Michelangelo

About this book

A glorious exploration of Michelangelos complete works Before reaching the tender age of thirty Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) had already sculpted David and Pita two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. Like fellow Florentine Leonardo da Vinci Michelangelo was a shining star of the Renaissance and a genius of consummate virtuosity. His achievements as a sculptor painter draughtsman and architect are uniqueno artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast multi-faceted and wide-ranging oeuvre. Only a handful of other painters and sculptors have attained a comparable social status and enjoyed a similar artistic freedom. This is demonstrated not only by the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel but also by Michelangelos monumental sculptures and his unconventional architectural designs whose forms went far beyond the accepted vocabulary of his day. Such was his talent that Michelangelo was considered a demigod by his contemporaries and was the subject of two biographies during his lifetime. Adoration of this remarkable mans work has only increased on the intervening centuries. The present special edition a smaller version of TASCHENs XL title Michelangelo explores Michelangelos life and work in depth and detail. The different parts of the book concentrate on the life of Michelangelo via an extensive and copiously illustrated biographical essay and include gorgeous full page reproductions and enlarged details that bring readers up close to the works. This sumptuous tome also takes account to a previously unseen extent of Michelangelos more personal traits and circumstances such as his solitary nature his thirst for money and commissions his miserliness his immense wealth and his skill as a property investor. In addition the book tackles the controversial issue of the attribution of Michelangelo drawings an area in which decisions continue to be steered by the interests of the art market and the major collections. This is the definitive volume about Michelangelo for generations to come.