vittoria colonna sonnets for michelangelo

Whether the love they shared was platonic or sexual is still debatable depending on the source of information.īibliography Source: wsu.edu and

Tommaso Cavalieri who was married and had children remained the artist's friend until the end of his life. Michelangelo's love for Cavalieri is revealed in numerous poems dedicated to him. Michelangelo is perhaps best known for the sonnets and madrigals inspired by Tommaso de' Cavalieri whom Michelangelo met in 1532 when Tommaso was twenty-three and Michelangelo was fifty-seven. She died at the age of 56 and Michelangelo was deeply affected by her death writing many commemorative pieces in her honor. She was a widow and friend to Michelangelo in his later maturity. He turned to her for guidance and idealized her through the ecstasy of his religious mindset Michelangelo was a deeply religious person who believed in prayer and all the accompanying Renaissance religious imagery characteristic of his era. She was the woman who came closest to being his intellectual equal, and a person characterized by loftiness, nobility and virtue-all of which appealed to the poet. Vittoria who was independent and highly intelligent, was inaccessible. Platonic love suited Michelangelo because the demands of his profession came first. He felt passionate toward individuals, both female and male (Vittoria Colonna and Tommasco Cavalieri in particular. Michelangelo was both highly literate and plain-spoken. He is considered by critics to be the 'foremost madrigalist of the Italian Cinquecento' and 'the greatest Italian lyrical poet of the sixteenth century.' His writing of poetry was not a mere diversion, and the poetry has the artistic quality which marks his other works. Though many if not most literary and artistic persons during the Renaissance wrote poetry, Michelangelo was a very able and learned poet and rose above the general level in poetry, as he did in visual arts. His tomb is displayed prominently alongside those of Machiavelli, Galileo, and Rossini, and many of his most famous works of sculpture are housed throughout Florence - including the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the magnificent statue of David.Īs a poet, Michelangelo left us with approximately 300 pieces of poetry, occupying the considerable place in the Renaissance lyrics. The second of five sons to Ludovico di Buonaorotto Simoni, he was born in 1475 in the nearby village of Caprese but always considered himself a 'son of Florence.' It's easy to look around and find his influence on the city. Florence, Italy, is considered the home of the great painter, poet, architect, and sculptor, Michelangelo Buonarroti, known today simply as Michelangelo.

Vittoria colonna sonnets for michelangelo