Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti, Renaissance painter, sculptor and architect

b. March 6, 1475

d. February 18, 1564

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. His art typified the High Renaissance style with use of naturalistic light, depiction of realistic figures and emphasis on the beauty of nature. One of the true "Renaissance men," his talent encompassed fine art, architecture and poetry. He was referred to as "Il Divino" ("The Divine One").

Michelangelo was born in the Tuscany region of Italy. At age 13, he started an apprenticeship in Florence with Domenic Ghirlandaio, from whom he learned fresco painting.

He moved to Rome and received a commission from the French ambassador to the Holy See, the central government of the Catholic Church. In 1497, he completed one of Christendom’s most significant artworks, the "Pietà." The lifelike marble sculpture depicts Mary cradling the body of Christ after the Crucifixion.

His colossal marble statue "David" is considered the masterpiece of High Renaissance sculpture. Completed in 1501, the sculpture is 17 feet tall and is exhibited in the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Florence.

Michelangelo was a primary architect of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the sole designer of its dome. From 1508 to 1512, he painted what would become his most famous work, the ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The frescoes include "The Creation of Adam," in which God’s finger stretches out to give Adam life. These murals are considered the most magnificent and spiritual art of the Roman Catholic Church.

A lover of male beauty, Michelangelo's lyrical poetry described his same sex-affection. He wrote: 

            The flesh now earth, and here my bones,

            Bereft of handsome eyes, and jaunty air,

            Still loyal are to him I joyed in bed,

            Whom I embraced, in whom my soul now lives



 Bibliography
“Accademia Gallery Collections.” Firenze Musei. July 1, 2008
http://www.firenzemusei.it/00_english/accademia/collezioni.html
Hood, William. “Michelangelo Buonarroti.” GLBTQ: an Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. July 1, 2008
http://www.glbtq.com/arts/michelangelo_art.html
“Michelangelo.” Sculpture Thailand. July 1, 2008
http://www.sculpturethailand.com/Sculpture-Michelangelo.php
Articles
“Times Topics: Michelangelo Buonarroti.” The New York Times.
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/michelangelo_buonarroti/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=michelangelo&st=cse
Artworks
Pietà (1499)
http://www.saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Pieta/Pieta.htm
David (1504)
http://www.firenzemusei.it/00_english/accademia/index.html
The Sistine Chapel (1512)
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Volta.html
Other Resources
Saslow, James M. “Ganymede in the Renaissance: Homosexuality in Art and Society” (1988)
http://www.amazon.com/Ganymede-Renaissance-Homosexuality-Art-Society/dp/0300041993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219333308&sr=1-1
Saslow, James M. “The Poetry of Michelangelo: An Annotated Translation” (1991)
http://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Michelangelo-Annotated-Translation/dp/0300055099/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219333279&sr=8-3

Gay Popes: Leo X (r. 1513-1521)

b. 11 December 1475
d. 1 December 1521

Accounts about the homosexual liaisons of Julius's successor, Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici, 1474-1521; reigned 1513-21), are recorded in a variety of different types of contemporary sources, and they were repeated in historical accounts of the papacy published in the later sixteenth century. Having received an outstanding humanistic education, he was appointed Cardinal in 1492 by Innocent VIII. Beginning in 1508, he served Julius II as papal legate; in that capacity, he arranged for papal troops to invade Florence in order to secure the return of the Medici, who had been exiled from the city in 1497.

Unanimously elected Pope, Leo focused his energies upon the patronage of the arts and sciences. He established Greek colleges in Rome and Florence, promoted the study of Hebrew and Arabic writings, and gave strong support to printing. He funded extensive archaeological excavations, which uncovered the monumental antique statue of the river-god Nile (Vatican Museums) and other significant works, and he ordered the restoration of several important Early Christian churches, including Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome.

To give the city of Rome a more dignified appearance, Leo widened the streets and restored several public squares, including the Piazza del Popolo. In Florence, he commissioned Michelangelo to design a new façade for San Lorenzo (project design, 1516-19; never realized) and to undertake one of his most significant projects--the building and decoration of the New Sacristy of San Lorenzo, including Medici family tombs (1519-34).

Related posts:

• Gay Popes: John XII (955 – 964)
• Gay Popes: Benedict IX (1012  - 1056)
• Gay Popes: Paul II (1464 – 1471) and His Embarrassing Death
• Gay Popes: Sixtus IV (1471 – 1484)
• Gay Popes: Julius II (1503 – 1513) 
• Gay Popes: Leo X (1513 – 1521)
• Gay Popes: Julius III (1550 – 1555) 

• Cardinal Francesco Maria de’ Medici, Gay Cardinal?
• Cardinal Borghese (1576 – 1633), Patron ofHomoerotc Art 
• Cardinal Carlo Carafa, gay cardinal.
• Gay Cardinals:  Francesco Maria Del Monte (1549 – 1627)
• Gay Cardinals: Francis Joseph Spellman
• St. Paulinus of Nola, bishop and homoerotic poet
• St Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop and Homoerotic Poet
• Gay Bishops: Ralph of Tours (Promiscuos, Gay) and John of Orleans
• Anselm of Canterbury: Gay Bishop, Gay Protector. 21/04

• The Medieval Flowering of Homoerotic Christianity 
• The Story of the Queer Saints and Martyrs: Synopsis