Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli was a contemporary of Michelangelo Buonarroti. Actually, they share the same final resting place at the famous Florentine church of Santa Croce, which means “Holy Cross” in Italian. Galileo, the famous astronomer, along with Giacomo Rossini, a famous composer, are also buried at Santa Croce.

In life, their paths crossed for a less than humane activity that was anything but Machiavellian in its result:

“ … there was the time Machiavelli commissioned Michelangelo Buonarroti to construct a canal to divert the Arno River from reaching Pisa, thus starving the city. Nothing became of the plan and it ended up to be an embarrassment (Rubinstein 74).” (1)

To give you an idea of one of the extraordinary talents that was produced during the Italian Renaissance, here is a biographical sketch that I have written about Michelangelo Buonarroti.

“I Live in Hell and Paint its Pictures.”

One of the greatest artists, architects, and sculptors to ever grace this world was Michelangelo Buonarroti. He was born on 6 March 1475 in the small village of Caprese, which was located in the province of Tuscany. His father was named Ludovico, and his mother, Francesca. Due to his mother’s poor health, Michelangelo was cared for by the wife of a stonecutter. “I sucked in the craft of hammer and chisel with my foster mother’s milk.”

Early Years in Renaissance Florence

At the age of 13, Michelangelo began to apprentice at the workshop, or bottega, of Domenico Ghirlandaio, an accomplished Florentine master of painting and sculpture. Michelangelo’s father did not greet the news with open arms, since he had hoped that his son would enter the more traditional Florentine professions of banking or mercantile trade. “When I told my father that I wish to be an artist, he flew into a rage, ‘Artists are laborers, no better than shoemakers.’ ”

Michelangelo remained a year with Maestro Ghirlandaio, and studied the art of fresco painting. Then he studied sculpture at the school of the Medici Gardens. It was at this time that he was invited into the house of Lorenzo de Medici, one of the most powerful families of Florence. Michelangelo spent time with two of Lorenzo’s sons, both of whom would later become Popes of the Roman Catholic Church: Leo X and Clement XII. It was also during this time that Michelangelo began to study human anatomy, even though it was against the official teachings of the Church to dissect cadavers.

In 1492, Lorenzo de Medici died, leaving the political and economic state of Florence in disarray. In 1494, Michelangelo left his beloved Florence, and ultimately ventured to Rome to further his studies of sculpture. His first work of note was called “Bacchus,” but he would become famous for another masterpiece. The “Pietà” (The Pity) was sculpted over a period of two years, and still remains in its original setting at St. Peter’s Basilica. This sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary holding her dead son Jesus across her lap. A few days after he finished the sculpture, he overheard a visitor saying that Cristoforo Solari of Lombard, a contemporary and rival, produced this work. Michelangelo, angrily, went into the Basilica one night, and signed his name to his masterpiece. It was the only work that he would ever sign. He viewed sculpture as a release of the figure that was trapped in the stone or marble. “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

Creation of “David”

In 1501, Michelangelo returned to Florence, which had recently been proclaimed a republic. L’Arte della Lana, or the Wool Guild, commissioned Michelangelo to create the Biblical figure of David. He spent three years toiling over this magnificent beacon of the new Florentine Republic. This sculpture can be found at the Accademia in Florence.

When Julius II ascended to the Papacy, he requested many of the Florentine masters, such as Michelangelo and Raphael. Michelangelo was commissioned to create the tomb for Pope Julius II, although a more important project would always take precedence: The Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Although Michelangelo saw himself as a sculptor, he could not refuse the Holy Father. The original agreement was to paint the twelve apostles; however, Michelangelo decided to produce a grander project.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Beginning in 1508, Michelangelo spent four years, mostly on his back, painting over 300 figures that will endure for posterity. Only a few laborers assisted him to prepare these very large and beautiful frescoes. Michelangelo, who was known for a quick temper and rudeness, only showed the work in progress to the Pope, who was growing frustrated with the time to complete the project. “Buonarotti, when will it be finished? “Holiness, when I am finished.”

“I live in Hell, and paint its pictures.” Michelangelo completed the frescoes in 1512, although a year before, he did unveil the ceiling to awe inspiring gazes. He may have lived in Hell to produce this masterpiece, but certainly gave us a glimpse of Heaven. There was a book, along with a movie, made about this endeavor. It was called, “The Agony and the Ecstasy.”

After his time in Rome, he dedicated the rest of his long life to architectural projects, painting, sculpture, and defensive fortifications for the city of Florence. He created the tombs for Julius II, along with several prominent members of the Medici family. He also designed the new dome for St. Peter’s Basilica. He died in 1564, and his last words were, “I leave my soul to God, my body to the earth, and my material possessions to my nearest relations.”

References

(1) “The Reality of Machiavelli and Present Day Politicos,” by Dr. Ken Pennington, Catholic University of America.

“Michelangelo and the Creation of the Sistine Chapel,” by Robin Richmond.

“The Agony and the Ecstasy,” by Irving Stone.

Copyright © 2007 by Steve Amoia.