▲ 0 r/ArtHistory
I used AI to reconstruct Florence in 1508 — the city that forced a sculptor to become a painter against his will
Most people know Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. Almost no one knows he refused for two years and considered it an insult — he was a sculptor, not a painter.
What changed his mind wasn't inspiration. It was Florence itself. The political pressure, the Medici patronage system, the competitive artistic environment — the city basically left him no choice.
I rebuilt Florence in 1508 using AI to show exactly what that environment looked like. The streets, the workshops, the power dynamics. Genuinely shocked at how different it was from what I imagined.
[link: https://youtu.be/pOgu7pL_Mfw]
u/Total_Pop6919 — 12 hours ago