Michelangelo’s birth and childhood

Michelangelo was born, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon, commomly known as Michelangelo. His date of birth was recorded as March 6, 1475. Michelangelo was born in a small village of Caprese, in Tuscany Italy, near Arezzo, Republic of Florence, to Ludovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti Simoni and Francesca Neri. Michelangelo was born the second of five brothers, to his mother, who died when he was only six years old (“Britannica,” 2012). Michelangelo’s childhood was considered to be low key, grim in nature, lacking in affection, and very silent. He appeared a bit touchy and quick to respond with agitated or fierce words when he was approached by others. Michelangelo was considered to be shy and most of the time he kept to himself, leaving little to no room to trust his fellow friends. After the death of his mother, Michelangelo was sent to live with a stonecutter and his family in a town called, Settignano, where he learned the craft of a hammer and chisel. Michelangelo went to his father, and told him he wanted to be an artist, and that made his father furious at the thought and he flew into a rage (“Britannica,” 2012).
Bonner (2009) noted that his father recognized his intelligence and sent him to study grammar in Florence. While studying the principles of Latin, Michelangelo befriended a student, Francesco Granacci who encouraged him to follow his own desire for an artistic vocation. At the age of thirteen, Michelangelo infuriated his father when he told him that he had agreed to a work under the guidance of the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. After about one year, Michelangelo began to study at the school of sculpture in the Medici Gardens where he was later invited to the home of the Lorenzo de’ Medici, known as the Magnificent. The Early life of Michelangelo
Soon after, Michelangelo became interested and began to study the human anatomy, although, the church did not agree with this type of science. Through his study with the dead bodies and corpses this caused health problems to arise which caused him to halt his current studies briefly. By the time he turned sixteen years old, he produced two relief sculptures, the Battle of the Centaurs, and the Madonna of the Stairs. In Michelangelo’s personal diary according to Bonner (2009), he says this about his first two works: “My first work was a small bas-relief, The Madonna of the Stairs. Mary, Mother of God, sits on the rock of the church. The child curls back into her body. She foresees his death, and his return on the stairway to heaven. My second work, another small relief. My tutor read me the myth of the battle of the Lapiths against the Centaurs. The wild forces of life, locked in heroic combat. Already at 16, my mind was a battlefield: my love of pagan beauty, the male nude, at war with my religious faith. A polarity of themes and forms…one spiritual, the other earthly, I’ve kept these carvings on the walls of my studio to this very day.”
Early in Michelangelo’s life, he was divided between his spiritual and his fleshly likings and wasn’t sure the direction in which he would travel. After the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Michelangelo’s love for the body, art, anatomy, and the kidney grew very strong. This passion led him to a public display of dissections. By the age of 18, he began to perform his own dissection. (Ekonoyan (2000) determined that his interest in anatomy was revived later in his life when he was inspired to publish a book on anatomy for artist. This book was also used to collaborate with the design of the medical anatomy text that was prepared by the prominent physician, Realdo Colombo. He was later diagnosed and treated for a kidney disease which brought on his interest in the function of the kidney. The two began a lengthy relationship with one another that became very personal. The association with Colombo turned out to be fortunate, but also a misfortune because Michelangelo became ill with recurrent Urolithiasis, this is known as a condition where calculi is formed and located in the urinary tract (merriam-webster, 2012). Micheloangelo, sought medical attention from one of the most prominent physicians in Rome, none other than, Realdo Colombo. As Michelangelo aged he suffered from gravel in his urine which turned into kidney stones. Colombo, was now a very close friend of his, he treated him with injections and personally cared for him throughout his illness. Michelangelo gives a better appreciation of his kidney disease in his own words written to the son of his favorite younger brother Buonarroto, Eknoyan (2000) says: he writes: “As far as they can make out, the doctors say I am suffering from the stone. They are still not certain. However, they continue to treat me for the said malady and are very hopeful ....f it is the stone, the doctors tell me that it is at an early stage and that it is a small one. They are therefore very hopeful, as I have said” (letter323).
The reason for the injections given by Colombo will never be known, however the details and the outcome of the long term treatment is detailed in a subsequent letter dated March 23, 1549, to Lionardo, Eknoyan (2000) which reads: “Since then, having been given a certain kind of water to drink, it has caused me to Discharge so much thick white matter in the urine, together with some fragments of the stone, that I am much better and hope in a short time I shall be free of it – thanks to God and to some good soul” (letter 325). Michelangelo’s first return to Florence in August, 1501, he was commissioned to sculpt a statue of David. This gigantic marble statue was a high point of Michelangelo’s career. This statue was symbol of his patriotic feelings, and it expressed the difficulty that Florence was dealing with during this time. He used David as a model of his courage. This biblical hero demonstrated his inner spiritual strength, and showed just how spiritual he could be and how effective he was according to the word of God. Psalms 28:7 (NIV) reads, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.” Michelangelo’s describes David as bold, manly, and athletic.
