Art Guide · Painters
Michelangelo
1475–1564
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was the sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance. With the David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling and The Creation of Adam, he is one of the most influential figures in art history.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
Life
Born in Caprese near Florence, he spent a short time in Ghirlandaio’s workshop before entering the household of Lorenzo de’ Medici. In his twenties he carved the Pietà in Rome (1498–99) and the David in Florence (1501–04).
Although he saw himself above all as a sculptor, he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling for Pope Julius II between 1508 and 1512, and years later the Last Judgement (1536–41) on its altar wall. In his last years he was chief architect of St Peter’s Basilica and designed its dome. He died in Rome in 1564, aged 88.
Style and key works
Michelangelo’s figures are muscular, dynamic and sculptural; even in paint he thought like a sculptor. Among the Genesis scenes on the Sistine ceiling, The Creation of Adam, with the fingers of God and Adam almost touching, is one of the most reproduced images in the world. Contrary to popular belief, he did not paint the ceiling lying on his back but standing on a scaffold of his own design, head tilted back.
Key works
Shop Michelangelo posters →Frequently asked questions
How long did the Sistine Chapel ceiling take?
About four years: Michelangelo painted it between 1508 and 1512.
Was Michelangelo a painter or a sculptor?
Both, and also an architect and poet, though he considered himself first and foremost a sculptor.