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Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces
This is the life of one of the most revolutionary artists in history, told through the story of six of his greatest masterpieces: “The one indispensable guide for encountering Michelangelo on his home turf” ( The Dallas Morning News ).
Michelangelo stands alone as a master of painting, sculpture, and architecture, a man who reinvented the practice of art itself. Throughout his long career he clashed with patrons by insisting that he had no master but his own demanding muse. Michelangelo was ambitious, egotistical, and difficult, but through the towering force of genius and through sheer pugnaciousness, he transformed the way we think about art.
Miles Unger narrates the life of this tormented genius through six of his greatest masterpieces. Each work expanded the expressive range of the medium, from the Pietà carved by a brash young man of twenty-four, to the apocalyptic Last Judgment , the work of an old man weighed down by the unimaginable suffering he had witnessed. In the gargantuan David he depicts Man in the glory of his youth, while in the tombs he carved for his Medici overlords he offers perhaps history’s most sustained meditation on death and the afterlife of the soul. In the vast expanse of the Sistine Chapel ceiling he tells the epic story of Creation. During the final decades of his life, his hands too unsteady to wield the brush and chisel, he exercised his mind by raising the soaring vaults and dome of St. Peter’s in a final tribute to his God.
“A deeply human tribute to one of the most accomplished and fascinating figures inthe history of Western culture” ( The Boston Globe ), Michelangelo brings to life the irascible, egotistical, and undeniably brilliant man whose artistry continues to amaze and inspire us after five hundred years.
Michelangelo stands alone as a master of painting, sculpture, and architecture, a man who reinvented the practice of art itself. Throughout his long career he clashed with patrons by insisting that he had no master but his own demanding muse. Michelangelo was ambitious, egotistical, and difficult, but through the towering force of genius and through sheer pugnaciousness, he transformed the way we think about art.
Miles Unger narrates the life of this tormented genius through six of his greatest masterpieces. Each work expanded the expressive range of the medium, from the Pietà carved by a brash young man of twenty-four, to the apocalyptic Last Judgment , the work of an old man weighed down by the unimaginable suffering he had witnessed. In the gargantuan David he depicts Man in the glory of his youth, while in the tombs he carved for his Medici overlords he offers perhaps history’s most sustained meditation on death and the afterlife of the soul. In the vast expanse of the Sistine Chapel ceiling he tells the epic story of Creation. During the final decades of his life, his hands too unsteady to wield the brush and chisel, he exercised his mind by raising the soaring vaults and dome of St. Peter’s in a final tribute to his God.
“A deeply human tribute to one of the most accomplished and fascinating figures inthe history of Western culture” ( The Boston Globe ), Michelangelo brings to life the irascible, egotistical, and undeniably brilliant man whose artistry continues to amaze and inspire us after five hundred years.
448 pages, Paperback
First published July 22, 2014
183 people are currently reading
1727 people want to read
About the author
Miles J. Unger
10 books81 followers"Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces"is the culmination of a life-long passion for the art and culture of Italy. As a child, I spent five years in Florence, and I have been haunted by the beauty and storied past of this most remarkable of cities ever since.
Over the years I have written for "The New York Times", "The Boston Globe," "The Washington Post", as well as numerous art magazines. For the past decade I've concentrated on the culture and history of the Italian Renaissance, writing biographies of three of the giants of the age: Lorenzo de' Medici ("Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici"); Machiavelli ("Machiavelli: A Biography"); and now Michelangelo ("Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces"). The last in this Renaissance trilogy is perhaps nearest and dearest to my heart, a labor of love and a tribute to the transcendent, unpredictable, and often difficult nature of genius.
Over the years I have written for "The New York Times", "The Boston Globe," "The Washington Post", as well as numerous art magazines. For the past decade I've concentrated on the culture and history of the Italian Renaissance, writing biographies of three of the giants of the age: Lorenzo de' Medici ("Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici"); Machiavelli ("Machiavelli: A Biography"); and now Michelangelo ("Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces"). The last in this Renaissance trilogy is perhaps nearest and dearest to my heart, a labor of love and a tribute to the transcendent, unpredictable, and often difficult nature of genius.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
November 26, 2019
Occasionally redundant but self-correcting, this is a good biography of Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces. I enjoyed the insights into the Medici Chapel in San Lorenzo in particular, but feel that at times the tone was annoyingly colloquial and there were too many references to modern American culture which sort of alienates readers from, say, Europe where Michelangelo spent his entire life. I ordered Forcellino’s biography because I loved the one he wrote about Raphael: A Passionate Life.
