Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was an artist of the Renaissance in Italy who would have a strong claim to have contributed more to shaping the Western reception of art than any other artist in history. Trained by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1448-1494) in the 15th c. Florentine approach to drawing, Michelangelo would take drawing the human form to a height perhaps never surpassed.

Studies of a reclining male nude: Adam in the fresco 'The Creation of Man' for the Sistine Chapel Ceiling (recto). Red Chalk over partial Blind Stylus preliminary sketch on paper, 193 x 259 mm. © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Studies of a reclining male nude: Adam in the fresco ‘The Creation of Man’ for the Sistine Chapel Ceiling (recto). Red Chalk over partial Blind Stylus preliminary sketch on paper, 193 x 259 mm. © The Trustees of the British Museum.