Italian-born Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564) was
a tormented, prodigiously talented, and God-fearing Renaissance man. His
manifold achievements in painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, and
engineering combined body, spirit, and God into visionary masterpieces
that changed art history forever. Famed biographer Giorgio Vasari
considered him the pinnacle of Renaissance achievement. His peers called
him simply "Il Divino" ("the divine one").
This book provides the essential introduction to Michelangelo with all
the awe-inspiring masterpieces and none of the queues and crowds. With
vivid illustration and accessible texts, we explore the artist's
extraordinary figuration and celebrated style of terribilità (momentous
grandeur), which allowed human and biblical drama to exist in compelling
scale and fervor. Through the power hubs of Renaissance Italy, we take
in his major commissions and phenomenal capacity for compositional
schemes, whether the famous Medici library in Florence, or the
extraordinary 500-square-meter ceiling (1508-1512) in the Vatican's
Sistine Chapel.
From the towering David to the aching grief and faith of The Pietà and
the vivid drama of the Sistine Chapel's Last Judgment, this is a
succinct, dependable reference to a true giant of art history and to
some of the most famous artworks in the world.
About the series
Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the
best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's
Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist,
covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
