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kvreadsandrecs's review against another edition
5.0
I FINALLY FINISHED.
I loved this book so dearly. I once heard an art teacher talk about how Michelangelo believed that figures existed inside of marble and he just needed to carve them out. That's what set me out on this adventure. I didn't think it would take me over a year to finish it and I'm kind of sad to no longer have the phrase "I'm reading this biography on Michelangelo" as a fallback phrase, but man. This book is something else.
As a real review: Martin Gayford is a stellar writer. Sometimes biographies are dry, but Gayford leans into Michelangelo's absurdities and uses them to make the writing playful. There were a few parts where I was like "I have lost track of the people here because every Italian name sounds the same" but! Overall it was a great ride. Michelangelo lived just shy of his 89th birthday and dang. What a life. Honestly. Read this book if you want to have some sense of Michelangelo as a whole. It is well worth the time spent.
I loved this book so dearly. I once heard an art teacher talk about how Michelangelo believed that figures existed inside of marble and he just needed to carve them out. That's what set me out on this adventure. I didn't think it would take me over a year to finish it and I'm kind of sad to no longer have the phrase "I'm reading this biography on Michelangelo" as a fallback phrase, but man. This book is something else.
As a real review: Martin Gayford is a stellar writer. Sometimes biographies are dry, but Gayford leans into Michelangelo's absurdities and uses them to make the writing playful. There were a few parts where I was like "I have lost track of the people here because every Italian name sounds the same" but! Overall it was a great ride. Michelangelo lived just shy of his 89th birthday and dang. What a life. Honestly. Read this book if you want to have some sense of Michelangelo as a whole. It is well worth the time spent.
charlesstanden's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
A truly epic compilation of the epic life of one of the greatest artists and most significant men the world has ever seen.
This is an incredibly well researched book, that manages to maintain an astonishing and compelling readability throughout - aided, in no small part, by the fascinating ebb and flow of life in Renaissance Italy with all of the politics, theology, war, and culture that that entails.
Within that context, it captures the essence of Michelangelo’s brilliance, with well placed and produced illustrations of some of his most significant works, as well as providing an insight into the personality of the man, his motivations, quirks, and inspirations throughout his life. It captures the essence of his genius, and is a stunning read.
This is an incredibly well researched book, that manages to maintain an astonishing and compelling readability throughout - aided, in no small part, by the fascinating ebb and flow of life in Renaissance Italy with all of the politics, theology, war, and culture that that entails.
Within that context, it captures the essence of Michelangelo’s brilliance, with well placed and produced illustrations of some of his most significant works, as well as providing an insight into the personality of the man, his motivations, quirks, and inspirations throughout his life. It captures the essence of his genius, and is a stunning read.
wordsmithreads's review against another edition
4.0
Here's what I learned about Michelangelo reading this:
- His last name: Buonarroti
- He was 89 (!!) when he died
- He was most likely gay (even if he never had sex) but the men he was interested in were always Much Younger than him (though still consensual)
- He died in Rome and his body was smuggled in a car of hay back to Florence
- Sodomy was rampant in Florence
- Servants were expected to run alongside their masters on horses and some men could actually KEEP UP WITH HORSES RUNNING AT FULL TILT?? (this is likely the type of muscular man David is based on)
- He did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel and was a total drama queen about it, writing to his father: ‘I lead a miserable existence and do not care of life nor honour – that is, of this world; I live wearied by stupendous labours and beset by a thousand anxieties. And thus have I lived for some fifteen years now and never an hour’s happiness have I had, and all this have I done in order to help you, though you have never either recognized or believed it.’
- He finished very few works / would agree to finishing things but wouldn't actually do them
- He had a feud with da Vinci about what was better -- drawing or sculpting
- He was a poet and wrote a variety of things, including this poem about a woman: ‘You have a face sweeter than boiled grape juice,’ it begins, ‘it looks as if a snail had walked across it/It shines so much – and prettier than a turnip … When I look down upon each of your breasts they look like two watermelons in a bag.’
I enjoyed this, especially being in Rome/Florence while reading it. I was a bit lost in the timeline at times, but I feel like I have a better understanding of Michelangelo as a person and artist now.
- His last name: Buonarroti
- He was 89 (!!) when he died
- He was most likely gay (even if he never had sex) but the men he was interested in were always Much Younger than him (though still consensual)
- He died in Rome and his body was smuggled in a car of hay back to Florence
- Sodomy was rampant in Florence
- Servants were expected to run alongside their masters on horses and some men could actually KEEP UP WITH HORSES RUNNING AT FULL TILT?? (this is likely the type of muscular man David is based on)
- He did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel and was a total drama queen about it, writing to his father: ‘I lead a miserable existence and do not care of life nor honour – that is, of this world; I live wearied by stupendous labours and beset by a thousand anxieties. And thus have I lived for some fifteen years now and never an hour’s happiness have I had, and all this have I done in order to help you, though you have never either recognized or believed it.’
- He finished very few works / would agree to finishing things but wouldn't actually do them
- He had a feud with da Vinci about what was better -- drawing or sculpting
- He was a poet and wrote a variety of things, including this poem about a woman: ‘You have a face sweeter than boiled grape juice,’ it begins, ‘it looks as if a snail had walked across it/It shines so much – and prettier than a turnip … When I look down upon each of your breasts they look like two watermelons in a bag.’
I enjoyed this, especially being in Rome/Florence while reading it. I was a bit lost in the timeline at times, but I feel like I have a better understanding of Michelangelo as a person and artist now.
eatingfiction's review against another edition
3.0
This book is beautifully designed, with thick smooth paper and stunning full colour images and close ups of the work of Michelangelo and others this book discusses.
The text itself is dry and hard to get through. While it's fascinating, it's tedious, and often goes on tangents. But if you're interested, it may be worth flipping through at the very least.
The text itself is dry and hard to get through. While it's fascinating, it's tedious, and often goes on tangents. But if you're interested, it may be worth flipping through at the very least.
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