This is a beautifully illustrated and fully — rounded biography of Michelangelo. Michelangelo (1475-1564) was considered the greatest living artist in his own lifetime and since then as one of the greatest artists ever. A number of his works rank among the most famous in existence, his output in every field during his long life being prodigious. Two of his best-known works, the Pieta and David, were sculpted before he was 30 and, despite his low opinion of painting, Michelangelo also created two of the most influential works in fresco in the history of Western art: the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling and The Last Judgment on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. As an architect he pioneered the Mannerist style at the Laurentian Library and at 74 was appointed architect of St. Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo transformed the plan, the western end being finished to his design, the dome being completed after his death.