Michelangelo Buonarroti: A Life From Beginning to End

by Hourly History

Michelangelo Buonarroti * * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. The ingenious artist we know as Michelangelo lived during the Renaissance in Northern Italy, and you could say that he was indeed a renaissance man—he was a painter, sculptor, poet, and an engineer all rolled up into one. Even though it has been some 450 years since his passing, his legacy remains one of the strongest on record. If the burgeoning art student of today wishes to learn from the best, he takes his notes directly from Michelangelo. Inside you will read about... ✓ Humble Beginnings ✓ Michelangelo Meets the Medicis ✓ Fist Fights and Dissections ✓ Rivalry with Leonardo da Vinci ✓ The Year of Atrocities ✓ Last Days and Death And much more! He lived for his art, and despite the chaos of kings, popes, and the civil government around him, Michelangelo Buonarroti made sure that his works of artistic expression would withstand the scrutiny of time. In this book you will get to learn more about the incredible personality behind the brushstrokes and caresses of clay. Here you will find the full panoramic display and showcasing of a masterful artist’s life well lived.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Art, Historical, European History

107 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2018

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary of a great artist, but I loved Michelangelo already, so I might be a little biased. :)

[RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

4 stars:

- I like most art. I did not know anything about him. I read an article on him several years ago and I do not recall it. This book is interesting.

🇺🇸

[Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

a succinct sufficient study

Well-researched, anecdotal and reflective, as well as factual, this short biography discusses all his major works as well as sketching an accurate portrait of Renaissance times, particularly in Rome and Florence.

[Udit Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hourly History again does a great job in presenting this short biography. It touched more or less all the important aspects of this great artist.

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written and compiled, on the whole.

Except, perhaps only naturally, author exhibits a bias in favour of Michaelangelo, compared to his great contemporaries.
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Having read, several decades ago, The Agony and the Ecstasy, one expects when beginning to read this to be reminded of Irving Stone's impressive work on the subject.

Instead, one finds oneself repeatedly reminded of a work by George Eliot, and puzzled - because she'd never mentioned either Michaelangelo or any other great worl of art, except the dome, throughout her work.

One has to look up the title, and it's not Savonarola, it's Romola, but the work centre's on Savonarola and the characters that are either imaginary, created by Eliot, or referenced from history by her but so very remote and generally unknown, they are only important to her thesis, usually a moral dilemma.

Throughout her work, if one isn't well versed either dates of history, one would think Michaelangelo was yet to arrive on the scene, if one remembers that he had any connections with Florence other than present placement of his most famous work, David.

What sort of twisted mindset must one possess for this to happen, that one writes about Florence and its society and Savonarola, but ignores Michaelangelo, Botticelli and much else of the great art of the time that Florence is known for, ever since?

One can only wonder if this treatment by Eliot was merely a collossal ego - or a tremendous hatred of he Greek civilisation that preceded Roman times, and was fount of art, philosophy - and more - of Europe.

For she could easily have shifted her timeliness, but no! Instead, she chose, deliberately, to write about an era of Florence when not just one Michelangelo but his great contemporaries were creating a revolution, and not merely in art but far more.

Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, etc al didn't come anywhere near Florence. But Michelangelo lived there in exactly the times Eliot writes of; and she chose to write of this time and place but wipe out all memories of such great art and more.

How much hatred must one harbour at heart to do this, quite so deliberately?

For works of Eliot don't just spring and flow from her mind, or heart, or pen. They are painstakingly crafted with deliberately designed characters, events, and more. They aren't unavoidable, as inspired creations are, but carefully considered writings.
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"In all, Michelangelo would spend two years at the Medici Palace, but within those finite years ... "

Since when isn't human life finite?

It's obvious that the author is illiterate enough to confuse "finite" with short duration.
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"Nevertheless, there was a small remnant of the Medici family that had managed to hang on to some semblance of power. One of these familial survivors, a man named Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, began to partner with Michelangelo for the furtherance of new art projects. Lorenzo hired Michelangelo to create two specific works of art. Drawing once again on the contradictory tastes of the Medicis, Lorenzo commissioned Michelangelo to sculpt a statue of John the Baptist, as well as a sleeping Cupid. Although often confused in modern times for a type of angel, the Cupid was a strictly pagan entity, sometimes referred to as Eros or the god of love.

"After Michelangelo finished his work on the latter, he entered into further controversy—this time not so much for the pagan origins of his piece but for the fact that he and Lorenzo attempted to engage in a kind of fraud with the finished product. Lorenzo allegedly wanted to sell the piece at a higher price by dressing up Michelangelo’s newly christened Cupid as an ancient artifact. Lorenzo is said to have advised Michelangelo, “If you can manage to make it look as if it had been buried under the Earth I will forward it to Rome.” In Rome the Cupid would be sold as a priceless antique, rather than a newly minted sculpture. The fake antique managed to bring in the hefty sum of 200 ducats for its deception, being purchased by a certain Cardinal Raffaele Riario."

