在意大利的佛罗伦撤城里有一位画家奇兰德，在他的家里经常都有许多孩子来学画。一天孩子们又到奇兰德的家里来学画，但是这天奇兰德先生因有事出门，去了只留下一幅人像画给孩子们欣赏，这幅画是古时一位名画家的古画。

“这幅画真好，我们什么时候才能画成这样呢？“一个孩子很羡慕地说着。

“来看我把它描绘出来！”米开朗基罗接着说，这时他的年纪不过十三四岁，他说着就找出一张纸，聚精会神地伏在桌上照样画了起来。同学们都在旁边静静的看着，

天快黑的时候，奇兰德先生回来了，米开朗基罗从桌上拿起一幅人像画说：“这幅画我们看完了，还给您。”

先生低头看了一眼，将画接过来，小心地放回橱里，这时孩子们都笑了起来了。

“咦，你们有什么好笑的？”先生觉得奇怪。

“那幅画是米开朗基罗画的，您那幅真画在这里哪！”孩子们笑着，从桌里把那幅真画拿出来还给先生。

先生把两幅画放在一起看了又看，简直分不出那张是真，那张是假。先生不禁暗暗惊讶，当时对米开兰说：“孩子，你是个天才，我以后一定要好好教导你。”

从此，先生很热心教米开朗基罗学画，还常常带他到城里的博物馆去游逛，看那些有名的图画和雕刻。

一天，米开兰到一间图书馆去参观，馆里正在雕塑一些石像，当时雕刻工人们都出去吃午餐去了，米开兰在那里看一座老人像，那座老人像雕得很好，可是他的头部还没有雕完，米开兰看看周围没有人，忍不住拿起锤子和刀，爬上去刻了起来。

一会儿，有一个大雕刻家罗伦曹再经过这座雕像的时候，见那座老人像有些不同了，仔细看了看，原来那老人像的牙齿已崩去了一颗，他当时大声喊：

“那孩子在那里？我一定要找到他。他是一个天才呀！“米开兰基罗终于被罗伦曹找到了。从此他就在罗伦曹先生那里学雕刻人像，并结识了许多当代有名的学者、诗人、画家，因此他对雕刻、文学、哲学、绘画就大大的进步了，并且画了许多有名的画，刻了几种有名的雕刻，后来成为一个有名的雕刻家。

他的家境很穷，有年老父亲，五个兄弟，还侄儿侄女，都要靠他生活，所以他的个人生活很困难，受饥受寒，平常都只是吃一些面包过日子，身体弄得非常瘦弱。可是他却一直与病魔争斗，仍拼命的努力不息地工作，因此他干出许多伟大的雕刻、绘画和建筑，成为意大利文艺复兴期的一个艺术家，独霸于当时意大利的美术界。

当他六十岁的时候，教皇保罗第三请他画息斯廷教寺上面的大壁画，前后费了七年工夫，画成他生平最有名的杰作“最后的审判”。这是世界上最大的壁画，上面一共画了一百多个人都是同真人的身体一般大小。据说，画这画的时候，有一次从很高的画台跌了下来，伤了一只脚，但他不需人来医治，因为他平生最厌恶医生的。

米开朗基罗生于一四七五年，死于一五六四年，享年九十岁。他的强大雄壮作风，把文艺复兴以前没有生气的现象赶跑了，建立一种有血有肉和充满生活气息的风格，尤其值得我们钦佩的是他那种对于艺术工作高度的热情，他一生的事迹和遗留下来丰富的艺术遗产，都是对于后人一种很大的鼓舞。

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In the city of Florence, Italy, there was a painter named Cimabue, and in his home, many children often came to learn painting. One day, when the children arrived at Cimabue's home for their painting lesson, they found that Mr. Cimabue had gone out for some urgent business and had left behind a portrait painting for them to admire. This painting was an ancient work by a renowned artist.

"This painting is so good! When will we be able to paint like this?" one child said with envy.

"Let me try to replicate it!" said a young boy named Michelangelo. At that time, he was only thirteen or fourteen years old. He found a piece of paper, concentrated intently, and began to draw. All the other students watched in silence.

As the day grew dark, Mr. Cimabue returned home. Michelangelo picked up the portrait he had drawn and said, "We've finished looking at this painting, so here it is back to you."

Mr. Cimabue glanced at it and took the drawing, carefully placing it in a cabinet. The children burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Mr. Cimabue wondered.

"That painting was drawn by Michelangelo, not the one you left here!" the children laughed and pulled out the real painting from the drawer to return it to Mr. Cimabue.

Mr. Cimabue placed both paintings side by side and looked at them closely. He could hardly tell which one was the original and which one was Michelangelo's replica. Mr. Cimabue was secretly amazed and told Michelangelo, "My child, you are a genius. I must teach you properly from now on."

From then on, Mr. Cimabue passionately taught Michelangelo art and often took him to museums in the city to admire famous paintings and sculptures.

One day, Michelangelo visited a library where stone sculptures were being worked on. At that moment, the sculptors had all gone for lunch, leaving an unfinished statue of an old man. Michelangelo saw the statue and, noticing that the teeth were missing, couldn't resist. He picked up a hammer and chisel, climbed up, and began to carve.

A while later, a renowned sculptor named Lorenzo happened to pass by the statue and noticed that it looked different. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the teeth had been carved. He exclaimed, "Where is that child? I must find him. He is a genius!" Michelangelo was finally found by Lorenzo. From then on, he studied sculpture under Lorenzo and met many contemporary scholars, poets, and painters. This broadened his knowledge in sculpture, literature, philosophy, and painting, leading to significant progress in his artistic pursuits.

Despite his impoverished family, consisting of an elderly father, five brothers, and nieces and nephews, who all depended on him, Michelangelo faced a difficult personal life. He endured hunger and cold, often surviving on just bread, which left him extremely thin and frail. However, he continued to fight against illness and worked tirelessly, creating many great sculptures, paintings, and architectural masterpieces. He became an eminent artist during the Italian Renaissance, dominating the art scene in Italy at the time.

When he was sixty years old, Pope Paul III commissioned him to paint the massive mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a project that took seven years to complete. This masterpiece, "The Last Judgment," featured over a hundred life-sized figures and is considered the largest mural painting in the world. It is said that during the painting of this work, Michelangelo once fell from a high scaffold but did not seek medical attention, as he had a deep aversion to doctors.

Michelangelo was born in 1475 and passed away in 1564 at the age of ninety. His powerful and majestic style breathed life into art before the Renaissance, establishing a style that was vibrant, lifelike, and full of vitality. Particularly admirable was his intense passion for artistic work, and his life's achievements and rich artistic legacy continue to inspire generations to come.