Michelangelo Buonarotti

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564)

Michelangelo is one of the world's most famous artists. He grew up in Florence under the protection of the powerful Lorenzo de Medici. Lorenzo brought the boy into his house and provided for his training. Michelangelo worked alternately in Rome and in Florence. Aside from the Medici family, he had many other important clients. His frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, for example, were a commission from successive popes. Michelangelo was the embodiment of the ideal Renaissance artist, the 'universal man': a sculptor, painter, architect and poet. He was inspired by the classical antiquity and understood the laws of anatomy and perspective. In later years, Michelangelo developed a personal style with Mannerist features.