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Michelangelo Buonarroti Research Paper

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Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese near Arezzo, Tuscany. Michelangelo was best known for his artistic abilities. He was responsible for legendary pieces such as “David”, “Pieta”, the “Last Judgement”, and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His career was started with the help of the Medici family, whose control he constantly tried to escape throughout the rest of his life. After Michelangelo’s death at age 88, the Medici family smuggled his corpse into Florence in a hay-basket for a grand funeral.2 Michelangelo's career began at the age of just 13 as one of the first students in Lorenzo de'Medici's original school of art. There he was exposed to all sorts of artistic, intellectual and social experiences. These early classical influences affected him throughout his life. After Lorenzo's death, all of the Medici boys were expelled from Florence causing Michelangelo to go into hiding until 1501. He was faced with the task of carving a 13-foot marble block in an attempt to outdo his rival. He worked intensely and near constantly on this alone for two and a half years. Then, on January 25, 1504, he revealed his final masterpiece: “David.”2 Pope Julius II requested that Michelangelo paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. …show more content…

He didn’t know anything about the art of fresco, painting on wet plaster, and the ceiling went on for more than 3,200 square feet. Raphael, the artist who was known as the greatest artist of the time, felt threatened by Michelangelo so he convinced the Pope to hire him anyways. He had planned on this showcasing how inferior Michelangelo’s work was compared to his. Regardless, Michelangelo could not refuse the demands of the Pope, so in 1508 he began. Over four short years, he, along with some men he employed to help him, covered the ceiling with 300 figures and stories from the Bible. The most famous piece of this mural is the creation of

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