Personal life Michelangelo

ignudo fresco 1509 on sistine chapel ceiling



michelangelo, drawn sight francisco de holanda in late 1530s.

michelangelo devout catholic faith deepened @ end of life. abstemious in personal life, , once told apprentice, ascanio condivi: rich may have been, have lived poor man. condivi said indifferent food , drink, eating more out of necessity of pleasure , slept in clothes and ... boots. biographer paolo giovio says, nature rough , uncouth domestic habits incredibly squalid, , deprived posterity of pupils might have followed him. may not have minded, since nature solitary , melancholy person, bizzarro e fantastico, man withdrew himself company of men.

it impossible know whether michelangelo had physical relationships (condivi ascribed him monk-like chastity ), nature of sexuality made apparent in poetry. wrote on 3 hundred sonnets , madrigals. longest sequence displaying great romantic friendship, written tommaso dei cavalieri (c. 1509–1587), 23 years old when michelangelo met him in 1532, @ age of 57. these make first large sequence of poems in modern tongue addressed 1 man another; predate fifty years shakespeare s sonnets fair youth:

cavalieri replied: swear return love. never have loved man more love you, never have wished friendship more wish yours. cavalieri remained devoted michelangelo until death.

in 1542, michelangelo met cecchino dei bracci died year later, inspiring michelangelo write forty-eight funeral epigrams. of objects of michelangelo s affections, , subjects of poetry, took advantage of him: model febo di poggio asked money in response love-poem, , second model, gherardo perini, stole him shamelessly.

the openly homoerotic nature of poetry has been source of discomfort later generations. michelangelo s grandnephew, michelangelo buonarroti younger, published poems in 1623 gender of pronouns changed, , not until john addington symonds translated them english in 1893 original genders restored. in modern times scholars continue insist that, despite restoration of pronouns, represent emotionless , elegant re-imagining of platonic dialogue, whereby erotic poetry seen expression of refined sensibilities .

late in life, michelangelo nurtured great platonic love poet , noble widow vittoria colonna, whom met in rome in 1536 or 1538 , in late forties @ time. wrote sonnets each other , in regular contact until died. these sonnets deal spiritual issues occupied them. condivi recalls michelangelo s saying sole regret in life did not kiss widow s face in same manner had hand.