Michelangelo and His World

Catalog description

Revered as one of the greatest artists in history, Michelangelo Buonarroti's extraordinarily long and prodigious existence (1475-1564) spanned nearly a century. In addition to sculptures, paintings, drawings, and architectural designs, the celebrity Florentine artist left behind an abundantly rich and heterogeneous collection of artifacts, including direct and indirect correspondence (approximately 1400 letters), an eclectic assortment of personal notes, documents, contracts, and 302 poems and 41 poetic fragments. Many of these objects are in Florence, from early works, studies, and autograph sheets in the Casa Buonarroti, through famous works of sculpture and painting, architectural projects, and replicas in significant public settings, to monuments erected in his name or honor. This interdisciplinary seminar on Michelangelo explores his life, work, world, and legacy. Using the biography of the artist as a thread, students will study the culture and civilization of Florence and of Italy in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.