MICHELANGELO - Matter and Spirit is from The Great Masters of the Italian Renaissance series of biographies.
Michelangelo was born in Caprese on March 6, 1475. His nurse was the daughter and wife of stone masons, and he liked to say that he "was nursed on marble dust and milk." At the age of thirteen he was apprenticed to Florentine painters, and the following year he entered the school of sculptor, which was established by his patron Lorenzo de Medici. His first great work was the Pieta, which he did when he was twenty-two years old. Most of his life was spent in Rome working for the great men of the time. Although he considered himself to be more of a sculptor than a painter, the artist could not refuse Pope Julius II who commissioned him for various works of art including painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which took four years of his life. Over time, he was summoned to do paintings in various churches, and he made a number of frescoes and bas-reliefs. He spent many hours in stone quarries studying the marble that he wanted to work with, but occasionally he had to use what he was given. In 1547 the multi-talented artist became architect for the renovation of St. Peter's in Rome. Michelangelo died in 1564 and is buried in Florence in the church of Santa Croce.
This beautiful video provides close up views of Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel, his architectural work and many of his masterpieces including, his famous sculptors such as the Pieta, and the statues of David and Moses.
This is a very well done and informative video.