Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer. Michelangelo's skill 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 Italian Leonardo da Vinci.
Cameo in Assassin's Creed II
Michelangelo wrote a letter to his father, in which he states that he wants to live up to his father's expectations, but also wants to be an artist, a job his father does not approve. The letter was delivered to his father by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who acted as mailman.
Letter
Dear Father,
It has been almost a week since I abandoned my schooling. I don't expect you to understand why, I can't really explain myself, but I feel the world flying by and I need to catch it, to become part of its tides and currents. I'm not very good with speaking or numbers, but with my hands I can shape everything flowing around me, every moment, every mood.
I know that you wanted me to become something more than an artist, but, please, for the sake of my future, relent. As you have always known, I am much more interested in sculpting and painting than I am in studying and now the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio has asked me to join him as an apprentice. He just got back from Roma, where he painted a masterful panel in the Capella Sistina. If I work hard, I might even be invited inside the Vatican, and maybe I'll get to see it.
Please give your blessing to this apprenticeship. I promise to live up to your lofty expectations, and I hope that one day you will be proud of me.
Your son,
Michelangelo