The name Michelangelo instantly conjures up the Sistine Chapel, David, the Pietà and countless other great works. In his History of Italian Painting, the French writer Stendhal remarked that, "between Greek antiquity and Michelangelo nothing exists, except more or less skilled forgeries". In just a few years Michelangelo was able to uncover the secrets of a creative source worthy of his Greek predecessors. The work of Michelangelo has indisputably, stood the test of time. Often referred to as a creative genius and a superman, Michelangelo was an incomparable artist of the Italian Renaissance and is often ranked alongside Leonardo da Vinci for his influence and achievement.