Michelangelo's 460th birthday: 5 interesting facts about his works

Born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was one of the greatest artists in history who left an important legacy through his sculptures, paintings, architecture, philosophy and engineering. Among his main and important works are the Vatican Pietà , from 1499, the statue of David , from 1501, and the biblical painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel , in Rome. This Sunday, the 18th, we pay tribute to the 460th anniversary of his death , which occurred in 1564, at the age of 88, due to an infection. So, to always remember his importance in the history of art, discover 5 curiosities about his works that you probably didn't know!

1. Pietà was sculpted when the artist was only 23 years old

Located in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City State in Rome, the Pietà was given this form, full of details and realism, such as the folds in the fabric and the muscles, when Michelangelo was still very young: 23 years old . In it, the artist represents the biblical scene in which the Virgin Mary holds her son, Christ, in her arms, already dead. The sculpture was made of marble in 1499 and measures 174 x 195 cm.

2. Statue of David was made from a block of marble that had been abandoned for 40 years

While Michelangelo was painting " The Last Judgment ", he was visited by the pope's master of ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena , who criticized the number of nude figures in the paintings. In response, Michelangelo depicted Biagio as Minos, judge of souls, in hell, surrounded by serpents trying to bite his genitals.

4. At first, Michelangelo refused to paint the Sistine Chapel

Michelangelo initially declined the offer to paint the Sistine Chapel because he was more used to sculptures than paintings, but he eventually agreed to do it and spent four years painting from scaffolding, creating one of the most famous works of art in history.

5. Michelangelo drew himself in some of his works

Michelangelo never created formal self-portraits , but the artist often inserted himself into scenes , adding various versions of himself to his sculptures and paintings . A well-known example of this can be seen in The Last Judgment , where he used his own image in the depiction of Saint Bartholomew. He also secretly portrayed himself as Saint Nicodemus in the Florentine Pietà (1547), as well as in a crowd in The Crucifixion of Saint Peter (1546).