Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas

Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas — page 5 — Introduction Michelangelo An Artist to Discover Sharing author Mark Twain’s astonishment in discovering Michelangelo’s con tributions to the arts and architecture of every Italian city they visited a fellow traveler jokingly blurted out to their guide Enough enough enough Say no more Lump the whole thing Say that the Creator made Italy from designs by Michael Angelo Michelangelo’s contemporaries expressed similar feelings of awe His biographer Gior gio Vasari wondered how Adam’s ﬁgure on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel could be pro duced by the brush and design of a mortal man Today 500 years later Michelangelo’s quest and passion for perfection depth and originality continues to surprise even casual observers Michelangelo was definitely the most renowned artist of the Italian Renais sance He has been called probably accurately the greatest artist who has ever lived There is however much more to explore about this cultural giant he was among other things an insightful poet a skilled architect and an innovative engineer In everything he did he continued to explore and master new techniques Besides during his long life 89 years twice as long as most of his contempo raries he was both a witness and an active participant in a series of momentous historical events that shook and transformed Europe He is one of the best documented artists in the world Today 500 of his letters are still available as well as about 900 more written about him by his contemporaries He has also left behind about 300 poems and 300 pages of miscellaneous writings Besides his well known works of art there are about 600 draw ings and sketches he most likely didn’t want anyone to see In fact in his passion for per fection he destroyed many more x

Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas — page 6 — This abundance of documents and works combined with the many questions still un answered about his life give us a fascinating image of a man who redeﬁned the concept of artist and both set new standards and opened doors for others to follow A study of Michel angelo and his works could easily occupy a life time with hardly a dull moment This book will help you along the journey You will follow Michelangelo from his child hood to his last years through his many aspi rations struggles victories and regrets You will learn about people events and places that affected his life and work and will see how his art has continued to inspire artists and viewers all over the world xi

Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas — page 7 — A DY

Michelangelo for Kids: His Life and Ideas — page 8 — 1 An Un quenchable Passion Beauty I was given at the time of my birth lamp and mirror of both of my arts as trustworthy model of my vocation MICHELANGELO SONNET 164 Just a few hours before daybreak in a stone house on the hills east of Florence a man dipped his quill in ink and wrote by candlelight A male child was born to me It was March 6 1475 Lodovico Buonarroti must have put down his quill with a feeling of relief The child was healthy and it was a boy a good thing for a father who under finan cial pressure had been forced to accept a low-paying job as temporary govern ment administrator of a small and remote area Caprese and nearby Chiusi In 15th-century Italy boys had brighter prospects for earning an income than girls Michelangelo’s birthplace in the small town of Caprese Italy Maria Luisa Battistini 1

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