Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, a pivotal figure of the High Renaissance, was born on March 6, 1475, in Caprese, near Arezzo, Italy. His family claimed descent from Countess Mathilda of Canossa, a notable medieval figure known for her military prowess, a belief that Michelangelo held though it remains unverified. Originally, the Buonarroti family was involved in banking in Florence, but the family's financial troubles led them to return to Florence shortly after his birth. Michelangelo's early life was marked by both hardship and fortune; his mother succumbed to illness when he was six, prompting him to live with a nanny by a nearby marble quarry owned by his father. This exposure to marble sparked his enduring passion for sculpture.

By eleven, Michelangelo was enrolled in school, though he showed little interest in his studies, preferring to copy church paintings and engage with artists. Fortunately for him, he lived during the Renaissance's peak, which would soon see him rise to prominence.

At thirteen, Michelangelo began an apprenticeship with Domenico Ghirlandaio, a master of fresco painting and figure drawing. Remarkably, within a year, Ghirlandaio arranged for the young artist to receive payment, a rare honor at the time. Michelangelo's talent quickly garnered recognition, leading to his inclusion among Ghirlandaio's top students, as recommended to Lorenzo de’ Medici, the de facto leader of Florence.

After Lorenzo's death, Michelangelo returned to his father's home but later found himself expelled from Florence by Savonarola's ascension. He spent time in Venice and Bologna before rejoining the Medici, during which he created a statue of St. John the Baptist, which was later misrepresented as an ancient piece in Rome. The impressed Cardinal invited Michelangelo to Rome, where he produced the renowned Pietà, celebrated as one of the world's great sculptural masterpieces.

After completing the Pietà in 1499, Michelangelo returned to Florence to finish a project started 40 years prior, resulting in the iconic statue of David, housed in the Galleria dell'Accademia. This masterpiece not only solidified his reputation as one of history's greatest artists but also became a symbol of civil liberties and the Republic of Florence, with David's gaze directed towards Rome.

Following the acclaim of David, Pope Julius II invited Michelangelo to Rome in 1505 to design his tomb, which was to include forty statues and be completed in five years. However, due to the Pope's interruptions for other projects, this ambitious work remained unfinished despite Michelangelo dedicating forty years to it. Among these projects was the famed ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which he painted between 1508 and 1512.

Interestingly, Michelangelo was initially reluctant to accept the Sistine Chapel commission, feeling intimidated by its scale and concerned that his enemies sought to undermine him. Ultimately, he embraced the challenge, utilizing vibrant colors that would be visible from the chapel's floor, depicting over three hundred figures in his biblical scenes.

Among his works, the Creation of Adam stands out as a personal favorite of mine. This fresco captures the moment from Genesis when God breathes life into Adam, representing humanity's eternal quest for the divine, exemplified by the near-touching of their hands.

In the later years of his life, Michelangelo remained in Rome, working under various Popes. In 1546, he was appointed architect of St. Peter’s Basilica, although it was feared he would not live to see it completed. Sadly, this proved true, with the dome being finished posthumously in 1564, yet the design he laid out has made it one of the Renaissance's most celebrated structures.