victory of the Florentine army over the army of the Pisans, which occurred in 1364.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that another work for the same Palazzo, which would depict the Battle of Anghiari, was undertaken by someone who was much older than Michelangelo. But the painter accepted this unique challenge.
The world had long known about the rather difficult relationship between Leonardo and Michelangelo, and everyone expected the results of this creative duel between two geniuses. But both works were never finished.
Rome and Vatican
Vinci did not finish the painting after a resounding failure with the experiment on the wall painting technique he had invented, but Michelangelo wrote a series of amazing sketches and went to Rome in the spring of 1505, where Pope Julius II invited him.
He arrived only nine months later, having spent a long time in the quarries of Carrara, selecting marble for work. According to the plan, the tomb of Julius II was supposed to be decorated with 40 sculptures, but very quickly the pope changed his mind, and died in 1513. Court hearings regarding the sculptor's wages continued for many years.
In 1545, Michelangelo completed work on the tomb, although it was only a pale shadow of his plan. Another order of the pope was the painting of the vault of the chapel in the Vatican. The painter worked on it for about four years. When the fresco was presented to society, it was unanimously recognized as a work of genius.
New dad Leo X made several commissions from Michelangelo for the Florentine church of San Lorenzo. The artist started working on them only three years later. These were two huge projects: the Medici tomb and the Laurentian Library, where a unique collection of books and manuscripts was kept.
In 1529-30 the master was entrusted with defensive structures that could withstand the well-armed troops of the Medici, who were expelled in 1527.
Three years later they returned the throne, and the sculptor had to urgently leave Florence. True, Pope Clement VII gave a guarantee not to persecute the artist and he continued his work.
Fragment of the fresco "The Creation of Adam" in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican
In 1534, the master moved to Clement VII, who was preparing an order for him and had already died. Pope Paul III changed the plot of the painting and asked to depict “ Last Judgment" This gigantic fresco, which the master completed in 1541, became another masterpiece. (See video at the end of the article)
last years of life
Michelangelo Buonarroti has devoted the last 20 years to architecture. And at the same time he creates two amazingly beautiful frescoes for the Paolina Chapel. Since 1546, the master worked on the reconstruction of the Cathedral of St. Petra. He offered his vision of the temple architecture. The cathedral, which was consecrated in 1626, is the fruit of his genius.
At the end of his life, Michelangelo created drawings depicting the Crucifixion and the Pietà sculptures. In one he depicts himself as Joseph of Arimathea.
The other one, which he worked on during the most last days was not finished. The Greatest Sculptor and the painter died in February 1564, two weeks short of his 89th birthday.
Friends, in this video you can watch the works of the master and find out Additional information"Michelangelo Buonarroti: biography and creativity" ↓
The greatest master and thinker High Renaissance -Michelangelo Buonarroti, who lived a long and fruitful life, always thought that all his creations were not worthy of the Lord God. And he himself is not worthy to end up in Paradise after death, because he did not leave behind any offspring on earth, but only soulless stone statues. Although there was an extraordinary woman in the life of the great genius - a muse and lover.
Bringing creative projects to life, the master could spend years in the quarries, where he selected suitable blocks of marble and laid roads for their transportation. Michelangelo tried to do everything with his own hands; he was an engineer, a laborer, and a stonemason.
Life path The great Buonarroti was full of amazing labor feats, which he performed, mourning and suffering, as if not of his own free will, but forced by his genius. And differing sharp and extremely strong character, he had a will harder than granite itself.
Mike's childhood
In March 1475, the second son of five boys was born into the family of a poor nobleman. When Mika was 6 years old, his mother, exhausted by frequent pregnancies, died. And this tragedy left an indelible mark on psychological state boy, which explained his isolation, irritability and unsociability.https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/219410677.jpg" alt=" Italian painting of 12-year-old Michelangelo: the most early work." title="Italian painting by 12-year-old Michelangelo: the earliest work." border="0" vspace="5">!}
Having reached the age of 13, Mike stated to my own father, who wanted to give his son a decent financial education, that he intends to study an artistic craft.
And he had no choice but to send his son to study with the master Domenico Ghirlandaio.
https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/buanarotti-0024.jpg" alt=" Madonna of the Staircase. (1491). Author: Michelangelo Buonarroti." title="Madonna at the stairs. (1491).
Already in 1490, they began to talk about the exceptional talent of the still very young Michelangelo Buonarroti, and he was only 15 years old at that time. And two years later, the beginning sculptor already had the marble reliefs “Madonna of the Stairs” and “Battle of the Centaurs” to his credit.
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Michelangelo's statues, like titans preserving their stone nature, have always been distinguished by their solidity and at the same time grace. The sculptor himself claimed that “A good sculpture is one that can be rolled down a mountain and not a single part will break off.”
The only masterpiece of a genius with his autograph
https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/buanarotti-0010.jpg" alt="Fragment.
He made this signature in a fit of anger at temple visitors who attributed his creation to another sculptor. And a little later, the master repented of his attack of pride and never signed any of his works again.
4 years of hard labor on the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel
At the age of 33, Michelangelo will begin his titanic work on the greatest achievement in the field of painting - the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. Painting with a total area of 600 square meters was taken from the stories of the Old Testament: from the moment of the Creation of the world to the Flood.https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/buanarotti-0011.jpg" alt=" Michelangelo Buonarroti." title="Michelangelo Buonarroti." border="0" vspace="5">!}
At the end of the work, the master was practically blind from the fact that the poisonous paint constantly dripped into his eyes while working, and its fumes completely undermined the health of the great master.
“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.”.
