Matthews Gallery

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." -Michelangelo

Sistine Chapel, Vatican (1508-1512)

Even in photos, it's dizzyingly beautiful! 

More art history. 

Happy Birthday Michelangelo! Though the date cannot be secured, it is believed that the great painter, sculptor, and architect was born on this day in 1475 in Caprese. Regarded in his own day as il divino — the divine one — Michelangelo epitomizes the High Renaissance in Rome and was instrumental in the development of Mannerism as numerous younger artists drew inspiration from his designs. Michelangelo’s talent was evident from a young age and his creativity did not diminish over the long course of his

Pietà, marble, 1497-1500, St. Peter’s, Rome

Bruges Madonna, marble, 1503, Onze Lieve Vrouwe, Bruges

David, marble, 1501-4, Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence

Moses, marble, 1513-15, tomb of Julius II, S. Pietro in Vincoli, Rome

Creation of the Sun and Moon, 1511-12, fresco, Sistine Chapel, Rome

Last Judgment, fresco, 1536-41, Sistine Chapel, Rome

Studies for the Libyan Sibyl, red chalk, 1508-12, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1924

Vestibule of the Biblioteca Laurenziana, 1524–62, Florence

Campidoglio, 1544-61 as shown in etching by Etienne Dupérac