Michelangelo Buonarroti was a painter, sculptor, architect and a poet from the famed Renaissance period in the 1500s and is still regarded as one of the greatest artists in history.

Born in 1475 in Caprese, a place near the city of Florence in Italy, Michelangelo was the son of a local magistrate. Shortly after he was born the Buonarroti family moved to the city of Florence. As a young boy, he was apprenticed to Domenico Ghirlandaio, a famous painter. He resided in the house of the Medici family which was the home of the leading patron of art in Florence, Lorenzo de’ Medici.

After the Medici left the city of Florence, Michelangelo travelled around . He headed to the city of Bologna before making his way to Rome in 1496. Michelangelo sculpted ‘Pieta’ in Rome and this sculpture shot him to fame throughout Italy. He returned to Florence an accomplished and renowned sculptor and there in 1504 created his most famous statue ‘David.’

The Church, one of the biggest patrons of art, commissioned the artist to come back to Rome to design Pope Julius II’s tomb. The project was ambitious but Michelangelo’s differences with the Pope led to the artist being unable to complete the project. He, however, did manage to complete the sculpture of Moses as part of the commissioned project.

The biggest highlight of Michelangelo’s achievements as a painter is the work he produced on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. At once, this was considered as a great work of art and Michelangelo was cast as the greatest artist in Italy.

Pope Leo X commissioned the artist to rebuild the façade of the Church of San Lorenzo in the city of Florence and that began his foray into architecture. He designed the monuments to Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici in the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo. Becoming increasingly active as an architect, Michelangelo worked on the great St Peter’s Church.

Michelangelo died in 1564 at the age of 88 and was buried in his beloved city of Florence.

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