Michelangelo was an Italian artist during the Renaissance who carved the famous statue of David out of marble when he was only 26 years old, and later spent four years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He believed a sculpture was already hiding inside the stone, waiting for him to set it free. Late in life he also served as chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, designing its great dome. He worked as a painter, sculptor, architect, and poet, all at once.