One think this might have taught them that hype about antique is stupid, but no!
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"The opportunity would finally come to him in November of 1497 when the French ambassador to the Vatican, Cardinal Jean Bilhères de Lagraulas, hired Michelangelo to work on what would be called Michelangelo’s Pietà, a touching scene illustrating Mary mourning her son Jesus Christ. For this art project, Michelangelo would be paid the large sum of 450 ducats, more than enough to keep him—as well as the family he was supporting back in Florence—afloat for quite some time.

"The situation back in Florence meanwhile, had become turbulent once again with the arrest of Girolamo Savonarola, the charismatic preacher who had been the acting head of the city-state since the Medicis had been deposed. Savonarola had been taken into custody on April 8, 1498, and after being subjected to weeks of severe torture, he was coerced into confessing that he was a false prophet merely seeking “worldly ambition.” After giving his confession, Savonarola was promptly executed by hanging and then burned in the public square, so that all would see that the end of the preacher’s stewardship had arrived."

Not burnt at stake, then?

When did church begin that?
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"In the aftermath of Savonarola’s demise, the affluent class of Florentine nobility attempted to fill the ensuing vacuum, but it was of no use, and Florence began to be seen as a ship without a captain at its helm. It was in this moment of vulnerability that ongoing skirmishes with the neighboring city-state of Pisa began to heat up into an all-out war. In the midst of these dire straits, the city leadership sought a morale booster for the populace of Florence. A new art project was proposed depicting the famous slayer of giants, the biblical King David. The narrative of the poor shepherd boy—future king—defeating the giant Goliath seemed to be the perfect symbol for the uneasy citizenry of Florence to rally behind.

"According to Michelangelo’s friend and original biographer Giorgio Vasari, Michelangelo had first heard about the project by word of mouth, stating that, “From Florence, some of his friends urged him to return so that he might be awarded the carving of the marble that had lain ruined in the yard of the Opera del Duomo, which Gonfaloniere Piero Soderini then had in mind to give to the other famed Renaissance artist, Leonardo da Vinci.”"

Electrifying thought - how would David have looked if it were carved by Leonardo da Vinci, the superior artist and philosopher, and more?
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"Michelangelo made his return back to Rome in 1505 at the express invitation of the then reigning pontiff, Pope Julius II, who hired him to work on a project for his own tomb. Pope Julius was a very ambitious man, and it is said that no sooner than the papal miter was placed on his head, he began to think of his legacy. And in terms of popes, a lasting legacy usually meant having an impressive tomb. Initially the project entailed the construction of 40 statues and was slated to be completed in five years’ time. In reality, Michelangelo would work on the Pope’s tomb for nearly 40 years.

"He would temporarily deviate from this project for other various side projects, one of which would be arguably his most famous masterpiece of all, the extravagant mural painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo completed this epic piece of illustrated biblical history in about four years’ time, from 1508 to 1512.

"According to one of Michelangelo’s early biographers, Ascanio Condivi, it was initially at the conniving of an architect and alleged foe by the name of Bramante that Michelangelo was awarded this monumental task. According to this theory, Bramante who knew Michelangelo primarily for his work as a sculptor believed that such a feat as painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel would be too overwhelming and Michelangelo would be doomed to failure in the task. It is said that it was out of his capricious wish for Michelangelo to fail that he persuaded the Pope to hand the job over to Michelangelo.

"At the time Michelangelo was initially hired on to paint the Twelve Apostles on the triangular vaultings of the ceiling, as well as the creation of a simple decoration on the center of the ceiling. Michelangelo of course would eventually convince the Pope to allow him to greatly expand upon these initial designs, proposing an entire illustrative representation of the Bible from creation, the fall, to salvation through Christ, a work that would ultimately span over 500 square feet with over 300 characters painted.
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"Michelangelo then immediately began work on what would become The Crucifixion of St. Peter. The subject matter of this painting involves the extra-biblical account of how Peter met his end—being crucified upside down by the Romans. In this painting, Michelangelo brilliantly takes care of the harsh reality Peter had been dealt, rendering an image that many others had found quite difficult to fathom—that of a man hanging from a crucifix upside down. It seems that Michelangelo’s studies of corpses and their anatomy gave him a much-needed edge in understanding exactly how the human body might present itself when subjected to such a condition. The Crucifixion of St. Peter was completed in 1550 and would be the last major painting the artist would render."

Funny, why isn't this crucifixion talked of more?

Because it may affect people diluting the virulent antisemitic diatribe they've absorbed from church preaching it gor seventeen centuries, based in false propaganda?
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[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because of this man, I have a tattoo of Adam's Creation, which is on the Sistine Chapel. This guy, without the consent of his father, wanted to be an artist. Becoming an artist and making a living from it is already difficult. But Michelangelo broke through and became one of the best at a young age.
He's known as the renaissance man because he had a lot of contribution during the 1400s. But what's more amazing is the fact that he working on paintings, sculptures, poetry, and even some engineering. The man was fantastic!!
But on to the book. We have 31 pages of condensed content about Michelangelo. The book has a stamp on it on the lower right stating a bold pick-me-up of Hourly History. I couldn't resist. A quick read before going to bed and learning about one of the greats. That's inspirational.
The book did take roughly an hour. I was done in 40 minutes. But the point is that it holds true to the stamp on the book. I love honest books that don't waste our time.
If you are interested in Michelangelo, pick this one up. Also, you may find other books about your favorite person on amazing by this writer. I'm guessing it's more of a brand name (Hourly History). But that just makes it easier to find.
Recommended for bed time reading, or just to add a quick book to your final Goodreads goal.

