If artists as brilliant as Michelangelo and artworks as definitive as his “David” are rare, the year marking the 120th anniversary of that sculpture’s unveiling saw an event almost unparalleled in artistic history. For the first and maybe the last time, there was an artist who could rival Michelangelo both as a sculptor and a…

In 1504, the young and ambitious Spanish artist Alonso Berruguete arrived in Italy with an aspiration to become part of the elite artistic world of the High Renaissance. Undertrained in comparison, he made the risky move not knowing if, or when, he would succeed. Only two years were necessary for those questions to be answered….

Every civilization loves the New Year, a celebration of renewal. In the West, people make resolutions for self-improvement, embark on a “dry January,” or try new diets and exercise programs to reinvent themselves. These are signs of hope, a belief that the next year may be even better, or more importantly, that despite the omnipresent…

The most tragic sight imaginable is a mother who has lost a child. Witnessing such a thing, most shrink from the searing sense of loss, the emptiness of bereavement. Yet when Michelangelo unveiled his Pietà—the image of the Virgin Mary mourning the lifeless Christ—he revealed how sorrow can be conquered by hope. In 1497, Cardinal…

Michelangelo Buonarroti was one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists to ever live. He was great not only because of the artworks he produced but also because of what he was willing to endure to produce them. One of the things he endured was the dangers of the marble quarries in the mountains of Italy,…

Our artistic traditions are full of wisdom. We can look to the past and, with curious minds and open hearts, absorb the lessons of our cultural history. The Italian Renaissance is filled with great stories that resulted in great art, and the story and art of Michelangelo are an enduring example. The story begins in…

For almost four years it was a common sight on Vatican Hill. Between eight and a dozen men at their various tasks: Mixing plaster, using pick-axes to give a ceiling the rough surface which helped plaster stick, applying plaster and painting it. Does that sound like an ordinary construction job? It’s actually how one of…

In 1629, Diego Velázquez left Spain for his first visit to Italy. Although one of his country’s leading artists and court painter to King Philip IV, this was still an opportunity not to be missed. At the Spanish court, Velázquez had access to Philip’s impressive art collection, but he had not seen examples of work…

By Christopher Arnott From Hartford Courant HARTFORD, Conn.—God, saints, angels—and the most famous outstretched hands in world history—are reaching out to you, larger than life in “Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition” at the Connecticut Convention Center. The art exhibit, billed as “a life-size, up close, never before seen perspective,” will be in Hartford through June 26….

PARIS—A drawing by Michelangelo, discovered in 2019, will be offered for sale next month by Christie’s and could fetch 30 million euros ($33 million), the British auction house said on Tuesday. The drawing, one of the few works of the Renaissance Italian artist in private hands, was sold in 1907 in Paris and billed as…