After a brief exposé about his childhood in the San Marco gardens with several of the Medici sons who play parts in his life later, the approach here is to look at Michelangelo via focusing on six of his masterpieces. The six works he chooses to illustrate Michelangelo's long and extraordinarily complex life are:
1/ The Pietà (Saint Peter's, Rome) - one of three Pietas completed in sculpture by Michelangelo (alongside the Pietà Bandini in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence and the Pietà Rondanini in the Sforza Castle in Milan) and clearly the most famous, it was damaged by a deranged visitor and is now behind a highly reflective bullet-proof glass protection making it hard to appreciate. It is also swarmed by selfie-taking hordes of tourists, so to fully appreciate it, one must read up on it and look at photos and then try to get into Saint Peter's at the opening before the crowds roll in (I suggest a similar approach to Mona Lisa here in Paris.) Unger does do a nice job of describing this masterpiece and the steps leading to its realization. It is important to remember two key facts about Michelangelo's family origins in order to fully appreciate his work: his ancestors were stonemasons (thus his predilection for marble) and the family had formerly noble origins but had fallen into ruin (thus Michelangelo's restless quest to repolish the family arms and re-establish the family's glory.) This one work made Michelangelo an international superstar and the most reclaimed artist of his time. Unfortunately, his temperament was irascible and consumed by passion while retained by guilt meaning that despite the greater and greater heights to which his genius climbed, it was a lonely road fraught with conflicts and bitter struggles.
2/ David (Accademia, Florence) - this piece leap-frogged the David of Donatello and can be thought of having finally surpassed the excellence of Greek and Roman classical sculpture. It is absolutely stunning in real life - and perhaps, along with the Medici Tombs, the most accessible of the pieces described here because of the clever placement in the long and wide hall of the Accademia and the fact that the crowds are all queuing at the nearby Duomo rather than here, so you run less risk of having an eye put out by a selfie-stick. Unger does a nice job describing the work here and the laborious process of moving David from in front of the Duomo (upon which it was originally intended to sit overlooking the Baptistery) to Piazza Signoria (today replaced by a copy).
3/ Creation (Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican Museums, Rome) - the story of the Sistine ceiling merits a while sub-genre of historical fiction because it is so incredibly legendary. To fully appreciate it, however, is quite complicated because it is nearly always full to the gills with tourists and the hapless guards grumpily screaming "No photos! Silence! Be quiet! Hey, you, I said no photos!" as you are jostled and elbowed and squeezed in. One tip is to go there for the noctural visits (Fridays only from April to October, see http://www.museivaticani.va/content/m...) and wait until about 10:15 when the tourists have fled to eat pizza near Castello Sant'Angelo or along the Tiber. You will not be allowed to lie down on the floor, unfortunately, but at least you can move around and try to take in the piece bit by bit. I am thinking of buying rock-climbing glasses for my next trip there! (https://www.sport-conrad.com/en/produ...). Unger does a good job of contextualizing the work and the composition of this massive fresco.
4/ The Medici Tombs (New Sacristy in San Lorenzo, Florence) - these are relatively easy to visit as long as you realize that it has a separate ticket from the Laurentine Library and San Lorenzo proper - the entrance is in the back of the church. The chapel itself is gorgeous if somber and the sculpture uniquely morbid and utterly amazing. I thought the description here was lacking (compared to that of Michelangelo: A Tormented Life), but still interesting.
5/ The Last Judgement(Sistine Chapel western wall, Rome) - of course, this is hard to miss when you are already in the Vatican having survived the crowds and having gone down innumerable hallways (the Egyptian Museum, the Belvedere, Raphael's Stanzas) to get to the Sistine. You will first be drawn to the ceiling (see #3 above) but then you will turn around to see the massive wall and focus on the massive frescoed wall that you passed underneath when entering the chapel. The description here by Unger was better. And it is an impossibly modern composition that can only be fully appreciated late on a Friday night when the crowds have wandered off. The Pauline Chapel which he painted soon after this project are sadly closed to the public, but display a similar force in their humanism and expressionism.
6/ St Peter's Cathedral and Piazza, Rome - with all the security measures in place, the scaffolding and the serpentine lines of tourists, the Piazza is truly difficult to appreciate as is the facade of St Peters which Michelangelo designed after Sangello and Raphael died. Inside St Peters, the crowds are mind-bogglingly huge and selfie-obsessed. I had a really hard time appreciating anything as I was always distracted by the tourist groups and the selfie-sticks. I have not figured out the right time to visit this church in order to appreciate at least thirty seconds of calm. It is impossibly massive inside and so overflowing with art and history that I found it overwhelming. I'll have to go back.
