High Renaissance and Mannerism: Renaissance Rivals

Michelangelo is predominantly one of the most celebrated of the artists during the Renaissance. A self-created artist, he remained unsurpassed in his extraordinary achievements (Goffen 69). Michelangelo apprenticed under Ghirlandaio. Ghirlandaio had Michelangelo copy works by other artists. Brilliantly Michelangelo would infuse his own style into the art piece and produce a work better than the original. Regarding Schongauer’s Temptation of Saint Anthony, “Michelangelo did not intend only to copy the engraving; he meant to transform it. Redoing Schongauer, he would outdo him” (Goffen 73). Michelangelo first exhibited his talents to the public through his Saint Anthony. “So Michelangelo launched his career with a copy that surpassed its original and with drawings that surpassed his (unacknowledged) master [Ghirlandaio]” (Goffen 74).

Following the copies, Michelangelo would learn the art of forgery by copying old master’s work and aging them in smoke and soils. These counterfeits were unrecognizable when compared to the original. Michelangelo did not intend to sell these frauds, but they did award him an “invitation to study in the sculpture garden of Lorenzo de’ Medici, il Magnifico” (Goffen 74). In the garden Michelangelo carved his very first sculpture during a competition against Torrigiani. Without any previous training, Michelangelo picked up the carving tools and sculpted the Head of a Faun. “Lorenzo was stupefied (…) Michelangelo was given a room in the Medici palace and dined with the family and their distinguished guests” (Goffen 75). Surrounded by antiquity and nature, Michelangelo became inspired and progressed to creating his own ancient work such as the significant Battle of the Centaurs and Lapiths.