Michelangelo- painter, sculptor

       Michelangelo was the middle child in a family with five brothers. His father was involved in banking, and record-keeping for towns and wealthy families. Michelangelo’s mother became very sick, so for a time he was also raised by a family of stonecutters. As a teenager, he became an apprentice to a painter to learn how to paint. Later, he learned how to sculpt by studying at a sculpture school owned by the wealthy Medici Family. Michelangelo was known for being a somewhat anti-social person, who enjoyed being alone. He was also known for being very moody, and having a bad temper—making many dislike him. Still, Michelangelo became one of the most famous artists of the Renaissance. His lifelong connections with the Medici Family from when he learned sculpture exposed him to some of the most famous and powerful people living in Florence. Michelangelo met many other famous artist, poets, scientists and philosophers. In fact, Michelangelo was personally asked by the Pope to paint the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. During his life, Michelangelo lived many places, including Florence, Italy, and Rome, Italy.

Quick Facts: Born: March 6, 1475 Died: February 18, 1564 Hometown: Caprese, Italy Nickname: “Father and Master of All the Arts” Famous works: “Pieta”, “David”, Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel

Leonardo da Vinci- artist, inventor

    Leonardo da Vinci was a famous painter, artist, and inventor of the Renaissance. Da Vinci was a true “Renaissance Man”—meaning he was interested and talented in all areas that interested Humanists: art, literature, science, and education. Da Vinci saw no difference between art and science, and used many different mathematical formulas in creating his artwork. Da Vinci was raised by his father and stepmother. Da Vinci’s father noticed Leonardo’s talent at a young age. As a teenager, Leonardo began apprenticing for a local artist, who taught him the art of painting. That’s not all Da Vinci learned in his teenage years, he also learned metal working, working with leather, carpentry, drawing, and sculpting. . . there were not many things young Leonardo couldn’t do! Da Vinci was so talented in the arts that at the age of 20 he was able to open his own workshop. Leonardo was known for not only his artistic talent, but for also being the life of the party. Leonardo was very social, and had many friends who were also Humanists. He spent most of his life living in Florence, Italy, where he had many friends and attended many parties. He was also known for being quite the ladies man!

,Quick Facts: Born: April 15, 1452 Died: May 2, 1519 Hometown: Vinci, Italy Nickname: Da Vinci Famous works: the “Mona Lisa”, the “Last Supper” “Vitruvian Man”, different plans for many inventions, including the machine gun, flying machine and diving suit

Artemisia Gentileschi- painter  

     Artemisia Gentileschi was a famous painted of the Renaissance. Artemisia was one of the only women to ever become famous as an artist during the Renaissance, as being a female artist was very unusual at this time. She was the daughter of another famous Renaissance artist, Orazio Gentilleschi, who taught her the skill of painting. Artemisia lived all around Italy in her early life, and moved many times after her mother died with Artemisia was 12 years old. Artemisia was also well-known for being one of the first women to win a court case against a man, which she accomplished with the help of her father. Artemisia married another painter who was from Florence and had one daughter. Artemisia painted her entire life, and even was hired by Queen Henrietta of France. She was known for being an outspoken and opinionated woman, in a time where men had the power, and women did not.—this made some admire her, and others dislike her. Artemisia was famous for creating art that put women at the center of the paintings, as the main “character” in the artwork. She often painted stories from the Bible that had women as the main character, or protagonist.

Quick Facts: Born: July 8, 1593 Died: sometime in the year 1652 Hometown: Rome, Italy Nickname: - - - Famous works: “Madonna and Child”, “Judith Slaying Halofernes” (scene from a Biblical story)

William Shakespeare- playwright, Poet  

    William Shakespeare was born to parents John Shakespeare and Mary Adren in Stratford, England. His father was a tanner, who made items from leather. As a child, Shakespeare attended New Kings School in Stratford, where he learned to read and write, and read classic literature written by Ancient Greeks. When he was 18, William married Anne Hathaway- who was 8 years older than him (it was a big deal back then!!) Shakespeare was part of an actors guild (group) called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, where he was recognized as a talented actor and playwright. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men were very popular and performed plays in London. They eventually had their own theater, called the Globe Theater. Shakespeare was so good at what he did, he became rich during his lifetime. This was very unusual, because at that time actors and people involved in theater were looked down upon, and most thought it was not an honorable profession (very different than how we view the stars of Hollywood today!) Shakespeare wrote about history, politics, love, and death, and is still remembered as one of the greatest playwrights to ever live. Shakespeare is believed to have written over 40 plays, and added 3,000 new words for the English Language, including “swagger.”

Quick Facts: Born: April 23, 1564 Died: April 23, 1616 Hometown: Stratford-upon-Avon, England Nickname: “Bard of Avon”, “Swan of Avon”, “The Bard” Famous works: “Romeo and Juliet”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Hamlet”, “Macbeth”

Petrarch- Poet, Philosopher

Petrarch was born in Italy, but also spent much of his life in France. Not much is known about Petrarch’s early life, but he moved to France as a child, and was raised by his father and mother. Petrarch’s father was a lawyer, and he hoped that Petrarch would also study law and become a lawyer. Petrarch’s father died when he was in his early twenties. After his father’s death, Petrach dropped out of law school and devoted his life to studying the history, language, and literature of Ancient Greeks and Romans. . . this has always been his true passion. Petrarch became famous for his ideas, and was one of the first and most famous philosophers of the Renaissance. His ideas were inspired by the ideas of the Greeks and Romans. Petrarch was one of the first Europeans to read Greek and Roman writings and share the knowledge he found in them. This helped inspire other Humanists to do the same. Petrarch was also famous to his beautiful sonnets and love letters to his childhood sweetheart, Laura. Petrarch and Laura had met as children, and Petrarch fell in love with her. Laura died when Petrarch was a teenager, but he loved her and wrote love poems about her until his death.

Quick Facts: Born: July 20, 1304 Died: July 19, 1374 Hometown: Tuscany, Italy Nickname: “the father of Humanism”, “Father of the Renaissance” Famous works: Sonnets (a specific style of poetry)