[Diego Feliu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read to pass the hour

I have been on a bit of a Renaissance binge this past few weeks so I thought it would be an interesting book to add context to my historical immersion if the period. And I was right, I am pleased to say.

This is clearly an overview of Michelangelo's life, as you are meant to be able to finish the book in an hour or so, but all the same, it was really well done. For one, everything flowed well from one chapter of the legendary artist's life to the next.

At no point did I felt lost as I followed this biography, which is good. And the way it was all written made it easy for me to visualize the scenes of his life as they were happening. Which, given how many masterpieces he created, is definitely a strong point of this brief, but informative book.

Overall, I really liked this work. My understanding of this famous historical figure and my knowledge of the Renaissance was definitely made richer in the single hour I spent reading this book. So, for what it is and what I got out of it, 5 stars well deserverd.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading several other Hourly History books about famous painters, this one lacks the depth of many of the others (particularly Renoir). This is just a flat retelling of Michaelangelo's life, with little info about his relationships and possible rivalry with da Vinci. I was disappointed.

After reading this, I have no more idea about what drove the man to create his masterpieces. It is a marvel that Michaelangelo finished the Sistine Chappel in only 4 years!  One of the more interesting aspects of this book was the high degree of instability in the city-states of Italy at the time. It is surprising to see how many popes Michaelangelo outlived and served.  In the end, Rome and Florence fought over his body so friends smuggled his body out of Rome, so he could be interred where he wanted, in Florence with his family. Overall score = G+.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is basically a straight chronological run-through of Michelangelo's life.

It was alright but I found myself wanting to get some more details:
(1) More context about the times that Michelangelo lived
(2) More explanation of how he was influenced by other artists and how he influenced others. What were his artistic innovations.
(3) More discussion of Michelangelo as a person.

But I can't ding this book that much since it is very short, there is only so much you can cover in 45 pages. I am sure there are plenty of longer works or even documentaries that go more in depth.

[mark da silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!

Sometimes I get into a great biography and before you know it the book starts to great repetitive and dragging alone! I loved how this bio the author keep to the story and moved along! Right to the point short and sweet. Unlike other renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci there wasn’t much writing or notes that one could go by when it came to Michelangelo. But this bio was fun to read!!!

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelangelo, the famous Renaissance artist needs no introduction. I have admired many of his works such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and sculptures such as David for years. He was a true Renaissance man - he was a painter, sculptor and engineer. The book gives us information about his life and work and is also a brief history lesson on what was happening in Florence and Rome during that time period.

[Christine Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Easy And Brief Read

I've read "The Agony and the Ecstasy" but that was a fictionalized account of Michelangelo. This is a simple relaying of the facts of Michelangelo 's life. It was interesting to note how many different popes he actually worked for. If you ever wondered about the artist that painted the Sistine chapel, read this book.

[Patrick Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I read this book after being reduced to tears by seeing "la pieta"
This very much caught me by surprise, as had previously not known much about Michelangelo. Seeing his work in the sisteen chapel had fascinated me. However the sculpture in St Peter's took my breath away.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and had really robust vocabulary throughout (I frequently was looking up the meaning of words), but overall a bit dry and not something I’ll particularly remember. I’d love to read more of these for some background of both the artist and how they fit into the overall historical social context.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genius

This book just touches on the greatest of Michelangelo. It is an easy reading account of his life. Although short in nature there is a lot of information to be gleaned from this book.

[Pam Sloan · Rating 2 out of 5]

shallow short bio

This biography of Michelangelo is simple and short. Shockingly, there are no images to accompany the text, which seems to be written for young adults at best. If you know anything about this artist, this book is pretty shallow.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short so it touched on the most important bits.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of a great Artist

This is a very detailed rendering of Renaissance Artist Michelangelo's life
a great job is done here from hourly History

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story about an exceptional man told in a sketchy manner.
The lack of any bibliography quoted in this story gives the impression that the subject is not thoroughly researched.

[Jan Murphy-Roe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read!

An easy read, well-written and informative! Gave me what I wanted to know about Michelangelo. Well worth reading, thank you!

[Nelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful read!!!

[Jerry Martuscelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelangelo

Very informative and that he lived in a time that other great Italian artist lived. Very humble man and not self pretentious.

[F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on a well-known individual who still, in some ways, is unknown. This concise little biography fills the gap with well written examples from the protagonist's life.

[Andy Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oversimplified and not too deep but perfect for what I wanted - a quick primer and summary.

[Mike Briley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and factual account of this great artist's life. In the fictionalised The Agony and the Ecstasy by Erwin Stone the main theme, as I remember it, was the way he was prevented from doing his main "thing" sculpture by an array of popes who wanted him to be a painter or an architect. You don't get that impression from this book. Maybe because it wasn't true. Always interesting to get different viewpoints.