In 1508, Michelangelo was the most famous sculptor in Italy. His David in Florence was already legend. But Pope Julius II didn't want him to sculpt — he wanted him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo refused. He was a sculptor, not a painter. He suspected the whole thing was a trap set by the architect Bramante, designed to make him fail and clear the way for Raphael, Rome's young golden boy.
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Crowns & Conquests·2/4·1′
The place
Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica
Michelangelo's Agony on the Sistine Ceiling
The sculptor who nearly destroyed himself creating the greatest painting in history
1508-1512Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica
Moral of the Story
“The greatest achievements often emerge from suffering, resistance, and the refusal to accept one's own limitations”
Characters
M
Michelangelo BuonarrotiP
Pope Julius IIR
RaphaelD
Donato BramanteSource
Vasari, Le Vite; Condivi, Vita di Michelangelo; Michelangelo's letters and poems; King, Ross. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, 2003