Thursday, May 20, 2010

Michaelangelo & The Medici Popes Notes:

1501- Florence, home of the Italian Renaissance
  • Michaelangelo was a workaholic. He didn't sleep much, and never took his boots off.
  • It took him 3 years to create the sculpture of David
  • He was adopted by The Medici family and exposed to the world of artistic achievement.
  • 1504 - Michaelangelo felt ready to expose his art to the outside world. When he finished David, everybody agreed that Michaelangelo's work was too great to be put on top of the Cathedral because nobody would see it. So they kept it on the ground.
  • Pope Julius II was from a powerful family, just like the Medici.
  • Leonardo da Vinci carefully studied the human body, nothing was overlooked.
  • He was the greatest artist of his time, but Michaelangelo was in a position to take his title.
  • 1512 - 1200 foreign soldiers were coming towards Florence. The people prepared for battle, but they were severly outnumbered.
  • Niccolo Machiavelli - he was consulted in by the people of Florence on what to do. He was the ruler.
  • After the death of Julius II, the cardinals elected Giovanni Medici.
  • Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici was born in Florence, the second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
  • He became Pope Leo X
  • Michaelangelo was forced into painting the Papal Chapel in the Vatican & The Sistine Chapel by Pope Julius II
  • The Medici saw power in Michaelangelo's work, They offered him to build tombs of their dead family members.
  • Machiavelli was exiled from Florence.
  • Conspirators, the cardinals, planned to kill the pope. Pope Leo heard about this and had the conspirators killed instead.
  • Pope Leo sold indulgences on a large scale. Selling these indulgences lifted Leo out of debt
  • Luther was outraged by what the Church was doing, selling indulgences. He wrote a book about his direct attack on the pope and how indulgences should be damned.
  • Leo X was killed by a small winter chill, his cousin Giulio became Pope.
  • Pope Clement VII - Charles V attacked Rome while Clement was Pope. SACK OF ROME.
  • Pope Clement stood strong to attack Florence.
  • Michaelangelo hid in the tombs that he built for the Medici. He was scared of Florence being attacked.
  • Clement was near death, he summoned Michaelangelo to create a fresco in the Vatican. It portrayed The Last Judgement.
  • Julio Medici died (Pope Clement VII). He was the end of an era. The Medici popes reign was over.
  • A new era was born...

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