This artist's reputation went beyond just art. He was a true master of the Renaissance, taking in other disciplines such as poetry. His architectural work enabled him to focus on the exterior of buildings when so much of his work had previously been in decorating the interior. Such a discipline required a very different method of thought, something that would always interest this ambitious man.
For someone to reach high levels of work in such different disciplines is what marks Michelangelo out as so special. Architectural design, literature and portraiture, for example, have some crossover but are generally very different disciplines.
Many of the plans put together by Michelangelo can now be found at Casa Buonarroti, which is where the artist once lived himself. Plans such as those included in this page are highly significant because the facade itself was never completed. This in-demand Renaissance master would be drawn away to other projects, such as The Sistine Chapel, and would never finish his efforts here.
There have been some discussion over whether the project was actually stalled because of the artist's insistence on more expensive materials which pushed the project beyond an acceptable budget. Whatever the truth, we are left with some architectural plans and no finished project.
All of the remaining drawings are in either black or red chalk, common for Michelangelo during this period.
