Andrew Dempsey

Dr. Richards

HUM2020

November 14, 2018

Quality Enhancement Paper

I am considered even to this day the greatest artist of my lifetime, and one of the greatest

artists of all time, having created some of the most notorious paintings known. Despite more

commonly being known for my paintings, I considered myself more of a sculptor, who also

created works in architecture and poetry. A man of many trades, my unique style and attention to

detail gained notice immediately, and allowed my work to influence the start of the Italian

Renaissance. My name is Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, but I am better known

as Michelangelo. My work as a painter propelled me forward in my career and allowed for newer

developments in Western art that my descendants adapted to and expanded on.

Born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, a town near Florence, Italy, my training began at an

early age. At the age of thirteen, I became an apprentice to Domenico Ghirlandaio, then moved

onto to learn from Lorenzo de’ Medici who belonged to the influential Medici family. I was

influenced by the many intellectuals Lorenzo was surrounded by, and used my access to the

famous Medici art collections to gain inspiration. This allowed me to gain insight from the social

elite of Florence of the time, and learn more about types of art such as humanism. Living in

Florence sparked the beginning of my interest in the arts, having been surrounded by it. I later

traveled to Rome, in 1496, and that is where my work as an artist began. In Rome I began to

study Roman and Greek art, and became an expert in anatomy after having studied cadavers

through the blessings of the Catholic Church. In creating my first commission, the sculpture of
‘Pieta’ in 1497, I began to use my art to revive classical Greek and Roman influences, and

emphasize classical antiquity with the seriousness of my sculptures. My work eventually became

unique in how emotional and psychological pieces tied into the detail of the figures I created. My

use of marble intrigued audiences, as my sculptures seemed to come to life despite being made

of all stone.

In looking at my works, much of what I created is still marveled over today. While my

first commission was for my sculpture of ‘Pieta’, this work later led to the sculpture of ‘David.

‘Pieta’ became important because it depicted religious scenes and related to what the Italian

Renaissance would later become focused on. This religious sculpture shows a different side of

the Virgin Mary, and illustrated emotions of grace, and maternal attitudes. ‘David’ was

commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence, and emphasizes the

defiance of the Medici family. I created this sculpture by focusing on the anatomy of ‘David’,

and used the ways in which his body confidently looked forward to bring the sculpture to life. By

using classical antiquity, I was able to create an organic, almost lively sculpture of David, despite

this sculpture being over seventeen feet tall.

My most famous work is my painting of the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling in the Vatican. I was

given this task by Pope Julius II in hopes that I would fail in completing the peace and painting

something magnificent, however my perfectionism prevailed and I instead created what is known

as one of the greatest masterpieces of all time. Having rejected the help of apprentices for this

grueling piece, I completed the fresco of the Sistine Chapel on my own over the course of four

years. My inspiration for this involved the Twelve Apostles, as well as nine scenes from Genesis:

three were of Adam and Eve, another three were of the Creation of the World, and the last three

involved stories of Noah. These plans changed as I proceeded to paint over 300 figures after my
initial scene of Noah by the entrance of the Chapel, and I began to paint figures larger and with

more detail. The painting amazed society after its completion as it created kaleidoscope effects

when looking at the images, and includes the infamous painting of the “Creation of Adam”

where God touches the finger of man. Using all of the knowledge I had gained, I created what

scholars later considered a Neoplatonic interpretation of scenes I included from the Bible, and

painted figures with extreme precision. Later works such as ‘The Last Judgement’, depicted the

second coming of Christ and the Final Judgement, as spoken of in the Bible. In the ‘Last

Judgment’, I created images within the Sistine Chapel in 1541 that were later deemed

inappropriate due to nudity, and that were later edited by an assistant to cover what many

deemed as inappropriate and offensive. Because of these changes, I created a piece painting all

of my critics as the devil, and myself as St. Bartholomew. However, the back and forth between

audiences who viewed my work and myself later made my paintings even more famous.

The greatest obstacle I faced throughout my career as an artist was myself. There is no

doubt that I was gifted in what I did, and had the gift of many talents as an artist. I was able to

gain wealth and recognition while alive as a painter, but my successes also led to failures in other

aspects of life. In being such a perfectionist, working with others became rather difficult. My

obsession with creating art exactly as I envisioned showed in the organic feel of my work and the

humanistic approach I took toward my art, however it made collaboration and compromise

nearly impossible. The attitude I held as a painter, sculptor, and architect often led people to

dislike me, and created conflict between I and others. I was the first painter to have been alive as

others began to write biographies about my life and accomplishments, but I often wrote poetry

about my struggles with depression and the lack of friends I had. In continuing my career as an

artist, I would often become temperamental and condescending, and this would lead to issues
with my superiors and colleagues, such as Pope Julius II. My health was often affected by an

incident I was involved in as a child, where I was hit in the nose for taunting a student, and was

disfigured for life. This caused lots of physical strain as I worked, something I often recorded

after working on the ‘Sistine Chapel’. Despite the negatives I held as a person, my difficulty as a

person did not take away from the masterpieces I created in order to propel the Italian

Renaissance forward.

I am considered great, if not the greatest artist of all time because unlike those before me,

I realized that art is much more than simply painting faces on a canvas or sculpting a person

staring blankly back at audiences. Art is about bringing your pieces to life, and allowing others to

connect and be touched by your work. In creating ‘David’, I was able to show others how the

human body could be sculpted out of something as hard as stone, and still come off as delicate

and graceful. I showed artists after me that by taking different aspects of art—such as Greek and

Roman influences, humanism, and classical antiquity—and combining them to make something

different, you are able to pave a new path for yourself and become as creative as you would like.

I also showed that just because people may not like you, and may not agree with your visions,

does not mean you should stop pushing forward. By moving out of the box artists were once in, I

demonstrated how anything can be used to create art, and how hard work pays off when you are

determined. People such as Pope Julius II attempted to humiliate me by giving me a task as

difficult as painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and instead of crumbling under such

pressure, I pushed through and painted one of the most brilliant masterpieces known to man

today.

In all, I would be proud to be Michelangelo because despite being disliked so much by

peers, Michelangelo lived life how it should be lived; fearlessly, and with little regrets. By living
unapologetically, Michelangelo was able to create the greatest works of all time, and influence

artists he competed against such as Raphael and Bramante. In being the best you have to do the

best, and Michelangelo was able to do just that with his intricate painting skills and life-like

sculptures.
 Work Cited

Biography.com, “Michelangelo Bibliography,” in Biography.com, April 2, 2014.

www.biography.com/people/michelangelo-9407628. Accessed Nov 10, 2018.

Gilbert, Creighton E. “Michelangelo.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc.

Nov 5, 2018. www.britannica.com/biography/Michelangelo. Accessed Nov 10, 2018.

ItalianRenaissance.org, “Michelangelo’s Painting of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling,” in

ItalianRenaissance.org, May 9, 2013, www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-

michelangelos-painting-of-the-sistine-chapel-ceiling/. Accessed Nov 10, 2018.

Sethi, S. Zaid. "Michelangelo Artist Overview and Analysis". The Art Story. Internet. 2018

www.theartstory.org/artist-michelangelo.htm. Accessed Nov 10, 2018.