Synopses & Reviews
The life of one of the most revolutionary artists in history, told through the story of six of his greatest masterpieces.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Among the immortalsand#8212;Leonardo, Rembrandt, Picassoand#8212;Michelangelo stands alone as a master of painting, sculpture, and architecture. He was not only the greatest artist in an age of giants, but a man who reinvented the practice of art itself. Throughout his long career he clashed with patrons by insisting that he had no master but his own demanding muse and promoting the novel idea that it was the artist, rather than the lord who paid for it, who was creative force behind the work.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Miles Unger narrates the astonishing life of this driven and difficult man through six of his greatest masterpieces. Each work expanded the expressive range of the medium, from the andlt;Iandgt;Pietand#224; andlt;/Iandgt;Michelangelo carved as a brash young man, to the apocalyptic andlt;Iandgt;Last Judgmentandlt;/Iandgt;, the work of an old man tested by personal trials. Throughout the course of his career he explored the full range of human possibility. In the gargantuan andlt;Iandgt;David andlt;/Iandgt;he depicts Man in the glory of his youth, while in the tombs he carved for the Medici he offers a sustained meditation on death and the afterlife. In the Sistine Chapel ceiling he tells the epic story of Creation, from the perfection of Godand#8217;s initial procreative act to the corruption introduced by His imperfect children. In the final decades of his life, his hands too unsteady to wield the brush and chisel, he exercised his mind by raising the soaring vaults and dome of St. Peterand#8217;s in a final tribute to his God.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A work of deep artistic understanding, Miles Ungerand#8217;s andlt;Iandgt;Michelangeloandlt;/Iandgt; brings to life the irascible, egotistical, and undeniably brilliant man whose artistry continues to amaze and inspire us after 500 years.
Review
and#8220;Highly readable. . . . [Unger] reminds readers why Michelangelo's work matters. . . . Delightfully informative.and#8221;
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and#8220;A masterful portrait of a dauntingly complex figure.and#8221;
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and#8220;Unger excels at showing us the artist at work: his reluctance, his caginess, his temperament (easily hurt and angered, he sometimes tried to run away) and his jealousies (da Vinci and Raphael among them). . . . His edged prose shows us a clear Michelangelo emerging from the stone of history.and#8221;
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and#8220;Unger is an astute critic and an able storyteller; his remapping of familiar territory should please both readers new to Michelangelo and those who think they know him inside out.and#8221;
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and#8220;Provides insightful perspective on Michelangelo. . . . [Michelangelo] made some of the most enduring art in Western civilization and profoundly changed the way we think about artists. Thoughtful exploration of his work, which this book most definitely is, will always be rewarding."
Review
and#8220;Author Miles J. Unger states Michelangelo was 'the prototype of the temperamental genius, beholden to no one and responsible only to the dictates of his own inspiration'. . . . The heart of andlt;Iandgt;Michelangelo andlt;/Iandgt;is a full portrayal of this fascinating character, but the book also devotes a full chapter to each of his most famous works.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Part biography, part art analysis and thoroughly tantalizing. By focusing on six works, presented in chronological order, Unger presents a portrait of the artist that gives a panoramic view of Michelangeloand#8217;s life but also focuses keenly on putting the artwork itself in context, giving readers the whys and wherefores that provide a rich, provocative understanding.and#8221;
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and#8220;Magisterial. . . . This fascinating new biography is highly recommended as a guide to anyone seeking to understand the immortal works of art created by this singular man.and#8221;
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and#8220;Unger has read extensively on each of the six creations in his focus, but more importantly, heand#8217;s also stepped back and looked at them, and that fresh outlook makes his book very lively reading. . . . Itand#8217;s enormously intelligent and engaging contribution to the shelf and a perfect introduction to this most towering and problematic of all artists.and#8221;
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"A deeply human tribute to one of the most accomplished and fascinating figures in the history of Western culture."
Review
and#8220;Unger insightfully guides readers through both Michelangelo's life and the culture and history of the times. . . . [He] displays keen, humane judgments in interpreting Michelangelo's life by focusing on his motives and talent. The artist's life was complicated, but Unger finds a narrative path that keeps the reader on course for an enlightened biography.and#8221;
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"Mr. Unger is a good, popular art historian who understands the moods of the artist and his times."
Review
and#8220;This may be the one indispensable guide for encountering the artist on his home turf. There are hundreds of books about Michelangelo di Lodovico di Buonarroti Simone, his art and his times. But few bring it all together in such an entertaining and enlightening whole.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Accessible and compelling. . . . Ungerand#8217;s real focus is on how the political and ideological climate of Michelangeloand#8217;s day affected his art, and here he is authoritative and highly illuminating.and#8221;
Synopsis
The life of one of the most revolutionary artists in history, told through the story of six of his greatest masterpieces.
Among the immortals--Leonardo, Rembrandt, Picasso--Michelangelo stands alone as a master of painting, sculpture, and architecture. He was not only the greatest artist in an age of giants, but a man who reinvented the practice of art itself. Throughout his long career he clashed with patrons by insisting that he had no master but his own demanding muse and promoting the novel idea that it was the artist, rather than the lord who paid for it, who was creative force behind the work.
Miles Unger narrates the astonishing life of this driven and difficult man through six of his greatest masterpieces. Each work expanded the expressive range of the medium, from the Pieta Michelangelo carved as a brash young man, to the apocalyptic Last Judgment, the work of an old man tested by personal trials. Throughout the course of his career he explored the full range of human possibility. In the gargantuan David he depicts Man in the glory of his youth, while in the tombs he carved for the Medici he offers a sustained meditation on death and the afterlife. In the Sistine Chapel ceiling he tells the epic story of Creation, from the perfection of God's initial procreative act to the corruption introduced by His imperfect children. In the final decades of his life, his hands too unsteady to wield the brush and chisel, he exercised his mind by raising the soaring vaults and dome of St. Peter's in a final tribute to his God.
A work of deep artistic understanding, Miles Unger's Michelangelo brings to life the irascible, egotistical, and undeniably brilliant man whose artistry continues to amaze and inspire us after 500 years.
About the Author
Miles J. Unger is an art historian and journalist. Formerly the managing editor of andlt;iandgt;Art New Englandandlt;/iandgt;, he served for many years as a contributing writer to andlt;iandgt;The New York Timesandlt;/iandgt;.andnbsp;In addition toandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpiecesandlt;/iandgt;, he is the author of andlt;iandgt;The Watercolors of Winslow Homerandlt;/iandgt;; andlt;iandgt;Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo deand#8217; Mediciandlt;/iandgt;; andandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Machiavelli: A Biography. andlt;/iandgt;Visit MilesJUnger.com.