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Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
by: Ross King

List Price: £8.99

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9781844139323
ISBN: 1844139328
Label: Pimlico
Manufacturer: Pimlico
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: April 06, 2006
Publisher: Pimlico
Studio: Pimlico
Sales Rank: 181609

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Book nearly as good as the art work itself
I purchased this after reading the other recommendations on Amamzon before going to Rome and taking in this masterpiece and iconic Western civilisation work.

This book not only helped me enjoy the Chapel, but also appreciate and be informed of the wider religious, political and art scene of the time. The work of Michelangelo and other artists of the time, working in competition is neatly woven, as are other significant art works in the vatican. This book really enhanced my visit to the vatican and as stated, allowed for greater and a more enjoyable trip.

The style of this book in terms of writing style really make it an enjoyable read and it is probably the best book I have read. I am off to Florence and am about to ... Read More:

Rating:

- Good From All Perspectives
"Michelangelo And The Pope's Ceiling" tells the stories of the creation of Michelangelo's magnus opus and of the world in which he worked. It is a combination of biography, technical manual and social and art history.

The biography tells us of Michelangelo's life. We meet his family and gain an understand his training, his financial standing and his artistic history. I was surprised to learn that he was, primarily, a sculptor who was hired to build the tomb of Pope Julius II before being diverted into the ceiling project. The popular image of Michelangelo laying on his back while painting the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is repeatedly dismissed.

The technical manual introduces the reader to the techniques employed in ... Read More:

Rating:

- dearth of illustration
If ever a book called for supporting illustrated plates it's this one. The text, in respect of historical narrative and analysis is fine, but the colour plates cover only 7 pages which is demonstrably far too small. They frankly don't do the job, so anyone buying this book needs to have illustrations to hand, otherwise it is impossible to follow the text.
The black and white plates are a bit fuzzy, small and of average standard.

Rating:

- Wonderful - but more pics please
I loved this book. The Italian High Renaissance is my pet subject and as a consequence I've read more than a few books on Michelangelo and the famous ceiling. This is without a doubt the most 'readable', feeling almost like a novel in its un-put-downable quality. There's a good mix of detail about the fresco itself, the cultural and historic background in Rome and interesting comments on what Raphael was up to at the same time. My only criticism is that if you're not already very familiar with the fresco, and with other works mentioned in the book, or if you don't have alternative books to refer to, you will be frustrated by the lack of illustrations - there aren't nearly enough. Otherwise really excellent. Looking forward to reading Brunelleschi's ... Read More:

Rating:

- Mr. King Stays on Point
I enjoy reading biographies and Mr. King is one of the better writers when documenting those periods of European History he chooses. He wrote a wonderful book about Brunelleschi, and now offers readers and even more ambitious work on Michelangelo and Pope Julius II. Many writers seem to often stray, and are too sweeping and inclusive of other persons and events that also took place during the time they are documenting. Mr. King gives enough information to keep his subjects and their pursuits in context without diluting the premise of his books.

The painting of the Sistine Chapel may seem like too well worn a subject for another book but the author dispels so many misconceptions about the events that were involved in this creation that his ... Read More:

Books : Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling