Did Michelangelo create a type of art?

Answer 1

Michelangelo (1475-1564) was a sculptor, painter, and architect. He is responsible for creating famous marble sculptures such as the Pieta (1498 - 1499) and David (1501 - 1504). In the life-size marble statue Pieta, Michelangelo shows Mary, the mother of Jesus, mourning her dead son, who lays limp across her lap. The sculpture is now in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Michelangelo's most famous sculpture is perhaps his massive statue of David. The artist shows David readying to fight the Philistine giant Goliath in order to rescue the Israelites from potential enslavement. The statue was originally designed to be placed along the roofline of Florence's cathedral, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, but its weight made this impossible. A committee decided to place it next to the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio, where it remained until the nineteenth century. It is now in the Accademia in Florence.

As a painter, Michelangelo is famous for painting the ceiling and altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the chapel in 1508, and after four years, the project was complete. The ceiling is comprised of 300 figures and several illustrations of biblical stories. Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Clement VII to paint the altar wall of the chapel, but the pope died before he could see the project through. His successor, Pope Paul III, changed the subject matter to the Last Judgment. Michelangelo began work on the Last Judgment in 1537 and finished it in 1541. The final fresco shows the damnation of the wicked and the salvation of the blessed upon Jesus' return to judge the earth.

Finally, Michelangelo is known for being one of the architects of Saint Peter's Basilica and designing the church's iconic dome.

Answer 2

No but he excelled in and expanded already existing art genres.