Michelangelo was a person.
Michelangelo . Despite making few forays beyond the arts , his versatility in the disciplines he took up was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man , along with his rival and fellow Florentine Medici client , Leonardo da Vinci . Despite holding a low opinion of painting , Michelangelo also created two of the most influential frescoes in the history of Western art : the scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome , and The Last Judgment on its altar wall . At the age of 74 , he succeeded Antonio da Sangallo the Younger as the architect of St. Peter 's Basilica .