During his youth, Michelangelo worked towards a traditional education. However, he spent a lot of his free time drawing which greatly angered his father. But his father reluctantly agreed to let him apprentice under Domenico Ghirlandaio, a famous painter in Florence. Ironically, Domenico claimed that Michelangelo was not destined to be an artist.

Michelangelo was distantly relted to Lorenzo de Medici. Because of this, he was permitted to leave Domenico Ghirlandaio and actually live with and study directly under de Medici. Under de Medici, he stopped painting and completed his education. But it was during this time that he began to study sculpting. Though he had never sculpted before, his early work greatly impressed de Medici.

During his time with Lorenzo de Medici, he also studied anatomy. This was done by studying dead bodies and was against the policies of the church. However, Michelangelo sent a wooden crucifix to the prior of the church and was then granted permission to study anatomy. This greatly aided his later work as a sculpter and a painter.

Soon after de Medici's death, Michelangelo left Florence for Rome and continued his historic work as an artist.