Unger's book makes choices in terms of how the narrative is constructed (which pieces are discussed at length and which are passed over), but still it is a valuable and readable biography about this incredibly important Renaissance artist.
After a brief exposé about his childhood in the San Marco gardens with several of the Medici sons who play parts in his life later, the approach here is to look at Michelangelo via focusing on six of his masterpieces. The six works he chooses to illustrate Michelangelo's long and extraordinarily complex life are:
1/ The Pietà (Saint Peter's, Rome) - one of three Pietas completed in sculpture by Michelangelo (alongside the Pietà Bandini in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence and the Pietà Rondanini in the Sforza Castle in Milan) and clearly the most famous, it was damaged by a deranged visitor and is now behind a highly reflective bullet-proof glass protection making it hard to appreciate. It is also swarmed by selfie-taking hordes of tourists, so to fully appreciate it, one must read up on it and look at photos and then try to get into Saint Peter's at the opening before the crowds roll in (I suggest a similar approach to Mona Lisa here in Paris.) Unger does do a nice job of describing this masterpiece and the steps leading to its realization. It is important to remember two key facts about Michelangelo's family origins in order to fully appreciate his work: his ancestors were stonemasons (thus his predilection for marble) and the family had formerly noble origins but had fallen into ruin (thus Michelangelo's restless quest to repolish the family arms and re-establish the family's glory.) This one work made Michelangelo an international superstar and the most reclaimed artist of his time. Unfortunately, his temperament was irascible and consumed by passion while retained by guilt meaning that despite the greater and greater heights to which his genius climbed, it was a lonely road fraught with conflicts and bitter struggles.
2/ David (Accademia, Florence) - this piece leap-frogged the David of Donatello and can be thought of having finally surpassed the excellence of Greek and Roman classical sculpture. It is absolutely stunning in real life - and perhaps, along with the Medici Tombs, the most accessible of the pieces described here because of the clever placement in the long and wide hall of the Accademia and the fact that the crowds are all queuing at the nearby Duomo rather than here, so you run less risk of having an eye put out by a selfie-stick. Unger does a nice job describing the work here and the laborious process of moving David from in front of the Duomo (upon which it was originally intended to sit overlooking the Baptistery) to Piazza Signoria (today replaced by a copy).
3/ Creation (Sistine Chapel ceiling, Vatican Museums, Rome) - the story of the Sistine ceiling merits a while sub-genre of historical fiction because it is so incredibly legendary. To fully appreciate it, however, is quite complicated because it is nearly always full to the gills with tourists and the hapless guards grumpily screaming "No photos! Silence! Be quiet! Hey, you, I said no photos!" as you are jostled and elbowed and squeezed in. One tip is to go there for the noctural visits (Fridays only from April to October, see http://www.museivaticani.va/content/m...) and wait until about 10:15 when the tourists have fled to eat pizza near Castello Sant'Angelo or along the Tiber. You will not be allowed to lie down on the floor, unfortunately, but at least you can move around and try to take in the piece bit by bit. I am thinking of buying rock-climbing glasses for my next trip there! (https://www.sport-conrad.com/en/produ...). Unger does a good job of contextualizing the work and the composition of this massive fresco.
4/ The Medici Tombs (New Sacristy in San Lorenzo, Florence) - these are relatively easy to visit as long as you realize that it has a separate ticket from the Laurentine Library and San Lorenzo proper - the entrance is in the back of the church. The chapel itself is gorgeous if somber and the sculpture uniquely morbid and utterly amazing. I thought the description here was lacking (compared to that of Michelangelo: A Tormented Life), but still interesting.
5/ The Last Judgement(Sistine Chapel western wall, Rome) - of course, this is hard to miss when you are already in the Vatican having survived the crowds and having gone down innumerable hallways (the Egyptian Museum, the Belvedere, Raphael's Stanzas) to get to the Sistine. You will first be drawn to the ceiling (see #3 above) but then you will turn around to see the massive wall and focus on the massive frescoed wall that you passed underneath when entering the chapel. The description here by Unger was better. And it is an impossibly modern composition that can only be fully appreciated late on a Friday night when the crowds have wandered off. The Pauline Chapel which he painted soon after this project are sadly closed to the public, but display a similar force in their humanism and expressionism.
6/ St Peter's Cathedral and Piazza, Rome - with all the security measures in place, the scaffolding and the serpentine lines of tourists, the Piazza is truly difficult to appreciate as is the facade of St Peters which Michelangelo designed after Sangello and Raphael died. Inside St Peters, the crowds are mind-bogglingly huge and selfie-obsessed. I had a really hard time appreciating anything as I was always distracted by the tourist groups and the selfie-sticks. I have not figured out the right time to visit this church in order to appreciate at least thirty seconds of calm. It is impossibly massive inside and so overflowing with art and history that I found it overwhelming. I'll have to go back.
