Michelangelo di Ludovico Buonarroti Simoni was born on March 6, 1475 in Caprese, Italy ("Michelangelo", 2013). His childhood lacked affection and, when he was only six years old, his mother, Francesca Neri, died of an illness, leaving him with his father, Ludovico. (Rühring). At a very young age, Ludovico realized Michelangelo's intellectual potential and enrolled him in the school of Francesco Galeota (Ruehring). At school, Michelangelo met a student of the painter Domenico Ghirlandaio. (Rühring). Domenico Ghirlandaio was an early Renaissance painter known for his detailed narrative frescoes (“Domenico Ghirlandaio,” 2013). When Michelangelo was only thirteen years old, he decided to take up art and become an apprentice in the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio. (Rühring). Michelangelo's father became furious with Michelangelo's decision, as he had planned for Michelangelo to become a merchant and defend the family's status in society (Ruehring). Due to Michelangelo's decision to pursue art instead of becoming a merchant, a separation between Michelangelo and his father was created; the separation between his father and him troubled Michelangelo all his life (Ruehring). After his apprenticeship with Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo studied sculpture and anatomy at the Medici garden school (Ruehring). Due to Michelangelo's success there, he was invited to the house of Lorenzo de Medici (Ruehring). Lorenzo De' Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was the ruler and patron of the arts and enjoyed great fame ("Biography of Lorenzo De' Medici", 2013). This had a huge impact on Michelangelo's life and influenced his future. Through this experience he was exposed to humanists, scientists, and poets (Ruehring). Although...... middle of paper ......o/michelangelo/pieta/>."Michelangelo." 2013. Biography Channel website. November 19, 2013, 12:17 p.m. http://www.biography.com/people/michelangelo-9407628. “Pieta (Michelangelo).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, November 19, 2013. Web. November 21, 2013. Ruehring, Lauren M. “Biography of Michelangelo.” How things work. HowStuffWorks, and Web. Nov 21 2013. Sayre, Henry M. “Florence after the Medici: the new Republic.” The human sciences: culture, continuity and change. 2nd ed. Flight. 1. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. 488. Print. Strickland, Carol and John Boswell. “The Sculptor.” The Mona Lisa Annotated: An Intensive Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Postmodern. 2nd ed. Kansas City: Andrews and McMeel, 1992. 36. “Unmasked” Print. Analysis of the Great Works of the Pietà. Blogger, November 21, 2011. Web. November 22. 2013..