Michelangelo Buonarroti

Who is Michelangelo Buonarroti?

Michelangelo Buonarroti was a sculptor, painter, architect, and poet born in Caprese, Tuscany, and one of the greatest artists of the Italian High Renaissance. He is renowned for his marble sculptures, including the towering David in Florence and the Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica, which display extraordinary anatomical precision and emotional power. As a painter, he created the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, including the iconic Creation of Adam, and later the massive Last Judgment on its altar wall. As an architect, he contributed to the design of St. Peter's Basilica, including its dome. Michelangelo worked for several popes and the Medici family, and his work profoundly influenced the development of Western art. He was also a gifted poet, leaving behind sonnets and madrigals. He remained artistically active into his late eighties and is buried in Florence.

Sources: Giorgio Vasari, Le Vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architettori (1568) · Encyclopaedia Britannica, entry 'Michelangelo'