Unger's book makes choices in terms of how the narrative is constructed (which pieces are discussed at length and which are passed over), but still it is a valuable and readable biography about this incredibly important Renaissance artist.
December 28, 2014
He was prickly. And he was paranoid. He was courageous in and for his art yet was a coward in the face of physical threat. He was less concerned about money than fame. He was secretive and had few friends. He could be disingenuous and prone to sarcasm.
That pretty much ends any similarities with the reviewer. For Michelangelo was a true genius, imaging things unlike anyone else.
This is a superb biography and also an art study. The life of Michelangelo is told but there is also an analysis of his six (in the author's opinion) greatest works: the Pieta, David, the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, the Tombs of the Medici, The Last Judgment and St. Peter's Basilica. So there is Michelangelo: painter, sculptor, architect; and there is Michelangelo: son, brother, uncle, a man of Florence. He loved the nude male form, and lived in torment. He was subject to changing politics and power. His unfinished works are as prized as those he completed. His greatest sculptures have been vandalized; his greatest paintings retouched by lesser hands; his buildings finished in competing styles.
This life is well-told here, a book both instructive and entertaining. There's beauty in the telling.
Of the Pieta:
This symbolic function helps explain Mary's calm demeanor, for Michelangelo's Pieta is not meant to conjure the moment in history when Christ's body was taken down from the Cross and placed in his mother's lap, but rather the entire arc of history in which Man's fall was redeemed through the death that makes possible our eternal life.
Of David:
David, for all his self-assurance, is a verb, not a noun; he represents a state of becoming rather than of being, defined by a supreme act of will. His identity is not complete but forged in battle driven by a fierce spirit.
Of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling:
Michelangelo is an artist, not a pedant, a conjurer of sacred mysteries rather than a transcriber of received wisdom. He is a profound but unsystematic and unorthodox reader of Scripture, reveling in the unexpected, flirting with heresy, celebrating his own illicit passions and exploring morbid pathologies.
Of the Medici Tombs:
Michelangelo plays a kind of conceptual peekaboo throughout the chapel in which he cuts against the grain of our expectations. His fascination with visual paradox extends to sculptural elements that are deliberately unresolved, strained, or even contradictory. Perhaps the most obvious example involves the strange costumes he has chosen for the two dukes. Despite the fact that both wear ornate cuirasses, their chest muscles and the fleshy creases of their bellies are clearly delineated as if their armor were nothing more than a sheer, skin-tight fabric. Such garments have no historical or practical justification, but they reinforce that disquieting sense that we have entered a realm where the laws that govern everyday life no longer apply. Like the false doors and broken pediments, the ducal armor exists as pure symbol, stripped of any functional role, as if to highlight the fact that these two men are warriors in name only, their battles more metaphysical than real.
Of The Last Judgment:
Before the Protestants and the Catholic reformers revealed that grace could not be bought, the path to heaven had been well marked; it was even supplied with toll booths that allowed the faithful to proceed onward and upward after the payment of a nominal fee. The clergy served as both toll collectors and traffic cops, and the rites they administered constituted rules of the road that all could follow. Michelangelo has done away with this neat, well-regulated scheme. All is chaos.
Of the Basilica:
Nowhere can Michelangelo's unmatched feeling for sculptural form -- for imparting to obdurate matter an almost sexual element of tumescence as stone seems imbued with pulsing life -- be seen to greater effect, as the great stone vaults yearn skyward in a climax that is equal parts sensual and spiritual.
And so, Felix Unger's structural device here helps explain the subject and his works. Michelangelo soars once again.
That pretty much ends any similarities with the reviewer. For Michelangelo was a true genius, imaging things unlike anyone else.
This is a superb biography and also an art study. The life of Michelangelo is told but there is also an analysis of his six (in the author's opinion) greatest works: the Pieta, David, the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, the Tombs of the Medici, The Last Judgment and St. Peter's Basilica. So there is Michelangelo: painter, sculptor, architect; and there is Michelangelo: son, brother, uncle, a man of Florence. He loved the nude male form, and lived in torment. He was subject to changing politics and power. His unfinished works are as prized as those he completed. His greatest sculptures have been vandalized; his greatest paintings retouched by lesser hands; his buildings finished in competing styles.
This life is well-told here, a book both instructive and entertaining. There's beauty in the telling.
