Walk: Union Square
Distance: 4 miles, yoga
A couple more Michelangelo facts that Ciwt found interesting. One today, one tomorrow.
First, that Cistine Chapel ceiling. 
Apparently the main artist who recommended the artist Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475-1564) to the Vatican was actually a rival. His fame was such that, like Michelangelo, he had and has the honor of being known simply by his first name: Raphael (Italian, 1843-1520). Today Raphael's reputation in art history is essentially on a par with Michelangelo but he must have been uneasy - if not downright jealous - about the supremely talented younger artist. working in Rome as he was.
Knowing Michelangelo to be mainly a sculptor, Raphael and a few fellow Renaissance painters convinced Pope Julius to hire Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel. Their intention was nothing short of sabotagin his career. Actually Michelangelo himself had strong doubts about whether he had the necessary skills for the project and delayed accepting the commission. As the world knows, eventually Michelangelo did take the job; it took him an uncommonly laborious four years painting lying down on scaffolding but he created one of the world's most magnificient masterpieces.
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