Michelangelo Buonarroti

Born in Caprese in 1475 and raised in Florence, Michelangelo Buonarroti became one of the most influential artists in Western history. He trained as a young artist in Florence and quickly earned a reputation for extraordinary skill in carving marble, along with unusual ambition and intensity.

His career ranged across sculpture, painting, architecture, and poetry. Among his most celebrated works are the marble Pietà, the colossal David, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the fresco of The Last Judgment. Later in life he also played a major role as an architect, especially through his work on St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Michelangelo died in Rome in 1564, but his art has never stopped shaping how people imagine the Renaissance. His work is admired for its physical energy, emotional depth, and sense of human grandeur, and he is still widely seen as one of the great creative figures of any age.