Michelangelo, one of the more famous artists of the time period, was a sculptor. WIdely regarded as the best artist of the Italian Renaissance, his works are often compared with that of Da Vinci. He was born into a family with a banking business, and eventually took up an apprenticeship with a painter before taking up sculpting and working on frescoes. Michelangelo truly puts the “renaissance” in the saying “renaissance man”. Throughout his life, he took to painting, sculpting, poetry, and architecture. During his childhood, he showed much interest in watching the painters at his local church. In his later years the church took such a liking to him that they granted him special permission to view and study their cadavers (dead bodies used for research). By the age of 16, he had developed a recognizable style to his works, and had created the sculptures “Battle of the Centaurs”, and “Madonna Seated on a Step”. His most famous pieces, however, are (arguably) the “Pieta” and the “David”, which were created when he was only 25 years old. One of Michelangelo’s many frescoes “The Last Judgement” was the subject of much criticism. The piece’s use of nudity was deemed inappropriate for the church, and ordered to be destroyed. A short time before his 89th birthday, the artist passed away. The event took place in his home on February 18th, 1564, and happened shortly after a mild illness. He had seen the release of two biographies about his life before his passing, and unlike most artists, achieved fame.