Michelangelo’s Famous Works The Sistine Chapel, used for great ceremonies such as elections and inaugurations of new popes was by far his greatest achievement. It contained wall paintings, individual figures, and inclusion of female figures filling the edges of the ceiling. The elongated surface filled with central spine with nine scenes from Genesis: three of them depicted the Creation of the World, three were of the stories of Adam and Eve, and the remaining three were all related to the story of Noah. The only interruption for this four year project was the fact that payment was not received. Earlier works included the Pieta, a depiction of the body of Jesus Christ on the lap of his mother Mary after the crucifixion (“Britannica”, 2012). As a theme of Christian art the Holy Family was a representation of baby Jesus with his immediately family. There are two separate versions, one showing the virgin and child with St. Joseph and the other showing the virgin and child with the virgin’s mother, St. Anne. The statue, “ Madonna and child” blocky and immobile (“Britannica”, 2012).
With the assistance of long time acquaintances Giuliano Bygiardini,, Aristotele da Sangallo, Francesci Graacci , and several other labors prepared for the designs of Sistene ceiling.
The painting was postponed and all the assistances were dismissed. Scaffolding high above the chapel floor Michelangelo painted from 1508-1512. He produced such pictorial images such as the vault of the papal chapel that included nine scenes from the book of Genesis, beginning with God separating light from darkness and including the creation of Adam, the temptation, and the prophets. Michelangelo’s images demonstrated how his understanding of the human anatomy and his movement changed the course of painting in the West (Bonner, 2009). These projects were physically and emotionally torture for Michelangelo, he recalls saying these words to show its affect on him. (Bonner, 2009) “After four tortured years, more than 400 life-sized figures, I felt as old and as weary as Jeremiah. I was only 37, yet friends did not recognize the old man I had become.” During this time, Michelangelo produced several Madonnas and circular reliefs, which are paintings for private homes. Even though he denied it, his work and the work of other painters were greatly influenced by Leonardi da Vinci. David commissioned (1501) for the cathedral of Florence. David was installed at the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the Florentine Republic (“Britannica, 2012). After the ceiling was complete, he carved the Moses which was the approach to great figures used for the prophets on the Sistine ceiling. Around this same time, two sculptures of slaves or prisoners bound together part of this project but were never used. Michelangelo finished the Last Judgement, in 1541, it depicts judgement day. This piece shows the ineitable separation and on the left side of the painting resembles the saved ascending, and the damned descending on the right side. (Bonner, 2009). Michelangelo, in his seventies, took up work on the Florentine Pieta, consisting of a group of four larger than life figures carved from a single block of marble. The carvings shows the broken body of Christ being held up by Mary Magdelan, aided by Nicodemus right above her and the Virgin Mary located on the right. The figure of Christ is the only portion that is complete, even though the left arm was once broken and since repaired, however the left leg is missing. Nicodemus’s portion shows the unfinished pieces of the artist himself and Virgin Mary’s face blocked out (Bonner, 2009).
Michelangelo and Victtoria Michelangelo met Victtoria Colonna, a highly cultivated poetess and one of the most influential woman, in the Viterbo Circle. Michelangelo was fifteen years her senior. A friendship, turned into pure love between the two, which was developed and inspired by poetry and faith (Bonner, 2009). There was a very intense period which lasted up until her death is described in the “Dialogues of Francisco de Hollanda.” Their relationship was filled with many years of long passionate conversations on what they both believed in, and how faith would be understood. They exchanged letters with passionate dialogue as well as made many visits to the church of San Silvestro al Quirinale where they enjoyed listening to sacred texts commentaries.
Michelangelo gifted her three of his most sacred drawings, a crucifixion sent to her in 1956, a Deposition of Christ, and a Mary Magdalen (Bonner, 2009).
Last Decades In Michelangelo’s late years, he was involved with sculpture, painting, and poetry.
Michelangelo was sought after designing monuments for modern Rome. Two of the most notable visual images are the Capitoline Square and the dome of St. Peter’s. (“Britannica,” 2012).
These plans were underway between 1538-1539, it was surrounding the Campidoglio (capitol) on the Capitoline hill. Michelangelo was unable to carry out his plans until the late 1550.Randolph (2010), describes the passages on Michelangelo’s paintings, drawings, sculptures and buildings are noted is this illustrated book, but they are kept as short as possible.

References
Bonner, Neil R., ed., Michelangelo Buonarroti Website, 14 December 2001, Michelangelo.com, Inc., Retrieved June 20,2012 from http://micheangelo.com/buonarroti.html
Eknoyan, G. (2000). Michelangelo: Art, anatomy, and the kidney. Kidney International, 57(3), 1190-1201.doi:10.1046/j.1523-1755.2000.00947.x
Michelangelo. (2012). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/ EBchecked/topic/379957/Michelangelo/16620/The-middle-years
Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times. By: ROLFE, SARAH MELANIE. Quaderni d’italianistica. 2010, Vol. 31 Issue 1, p228-230. 3p. Abstract: The article reviews the book “Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and His Times,” by William E. Wallace. (AN: 53067003)
Randolph, A.B. (2010) Michelangelo: A Tormented Life./Michelangelo: The Artist, The Man, and His Times. /Renaissance Quaterly, 63(2), 600-602