Michelangelo had an “I”-dentity crisis, questioning who he really was.

Though recognized as an artistic genius, the master looked back on his life with a mix of insecurity and regret, even as he stood at the pinnacle of fame.

In 1536, he was back in Rome, 25 years after finishing his iconic painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Again he was in the Chapel, working on a commission from the Pope himself to depict on a wall the return of Jesus and the final judgment, a painting involving hundreds of figures.

It seems Michelangelo saw himself among them. He was in his sixties and increasingly introspective, eventually turning to poetry, in which he reflected on his mortality and his legacy, both artistic and spiritual.

“The voyage of my life at last has reached across a stormy sea in a fragile boat,” he wrote, “to the common port all must pass through, to give an accounting for every evil and pious deed.

“So now I recognize how laden with error was the affectionate fantasy that made art an idol and sovereign to me, like all things men want in spite of their best interests.”

Throughout his artistic life, Michelangelo gave credit to God in all his work. But when he looked deep within, he began to wonder if he’d made art His god and had served his own needs instead of his Creator.

He wondered, “What will become of all my thoughts of love… now that........

© Sarnia Observer