Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo Da Vinci

In 1501 Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) returned from Rome to the Republican town of Florence to find that the competition in the art world was far tougher than it had been at the time of his departure. The only opponent in Florence who could challenge his right to his new-found fame was Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), who had returned from Milan. In the next four years Michelangelo, locked in bitter combat with his rival, worked his way up to become the most renowned artist of his time. He used the Florentine years to study the older masters, learning to emulate their motifs so cleverly that similarities could be recognized only by experts; at the same time his works were considered to surpass the quality of the originals. In face of the tough everyday competition, Michelangelo bought his way to freedom both in a material and in an idealistic sense.