Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet, born in Caprese near Arezzo and active mainly in Florence and Rome. He trained in Florence and gained early fame with the marble *Pietà* (1498–99) and *David* (1501–04). Commissioned by Pope Julius II, he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling (1508–12) and later designed and painted *The Last Judgment* (1536–41) on the altar wall. In architecture, he worked on projects including St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, serving as chief architect from 1546. He also wrote lyric poetry.