Tao Te Ching
Michelangelo
1475 – 1564 CE
One of the greatest artists of all time and complete “Renaissance man,” much of Michelangelo’s painting, sculpture, and architecture stands with the world’s most famous. Also a poet and engineer and unlike many famous artists, his genius was recognized during his lifetime – he was the first Western artist with a biography published while still alive. His statues of David and the Pietà are the most famous sculptures in the west, his painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling is the “cornerstone of Renaissance art,” his architectural innovations were revolutionary and St. Peter’s Basilica is regarded as the greatest building of its age and remains one of the two largest churches in the world.
Lineages
Artists Humanism Renaissance Roman / Italian
Eras
Western
Renaissance (1304 – 1576 CE)Chinese
Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644 CE)Unlisted Sources
Comment when 74 years old
Letter to friends, 1542
Quotes by Michelangelo (9 quotes)
“I am a poor man and of little worth who is laboring in that art that God has given me in order to extend my life as long as possible.”
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“Melancholy is my joy
And discomfort is my rest.”
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“Painting and sculpture, labor and good faith have been my ruin and I continually go from bad to worse. Better would it have been for me if I had set myself to making matches in my youth. I should not be in such distress of mind.”
from Letter to friends, 1542
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“You will say that I am old and mad, but I answer that there is no better way of keeping sane and free from anxiety than being mad.”
from Comment when 74 years old
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“I am always alone and speak to no one... I have no friend of any kind and I do not want any.”
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“Good painting is noble and devout in itself, for among the wise nothing tends more to elevate the soul... Painting is the music of god, the inner reflection of his luminous perfection.”
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“It is only well with me when I have a chisel in my hand,”
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Quotes about Michelangelo (3 quotes)
“From his youth, Michelangelo had consecrated himself not only to sculpture and painting, but to all the other arts with such devouring energy that he had to separate himself almost entirely from the society of men… it was his love of work alone which made him solitary for he was filled with the joy and rapture which hiss work gave him and the society of men only bored him… he was never less lonely than when he was alone.”
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“I am a poor man and of little worth who is laboring in that art that God has given me in order to extend my life as long as possible.”
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“Supremely embodied in Michelangelo, the unique unpredictable creator has cast a spell over the arts in modern times… the terribilitá of Michelangelo, the terrifying power of the inspired artist, would leave its mark on the future of the arts. The genius of Michelangelo inspired other to make a fetish of genius.”
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