Michelangelo

The Pieta

Michelangelo Buonarroti (March 6, 1475- February 18, 1564, age 88) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and poet, one of the greatest of the Renaissance and a devout Catholic. His full name was Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni.

He sculpted the Pieta showing the Virgin Mary cradling the crucified corpse of her son Jesus and, his most famous work, a larger-than-life nude statue of young David holding the sling he'd just killed Goliath with. At the tomb of Julius II in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, stand Michelangelo's famous statues of Moses, Rachel and Leah.

He also painted at the Sistine Chapel "The Last Judgement" and the "The Creation", the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1509-1512), and many other works of art. Michelangelo also designed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. The Torment of Saint Anthony is considered his first painting, attributed to him when he was only 12; it is the featured painting of the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

He was the first Western artist who had a biography published while he was alive.

Selected Works[edit]

See also[edit]

• List of works by Michelangelo
• Holy See
• Painting Masterpieces
• Painting Galleries