Michelangelo is one of the most famous artists in the western world, as has been the case since early on his career and will probably always be true. Born in the fifteenth century, he was a Florentine sculptor, painter, poet, architect and engineer who was prodigiously talented and the true definition of a Renaissance man. His work is now scattered across the globe but Florence and Rome remain the best places to see it.
If you are an art lover or a Michelangelo fan, in particular, be sure to find a holiday rental in Rome or luxury villa in Florence or both and track down some of his greatest works. We have gathered a list of some of them to help you out.
There are certain works that are must-sees, that are worth the lines and waiting. The Sistine Chapel, perhaps Michelangelo's most famous project, is one of these. It was completed under the patronage of three different popes and two bouts of painting over a total of ten years.
If you are an art lover or a Michelangelo fan, in particular, be sure to find a holiday rental in Rome or luxury villa in Florence or both and track down some of his greatest works. We have gathered a list of some of them to help you out.
There are certain works that are must-sees, that are worth the lines and waiting. The Sistine Chapel, perhaps Michelangelo's most famous project, is one of these. It was completed under the patronage of three different popes and two bouts of painting over a total of ten years.
Michelangelo initially tried to decline the work but was talked into the project that would come to determine a large amount of his life, career and fame. The physical requirements of the job also hugely affected his health, though he lived well into his eighties. With scenes from both Old and New Testament, it is a complex and staggering scheme that is impossible to take in without intense study.
Another iconic work is his Pietá in St Peter's Basilica. Commissioned for the French cardinal, Jean de Bilhères, and made between 1498 and 1499, it is made of the famous marble of Carrara and depicts the dead Christ in his mother's arms.
The Madonna is shown as youthful, though her son is 33, as was common practice at the time. Her adult child is draped across her lap in a bed of the swathes of her clothes in an impossible way. It truly is a stunning work.
Another iconic work is his Pietá in St Peter's Basilica. Commissioned for the French cardinal, Jean de Bilhères, and made between 1498 and 1499, it is made of the famous marble of Carrara and depicts the dead Christ in his mother's arms.
The Madonna is shown as youthful, though her son is 33, as was common practice at the time. Her adult child is draped across her lap in a bed of the swathes of her clothes in an impossible way. It truly is a stunning work.
Though he was, indeed, a dedicated, tireless, genius who went above and beyond for his art, a trace of him left behind in Florence suggests that he may not have been quite as serious as we imagine. On the wall of the historic Palazzo Vecchio, a simple caricature known as the L’importuno di Michelangelo, or Michelangelo's Graffiti, remains as a clue of this other Michelangelo. Located on the corner of the Palazzo Vecchio, on the side near the Uffizi Gallery, is the outline of a man's face. If you were passing by without knowing what it was, you could easily miss it entirely or pass it off as the work of a common-place vandal. No one knows what made Michelangelo create the work or the full story behind it but it remains as a fascinating tidbit about him.
These three works are but a portion of his ouevre but a good taster of what awaits once you make the commitment and finally go see his work in person in Italy!
These three works are but a portion of his ouevre but a good taster of what awaits once you make the commitment and finally go see his work in person in Italy!
