In 1501, a 26-year-old sculptor named Michelangelo took on a challenge others had abandoned. For 25 years, a massive block of marble lay in a courtyard. Nicknamed 'The Giant,' the 17-foot slab was thin and flawed, deemed unworkable by two previous artists. Michelangelo, however, saw a figure trapped within the stone. For three years he worked in secrecy, carving the single, difficult block into a vision of the biblical hero David. The finished statue weighed over 12,000 pounds. It took forty men four days to move it half a mile into the Piazza della Signoria. Unlike past depictions, his David wasn’t a victor standing over a severed head, but a tense youth in the moment just before the fight.
Michelangelo
The story of the sculptor who painted the Sistine ceiling, and how his work changed what art could do.
Chapter 1
The Giant
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Michelangelo's statue of David so significant?
Michelangelo carved his David from a single, massive block of marble that other sculptors had rejected as flawed and unworkable. The statue also broke with tradition by depicting David in the tense moment before his fight with Goliath, rather than after the victory. This focus on psychological tension was a revolutionary step in sculpture.
Did Michelangelo really paint the Sistine Chapel lying on his back?
No, this is a popular myth. Michelangelo designed and built his own special scaffolding, which was a kind of wooden bridge that allowed him to stand upright. He would have to crane his neck back to paint the ceiling above him, a posture that caused him chronic pain for years.
Why was 'The Last Judgment' fresco so controversial when it was unveiled?
Michelangelo's 'The Last Judgment' featured 391 figures, many of whom were depicted completely nude. Critics, including the Pope's Master of Ceremonies, felt this was inappropriate for a sacred space like the Sistine Chapel. The controversy led to loincloths being painted over the figures after Michelangelo's death.
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