The artist's personal life is shrouded in secrets and speculation.
Around personal life famous sculptor There were always a lot of rumors going around.Biographers have stated that due to the fact that Michelangelo was deprived mother's love, he did not have relationships with women.
But he was credited with various close relationships with his sitters. To support the version of homosexuality, Michelangelo said only the fact that he had never been married. He himself explained it as follows: “Art is jealous,” said Michelangelo, “and demands the whole person. I have a wife to whom everything belongs, and my children are my creations.”
Some researchers believed that Michelangelo generally avoided physical sex, whether with women or men. Others considered him bisexual. However, as an artist he preferred male nudity to female nudity, and his love sonnets, dedicated primarily to men, clearly contain homoerotic motifs.
First mentions romantic in nature will appear only when Michelangelo is already over fifty. Having met a young man named Tommaso de'Cavalieri, the master dedicated numerous love poems to him. But this fact is not reliable evidence of their intimate relationship, since divulging this to the whole world through love poetry was dangerous at that time even for Michelangelo, who in his youth was twice subjected to homosexual blackmail and learned caution.
But one thing is certain, that these two people were connected by deep friendship and spiritual closeness until the master’s death. It was Tomasso who sat at the bedside of his dying friend until his last breath.
When the artist was already approaching 60, fate brought him together with a talented poetess named Vittoria Colonna, the granddaughter of the Duke of Urbana and the widow of the famous commander Marquis of Pescaro. Only this 47-year-old woman, distinguished by her strong masculine character and possessing an extraordinary mind and innate tact, was able to fully understand state of mind lonely genius
For ten years until her death, they constantly communicated, exchanged poems, and carried on correspondence, which became a real monument historical era.
https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/buanarotti-0029.jpg" alt=" Michelangelo at the tomb of Vittoria Colonna, kissing the hand of the deceased. Author: Francesco Jacovacci." title="Michelangelo at the tomb of Vittoria Colonna, kissing the hand of the deceased.
Her death was a great loss for the artist, who until the end of his days regretted that he had kissed only the hand of his beautiful beloved, and he so wanted to kiss her on the mouth, but he "не смел осквернить своим смрадным прикосновением её прекрасные и свежие черты". !}
He dedicated a posthumous sonnet to his beloved woman, which became the last in his poetic work.
Death of a Genius
https://static.kulturologia.ru/files/u21941/buanarotti-0006.jpg" alt="Buonarrotti's tomb in Florence." title="Buonarotti's tomb in Florence." border="0" vspace="5">!}
Michelangelo was revered by fans during his lifetime and enjoyed enormous popularity, which many of his colleagues did not have.
Thus, the crowning achievement of the brilliant Renaissance master, transformed from a 5-meter block of damaged marble into a masterpiece, glorified him throughout the world and is still considered one of the most famous and perfect works of art.
The Renaissance gave the world many talented artists, but the artist and sculptor Michelangelo Buonarroti is perhaps one of the most famous among them. This, without exaggeration, a brilliant man succeeded in many endeavors at once, and the masterpieces he created, which have survived to this day, are rightfully considered an invaluable cultural heritage. Despite the fact that he lived about 500 years ago, enough facts about Michelangelo’s life have reached us to have an idea about his personality.
Facts from the biography of Michelangelo
- The great artist came from a family of impoverished Florentine nobles.
- Michelangelo's mother died when he was 6 years old. Despite the fact that, as an adult, he conducted an active correspondence that has survived to this day, he never mentioned his mother anywhere.
- Since Michelangelo had many brothers and sisters, his father could not provide for them all, and he sent the future artist to be raised by another family from the same village.
- Since Michelangelo's adoptive family was engaged in pottery, as a child he learned to sculpt pots and decorate them with intricate patterns before he mastered reading and writing.
- The biography of Michelangelo notes the fact that while studying at school he was not a diligent student, preferring not to sit at a desk, but to devote all his time to communicating with local artists and drawing.
- When he was 13 years old, his father was forced to come to terms with his craving for painting, and arranged for him to become an apprentice to a fairly famous local artist.
- 14-year-old Michelangelo was very lucky - Lorenzo di Medici, the head of all Florence, recognized his talent and became his patron. It paved to the young genius the road to the world of great art.
- In addition to being a sculptor and painter, Michelangelo Buonarroti also established himself as a brilliant architect. It was he, by the way, who was the chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica, the largest building in the Vatican. He didn’t even take remuneration for this work ().
- Michelangelo lived his entire life in Italy, Florence and Rome.
- The artist's last work, a sketch of one of the domes of St. Peter's Basilica, was accidentally discovered in the Vatican archives in 2007.
- It is reliably known that Michelangelo composed poems, although they did not bring him widespread fame. About 300 poems he composed have reached us. There were more of them, but he burned almost all the manuscripts with his early poems with his own hands.
- Some of Michelangelo's poems were set to music during his lifetime.
- The biography of Michelangelo was written during his lifetime. By the way, he lived a long time - 89 years.
- His most famous work is the statue of David. Now this priceless 5-meter sculpture is kept in the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence.
- Many of his caustic judgments about the works of other artists have reached us. Michelangelo did not hesitate to criticize other artists.
- He met his first love when he was already over 60 years old.
- One of his greatest works is the vault of the Sistine Chapel, on which he worked for 4 years. The work consists of individual frescoes, which together represent a huge composition on the ceiling of the building. Michelangelo kept the whole picture as a whole and its individual parts in his head; there were not even any preliminary sketches or sketches. During his work, he did not allow anyone into the premises, not even the Pope, who was the customer.