Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Known for monumental marble sculpture and frescoes, his work helped shape Western art. He was born March 6, 1475, in Caprese near Arezzo, Tuscany, and died February 18, 1564, in Rome.

Trained in Florence, he began under Domenico Ghirlandaio and was later brought into the circle of the Medici. There, reinforced by studies of classical sculpture, he developed a mastery of marble carving and a highly anatomically aware style that would define much of his career.

Among his best known works are the marble David (c. 1501–04) and the Pieta (c. 1498–1500). In Rome, he painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508–1512) and later The Last Judgment (1536–1541). He contributed to St. Peter's Basilica and designed the Laurentian Library in Florence; he also produced tomb sculptures for Julius II, such as the Dying Slave and the Rebellious Slave (now in the Louvre).

Michelangelo's work is characterized by monumental figures, expressive intensity, and the integration of sculpture, painting, and architecture. Regarded as a master of the High Renaissance, he influenced countless artists and helped shape ideas about the human form, space, and creativity in Western art.