Sculptor, painter, and architect

Michelangelo is one of the artists who qualifies and has dedicated his understanding to the field of art and science. He is known for his artistic masterpieces like David, Pieta and the Sistine Chapel, and his solutions for many vexing architectural and engineering would also ensure his scientific credentials. 

Michelangelo consistently dedicated his time to drawing the human figure from life, a growing practice in Florentine artists’ studios at the time; Michelangelo took this to a new level of authenticity through keen observation and by studying dissected corpses to understand the underlying muscles better. He learned this to understand human anatomy better and create his art.

This study helped him to create the masterpieces like David, Pieta and the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel. He sculpted the Pieta in Rome, the David in Florence, painted the Sistine Chapel’s ceilings and designed the dome for St. Peter’s Basilica.

Early in his career, Michelangelo drew mainly in pen and ink, but he soon came to appreciate the convenience and effectiveness of naturally mined chalk. He used red and black colours, preferring the latter as time passed.

Today, as throughout history, Michelangelo’s drawings are valued not only as works exhibiting extraordinary skill but as windows into the mind of the master. They let us witness the creation of some of the greatest works of Renaissance art in an astonishingly direct and intimate way.

Michelangelo and Anatomy

Unlike most Renaissance artists, who learned about the human body from ancient sculpture and live models, Michelangelo participated in dissections. According to his acquaintance and biographer Ascanio Condivi, the artist first examined corpses in the convent of Santo Spirito in Florence when he was in his late teens.

Michelangelo’s interest in anatomy did not extend to the organs but focused on the muscles and bones. His surviving anatomical drawings, like the ones exhibited here, attest to his thorough understanding of specific muscles, especially those of the limbs. The dissections enabled Michelangelo to grasp how the surface and contour of the body change when one moves. This knowledge was crucial for the creation of his renowned heroic nudes.

Two and Three Dimensions

In his artistic practice, Michelangelo used drawings to design two and three-dimensional objects. However, he approached his task differently when working toward a painting rather than a sculpture or an architectural structure.

In the case of two-dimensional projects, Michelangelo relied exclusively on drawings in the design process. He worked out the composition through a sequence of sketches and studies. After he finalized the design, he transferred it with the help of a cartoon, a full-scale pricked drawing. In the case of three-dimensional projects, drawings allowed him to explore only one view at a time. Therefore, Michelangelo often drew the same form from various angles and introduced models made of clay, wax, or wood into his process, which enabled him to test his ideas in space.

Michelangelo and the New Saint Peter’s Basilica

Following the death of the architect Antonio da Sangallo in 1546, Pope Paul III entrusted Michelangelo with constructing the new Saint Peter’s Basilica, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope entrusted the artist with this highly prestigious project despite his limited experience as an architect.

Michelangelo’s principal challenge was designing a grand dome over the church crossing where the transept intersects the nave. He employed drawings and three dimensional models to explore and convey his ideas to others. Because of the project’s magnitude and complexity, Michelangelo did not live to see the finished dome; only the drum was near completion when he died in 1564.