Michelangelo

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 .

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 .

In dem vor Vitalität berstenden Stadtstaat Florenz des 16. Jahrhunderts kämpfte eines der universalen Genies der Menschheitsgeschichte wie ein Titan gegen Kardinäle, Fürsten und Päpste. Rivalitäten mit berühmten Zeitgenossen wie Leonardo da Vinci und Raffael machten ihm das Leben ebenso schwer wie seine eigene dämonische Natur. In den Wirren einer zwischen üppigem Prunk und ständigen Kriegen zerrissenen Zeit schuf Michelangelo, «Gottes eigenes Kind», sein unsterbliches Werk. Irving Stones Romanbiographie ist zugleich ein Porträt der bewegten Epoche der italienischen Renaissance.

Very few artists can claim such lasting and worldwide fame and importance as Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564). The nickname il divino (“the divine one”) has been applied to him since the 1530s right through to today: his achievements as a sculptor, painter, and architect remain unparalleled and his creations are among the best-known artworks in the world. This Bibliotheca Universalis edition is devoted to the artist’s graphic work , a testimony to his masterly command of line, form, and detail, from architectural studies to anatomically perfect figures. The book brings together some of the artist’s finest drawings from museums and collections around the world as well as some of his own notes and revisions , offering stunning proximity not only to the ambition and scope of Michelangelo’s practice but also his working process. A chapter with a compilation of newly attributed and reattributed drawings provides further insights into Michelangelo’s varied graphic oeuvre and the ongoing exploration of his genius.

Very few artists can claim such lasting and worldwide fame and importance as Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564). The nickname il divino (“the divine one”) has been applied to him since the 1530s right through to today: his achievements as a sculptor, painter, and architect remain unparalleled and his creations are among the best-known artworks in the world. This Bibliotheca Universalis edition is devoted to the artist’s graphic work , a testimony to his masterly command of line, form, and detail, from architectural studies to anatomically perfect figures. The book brings together some of the artist’s finest drawings from museums and collections around the world as well as some of his own notes and revisions , offering stunning proximity not only to the ambition and scope of Michelangelo’s practice but also his working process. A chapter with a compilation of newly attributed and reattributed drawings provides further insights into Michelangelo’s varied graphic oeuvre and the ongoing exploration of his genius.

Before reaching the tender age of 30, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) had already sculpted Pietà and David , two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. As a sculptor, painter, draftsman, and architect, the achievements of this Italian master are unique— no artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast, multifaceted, and wide-ranging œuvre . This fresh TASCHEN edition traces Michelangelo’s ascent to the cultural elite of the Renaissance. Ten richly illustrated chapters cover the artist’s paintings, sculptures, and architecture, including a close analysis of the artist’s tour de force frescoes in the Sistine Chapel . Full-page reproductions and enlarged details allow readers to appreciate the finest details in the artist’s repertoire, while the book’s biographical essay considers Michelangelo’s more personal traits and circumstances, such as his solitary nature, his thirst for money and commissions, his immense wealth, and his skill as a property investor.

Before reaching the tender age of 30, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) had already sculpted Pietà and David , two of the most famous sculptures in the entire history of art. As a sculptor, painter, draftsman, and architect, the achievements of this Italian master are unique— no artist before or after him has ever produced such a vast, multifaceted, and wide-ranging œuvre . This fresh TASCHEN edition traces Michelangelo’s ascent to the cultural elite of the Renaissance. Ten richly illustrated chapters cover the artist’s paintings, sculptures, and architecture, including a close analysis of the artist’s tour de force frescoes in the Sistine Chapel . Full-page reproductions and enlarged details allow readers to appreciate the finest details in the artist’s repertoire, while the book’s biographical essay considers Michelangelo’s more personal traits and circumstances, such as his solitary nature, his thirst for money and commissions, his immense wealth, and his skill as a property investor.