Happy Birthday Michelangelo!
Born on March 6, 1475 near Florence, Italy, one of the most gifted artists of all time, Michelangelo (Michael – Angelo) Buonarotti, began studying his craft at age 13.
His father wanted him to be a businessman or merchant instead, but Michelangelo became an apprentice in the art of fresco and went on to study sculpting. By the time he was 16 his personal style emerged.
The high point of his early career - which set him apart from his contemporaries - is his statue of David. Based on the biblical story of David and Goliath, David stands 14-feet tall, athletic and poised to fight.
It took him 4 years to sculpt David from a 19-foot block of marble that was considered scrap marble. Michelangelo went to Rome in 1508, where he spent 4 years creating the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Michelangelo painted it while standing and looking up, not lying on scaffolding as believed.
After decades of work, Michelangelo died when he was 89, leaving a multitude of masterpieces for art students to emulate and audiences around the world to admire.
On this artist's birthday, make a trip to the Oakland University Art Gallery where artists from 9 prominent New York City galleries are on exhibit.
Content provided by Oakland University
