Chapter 1
The stubborn apprentice of Florence
Chapter 2
Painting under protest in the Sistine Chapel
Chapter 3
Shaping stone and space
Chapter 4
The divine genius of the twilight years
YOUR GOAL
Master of The world of Michelangelo
Ch 3 · Shaping stone and space
andy Michelangelo called this project the tragedy of the sepulcher after popes reduced his forty-statue design to a small
Fun Fact
Unfinished beauty: Michelangelo's four 'Prisoners' statues in Florence are famous precisely because they are unfinished, looking like spirits trying to claw out of raw stone.
Glossary
pietra serena (noun)
A gray sandstone quarried in Tuscany and used extensively in Italian Renaissance architecture and sculpture. Michelangelo used this material in 1524 to frame the dramatic architectural elements of Florence’s Laurentian Library.
A gray sandstone quarried in Tuscany and used extensively in Italian Renaissance architecture and sculpture. Michelangelo used this material in 1524 to frame the dramatic architectural elements of Florence’s Laurentian Library.
Quiz
Which architectural style did Michelangelo pioneer with his rule-breaking designs for the Laurentian Library?
Quiz
Why did Michelangelo refuse to accept any financial payment for his architectural work on St. Peter's Basilica?
Quiz
Why did Michelangelo refer to the tomb of Pope Julius II as the 'tragedy of the sepulcher'?
Quiz
What material did Michelangelo originally want to use for the flowing staircase of the Laurentian Library?
Quiz
At what age did Michelangelo take over as the chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome?
Quiz
What is highly unusual about the columns in the vestibule of Michelangelo's Laurentian Library?