Today we will talk about the biography of Miguel Angel Buonarroti, one of the most notable geniuses of the Italian Renaissance, which had four great virtues of the artist of his time: he was an architect, painter, sculptor and poet.
Now, if at all he stood out it was because of the talent he printed on each of his works, in addition, the aesthetic realism and strength of his art had not been seen until that moment.
- Perhaps much of this emotional intensity.
- Which he endowed with each of his paintings and sculptures.
- Came from his own character.
- He wasn’t an easy man.
His personality, as hard as the stone he cut, generally oscillated between anger, pride, and a desire for solitude. He was a rich man, but he never wanted to take advantage of his property.
He has always had the admiration of his contemporaries. The ecclesiastical elite adored him, the popes claimed their art and hands to give life to their basilicas, light to their walls and body to the most prominent biblical figures.
Sculptures such as Pieta and Davi are two illustrative and exceptional examples of his charisma and genius, only comparable to that of Leonardo da Vinci.
Michelangelo was the main figure of the Renaissance, which was marked, in turn, as a period of crisis; around him were rumours of wars of religion, the shadow of the Counter-Reformation and the arrival of another artistic style: Mannerism.
“The true work of art is just a shadow of divine perfection. “Michelangelo Buonarroti?
He was born in 1475 in Caprese, a Toscana. Su of the family, of good reputation, held renowned positions in Florence at the time. As a child he has shown great skill for the artistic fields.
However, his father, Ludovico di Leonardo, thought this should not be the way for the second of his five children.
Michelangelo had to take care of the social status of the family, so it was more appropriate to choose other areas, his father decided to send him to Florence to study grammar with the humanist Francesco da Urbino.
The young Buonarroti already had a strong personality since his youth, he was already very clear what his path would be, what his hands eager to create would be.
He then took advantage of this Florentine period to make contact with the entire artistic context of the city and quickly became an intern in a workshop belonging to the Medici. Later, he himself surprised Laurent the Magnificent (whom historians call the father of the Renaissance). ) after having made his first works of art.
Professor Michelangelo Buonarroti was about to be born artistically, this first step allowed him, among other things, to take care of his family after his father’s bankruptcy.
It was at the Academy dos Medici that Michelangelo Buonarroti came into contact with Plato’s theories, which have served as a guide to shape your literary and plastic works.
However, from 1492, his life changed with the death of Lorenzo de Medici, who temporarily left the court and began working on several works in Bologna and Rome, bearing witness to his great artistic footprint.
He sculpted a polychrome wooden crucifix for the Iglesia Florentina Santo Spirito (or Church of the Holy Spirit). In 1493 he bought a huge block of marble and carved a gigantic statue of Hercules. That was his biggest vision so far.
At the age of 21 he arrived in Rome to complete a work commissioned by Cardinal Raffaele Riario, another titanic statue, this time for the god Bacchus.
In 1505, Pope Julius II himself entrusted Michelangelo Buonarroti with a work of epic dimensions, as well as a burial monument, a work that should include some forty characters.
Despite this, at one point, the pontiff gave more importance to the reform of Bramante in St. Peter’s Basilica. Michelangelo, disgusted by this gesture, left Rome leaving his work in two.
He came close to being excommunicated for his refusal to return to Rome, however, he eventually surrendered, becoming known for his character and pride. At the same time, a complex and productive relationship with Pope Julius II begins.
From this union, works as relevant as Moses and the Sistine Chapel itself have emerged. For the chapel, Michelangelo demanded total freedom of creation from the pontiff. And so it was.
Michelangelo Buonarroti had a special fascination with the human body, his titanic works have always maintained the beauty and vigour that have inspired many young people with which he interacts daily in his study.
Thus, names such as Cecchino dei Bracci or Tommaso Cavalieri, his disciples, were part of the artist’s emotional life.
Also documented is his connection with a lady of noble category: Vittoria Colonna, to whom he joined the passion for dante’s poetry, religion and work.
In fact, this widow was for Michelangelo the perfect ideal of the Beatrice of the Divine Comedy, she was his inspiration in life and also in death, as this woman died very early, leaving a trace of sadness in Buonarroti’s life.
Michelangelo Buonarroti founded Pieta Rondanini in 1556, when he was over eighty years old. He couldn’t finish it. His health was not good, he felt alone, surrounded by employees and above all annoyed by the changes that were being experienced in the artistic world.
In addition, the Council of Trent had banned the appearance of nudes in religious art, which, for master Buonarroti, was an affront.
In fact, Pope Pius IV had hired Daniele da Volterra to hide her?Nudity? Much of the work already done by the grandmaster. Michelangelo was exhausted, frustrated and terribly wounded by the surrounding environment.
Pieta Rondanini is a clear reflection of the humor of this brilliant sculptor, of this Renaissance master.
In this work we see two ghostly figures, almost without features, elongated faces that symbolize a silent cry wrapped in sadness.
Was it the foreboding farewell of an artist who gave life to marble, who filled the Church with splendor with his titanic works?The same works that were now altered, desecrated.
Michelangelo died in 1564 and was buried in Florence, surrounded by friends, his name was part of the splendid renaissance that was already beginning its decline, evolving into Mannerism.
He was the artist of emphasis, passion and extreme emotion, his legacy certainly has the same strength and, even today, leaves us breathless.