Synopses & Reviews
This is the life of one of the most revolutionary artists in history, told through the story of six of his greatest masterpieces: “The one indispensable guide for encountering Michelangelo on his home turf” (
The Dallas Morning News).
Michelangelo stands alone as a master of painting, sculpture, and architecture, 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. Michelangelo was ambitious, egotistical, and difficult, but through the towering force of genius and through sheer pugnaciousness, he transformed the way we think about art.
Miles Unger narrates the life of this tormented genius through six of his greatest masterpieces. Each work expanded the expressive range of the medium, from the Pietà carved by a brash young man of twenty-four, to the apocalyptic Last Judgment, the work of an old man weighed down by the unimaginable suffering he had witnessed. In the gargantuan David he depicts Man in the glory of his youth, while in the tombs he carved for his Medici overlords he offers perhaps historys most sustained meditation on death and the afterlife of the soul. In the vast expanse of the Sistine Chapel ceiling he tells the epic story of Creation. During 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. Peters in a final tribute to his God.
“A deeply human tribute to one of the most accomplished and fascinating figures inthe history of Western culture” (The Boston Globe), Michelangelo brings to life the irascible, egotistical, and undeniably brilliant man whose artistry continues to amaze and inspire us after five hundred years.
Review
“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." Travis Nichols
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"A deeply human tribute to one of the most accomplished and fascinating figures in the history of Western culture." The Washington Post
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and#8220;A masterful portrait of a dauntingly complex figure.and#8221;
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“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.” Booklist (starred review)
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"Wonderfully perceptive art history embedded in a fascinating life story and delivered via Unger's supple and exquisite prose." Ann Landi - ArtNews
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“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 Michelangelos life but also focuses keenly on putting the artwork itself in context, giving readers the whys and wherefores that provide a rich, provocative understanding.” Tony Lewis - The Providence Journal
Review
"[Unger] is also an engaging writer and has chosen his illustrative examples well. . . . [His] critical remarks . . . are especially lithe and discerning. . . . An elegant introduction, and the approach, of singling out a handful of representative works for microscopic scrutiny and macroscopic discussion, makes the subject accessible to a wide audience." Catherine Mallette - The Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)
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“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.” Earl Pike - The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
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“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.” Catherine Hollis - BookPage
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“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.” David Hendricks - San Antonio Express
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“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.” Kirkus (starred review)
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“A masterful portrait of a dauntingly complex figure.” Michael Washburn - The Boston Globe
About the Author
Miles J. Unger is an art historian and journalist. Formerly the managing editor of Art New England, he served for many years as a contributing writer to The New York Times. In addition to Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces, he is the author of The Watercolors of Winslow Homer; Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de Medici; and Machiavelli: A Biography. Visit MilesJUnger.com.