1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,200 Illustrating History! 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,500 Rumor has it that once in 1515 in Rome, 3 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:15,600 as an Italian sculptor finished the sculpture of Moses, 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,700 he stroked the statue's knee with a hammer and said, 5 00:00:18,700 --> 00:00:20,000 Parla! 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,900 He was so in awe of the perfection of his own work 7 00:00:22,900 --> 00:00:26,200 that to be alive, it only had to speak. 8 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,700 This event really describes the personality of this sculptor, 9 00:00:29,700 --> 00:00:33,200 who was one of the most important artists of the Renaissance era 10 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:34,700 and of all history, 11 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:36,900 Michelangelo Buonarroti. 12 00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:40,500 He was born in Caprese near Florence in 1475 13 00:00:40,500 --> 00:00:43,100 and was the son of a noble Florentine 14 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:46,700 who expected his son to grow up to be a lawyer or politician. 15 00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:49,600 But Michelangelo was more interested in the arts, 16 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:51,700 so he started as an apprentice 17 00:00:51,700 --> 00:00:54,400 at one of the most prestigious studios in Florence, 18 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,000 which belonged to Domenico Ghirlandaio. 19 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,700 As an apprentice, Michelangelo soon began to exceed his master. 20 00:01:00,700 --> 00:01:02,100 At the age of 15, 21 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:06,200 he was called to be a part of Lorenzo de' Medici's court of artists. 22 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,500 Lorenzo was a great leader in the city 23 00:01:08,500 --> 00:01:10,100 and an art enthusiast. 24 00:01:10,100 --> 00:01:13,900 There, Michelangelo saw a great collection of antique pieces, 25 00:01:13,900 --> 00:01:16,100 which awakened his calling to sculpture 26 00:01:16,100 --> 00:01:19,600 and his desire to surpass the great artists from the past. 27 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,700 In Rome at the age of 23, 28 00:01:21,700 --> 00:01:24,300 Michelangelo finished the sculpture Pietà, 29 00:01:24,300 --> 00:01:28,200 which shows the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Jesus Christ. 30 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,800 Michelangelo changed the proportions to make the piece lighter. 31 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,000 He sculpted Mary proportionally bigger than Jesus 32 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,600 and made her look younger, 33 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:41,300 even though she was over 50 years old when her son died. 34 00:01:41,300 --> 00:01:43,000 According to Michelangelo, 35 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,600 that way he could highlight the beauty of Mary's purity. 36 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,800 He was so proud and fascinated with his own work 37 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:52,500 that he made it a point to carve the inscription 38 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:55,300 made by Michelangelo Buonarroti of Florence 39 00:01:55,300 --> 00:01:58,600 on the sash across the statue's shoulder. 40 00:01:58,600 --> 00:01:59,800 Back in Florence, 41 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,400 Michelangelo sculpted a giant David 42 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,200 from a piece of marble 16 feet high. 43 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,600 Because of its beauty and expressiveness, 44 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,200 it was placed by the entrance of the city hall, 45 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,700 so everyone could appreciate it. 46 00:02:12,700 --> 00:02:14,600 For his stellar reputation, 47 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,700 Michelangelo was called by Pope Julius II 48 00:02:17,700 --> 00:02:21,500 to go to Rome and paint the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. 49 00:02:21,500 --> 00:02:24,200 Michelangelo isolated himself in the chapel 50 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,800 and worked intensely from 1508 to 1512. 51 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:29,000 When it was done, 52 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,800 it was so widely admired that Michelangelo, 53 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,500 the greatest sculptor in the world, 54 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:36,500 was also acclaimed a genius painter. 55 00:02:36,500 --> 00:02:37,600 At the age of 88, 56 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,700 Michelangelo was still producing outstanding pieces, 57 00:02:40,700 --> 00:02:43,900 including work he conceived as an architect. 58 00:02:43,900 --> 00:02:45,900 All of his work is as admirable 59 00:02:45,900 --> 00:02:49,400 as the massive dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, 60 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:50,900 which still stands majestic 61 00:02:50,900 --> 00:02:53,900 in the skyline of the Eternal City, Rome.