Before he was famous, Michelangelo...
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Before he was famous, Michelangelo was a student of sculpture, and an unbeliever. He was not a Christian. He was not a painter. But in 1498 a fiery friar and preacher named Savonarola wa hanged, and his martyrdom brought Michelangelo to faith in Jesus Christ. He made Christ crucified the theme of his work. He became famous. A jealous rival convinced the pope that he should make Michelangelo paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Logically enough, the jealous artist thought that a spectacular failure would ruin Michelangelo, who was a sculptor, and not a painter. Michelangelo despaired over the assignment, but in those days an order from the pope was an order that could not be refused. Finally the sculptor began the painting, building a special scaffold. Legend says Michelangelo lay flat on his back to paint the ceiling and that the work took four years. Michelangelo did indeed think of some of the work as a failure, and threw it out. He replaced the bad art with better. Eventually he had given the world a work of greatness. Michelangelo gave himself, from something he was, to something he was not, emptying himself to his task, and greatness came of the effort. -- Mosley
