Michelangelo

Michelangelo Buonarroti called himself a sculptor even while painting the Sistine ceiling. Whether in marble, fresco or architecture, he pursued the human body as the vessel of the divine — muscled, twisted, straining against stone. He carved the Pietà at 24, unveiled the David at 29, and spent four years on his back frescoing the Sistine vault. He kept working almost until his death at 88, redesigning St. Peter's dome as an act of faith.