Michelangelo: The Early Years
Guest Lectures
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1h 2m
Michelangelo (1475-1564) has an unusual training for an artist of his time insofar as his first training was with a humanist scholar (his father had grand plans for him), followed by apprenticeship in a painting workshop, followed by participation in the Medici sculpture garden where he met sculptors who trained him (one of whom broke his nose in a disagreement!) and other scholars learned in classical art and texts. Typically, however, he did much of his early work outside of Florence, as did other sculptors during the fifteenth century so that in the event that the work was defective in any way he would not be embarrassed in front of his fellow Florentines, a notably critical audience. Work in Bologna, Siena and Rome gave him access to earlier sculptural models, especially from the ancient Roman period. The many and varied influences on his art during his early years help us to understand his transformation of the traditions of both painting and sculpture and ultimately his being known as “il divino”.
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