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Michelangelo
Painter, Sculptor, Architect
1475 – 1564
 Born on March 6, 1475 in
Caprese, Italy, Raised in
Florence
 Father is an official of
Florence, Italy. His Mother
dies when he is 7 years old
 Trained as a fresco painter
and as a sculptor
 Spends most of his career
traveling between Florence
and Rome, depending on
who is in power and who can
afford to pay him to work
 His most famous
work, “David” is
carved from a
colossal marble
block. With this,
he becomes
known as the
most brilliant
sculptor of
his day.
 They call him the
“Divine One”
David (1504)
In 1505 he is
asked by the
Pope to paint
the ceiling of
the Sistine
chapel (which
is Part of the
Pope’s
residence
in Vatican
City)
Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City (Rome)
The ceiling painting includes over
300 figures in stories from the Bible.
It takes Michelangelo 4 years of
lying flat on his back to complete
the project (1508-1512).
 Years later,
Michelangelo is hired
to paint the altar wall
of the sistine chapel,
a massive painting
which takes 8 years
to complete (15341541).
 In 1546, he is
appointed architect of
St. Peter’s Basilica
in the Vatican. He
designs its famous
dome but does not
live to see it
completed.
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
 Michelangelo died in
Rome at the age of
88. His body was
brought home to his
beloved Florence and
buried in a tomb at
the Basilica di Santa
Croce

Michelangelo is
considered the greatest
Renaissance artist of all
time. His greatest love
was the study of the
human body, which he
both sculpted and
painted.