Of the Pieta:
This symbolic function helps explain Mary's calm demeanor, for Michelangelo's Pieta is not meant to conjure the moment in history when Christ's body was taken down from the Cross and placed in his mother's lap, but rather the entire arc of history in which Man's fall was redeemed through the death that makes possible our eternal life.
Of David:
David, for all his self-assurance, is a verb, not a noun; he represents a state of becoming rather than of being, defined by a supreme act of will. His identity is not complete but forged in battle driven by a fierce spirit.
Of the Sistine Chapel Ceiling:
Michelangelo is an artist, not a pedant, a conjurer of sacred mysteries rather than a transcriber of received wisdom. He is a profound but unsystematic and unorthodox reader of Scripture, reveling in the unexpected, flirting with heresy, celebrating his own illicit passions and exploring morbid pathologies.
Of the Medici Tombs:
Michelangelo plays a kind of conceptual peekaboo throughout the chapel in which he cuts against the grain of our expectations. His fascination with visual paradox extends to sculptural elements that are deliberately unresolved, strained, or even contradictory. Perhaps the most obvious example involves the strange costumes he has chosen for the two dukes. Despite the fact that both wear ornate cuirasses, their chest muscles and the fleshy creases of their bellies are clearly delineated as if their armor were nothing more than a sheer, skin-tight fabric. Such garments have no historical or practical justification, but they reinforce that disquieting sense that we have entered a realm where the laws that govern everyday life no longer apply. Like the false doors and broken pediments, the ducal armor exists as pure symbol, stripped of any functional role, as if to highlight the fact that these two men are warriors in name only, their battles more metaphysical than real.
Of The Last Judgment:
Before the Protestants and the Catholic reformers revealed that grace could not be bought, the path to heaven had been well marked; it was even supplied with toll booths that allowed the faithful to proceed onward and upward after the payment of a nominal fee. The clergy served as both toll collectors and traffic cops, and the rites they administered constituted rules of the road that all could follow. Michelangelo has done away with this neat, well-regulated scheme. All is chaos.
Of the Basilica:
Nowhere can Michelangelo's unmatched feeling for sculptural form -- for imparting to obdurate matter an almost sexual element of tumescence as stone seems imbued with pulsing life -- be seen to greater effect, as the great stone vaults yearn skyward in a climax that is equal parts sensual and spiritual.
And so, Felix Unger's structural device here helps explain the subject and his works. Michelangelo soars once again.
November 29, 2014
Through 6 representative works, Miles Unger tells the life of Michelangelo Buonarotti. There are informative transitions, so despite the focus on the 6 pieces, the biography is seamless. While the narrative incorporates the author's scholarship on the times, papal history and art history and appreciation the book is highly readable.
For each of the 6 works you come to understand how the work came to be, Michelangelo's personal and professional life at the time and the political backdrop. Design and technical issues are given, but the highlight for me was the discussion of content and how it related to Michelangelo's outlook and mood and the changing climate of the world around him. The very best of this is the highly controversial "The End of Time".
There are cameos for Rafael and Di Vinci both of whom are shown to be objects of jealousy. Michelangelo's family is shown as a dependent and quarrelsome lot, proud of its "name" despite its fallen status. There is a narrative for each of the 5 popes (there were 9 in his productive live) he served and survived and how each papal transition meant a new political mine field for an artist dependent on noble and curial patronage.
The times are turbulent. There are wars, including those waged by popes. Michelangelo's native Florence is besieged by its former leading family which has changed a republic to a dukedom. Rome is sacked by Charles V. These are only a few of the violent events.
Ungar has a feel for his subject's prickly personality which he sometimes interprets from events and other times allows to come through in Michelangelo's own words. For his limited academic education his letter writing and poetry (yes, many sonnets and other forms) show a high degree of literacy.
The book begins with maps of Rome and Florence and concludes with a guide for seeing the artist's work in these two cities. There are color plates of the items of interest with many black and white pictures of the art work, sketches of the people, sites, drawings etc. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page. Usually I was caught in the narrative and skipped them; those I did catch were worthwhile asides.
Ungar brings Michelangelo and his times together. For just under 400 pages, there is a staggering amount of content. Both those who know the work of the artist and the general biography reader will find a lot here. Highly recommended.
For each of the 6 works you come to understand how the work came to be, Michelangelo's personal and professional life at the time and the political backdrop. Design and technical issues are given, but the highlight for me was the discussion of content and how it related to Michelangelo's outlook and mood and the changing climate of the world around him. The very best of this is the highly controversial "The End of Time".
There are cameos for Rafael and Di Vinci both of whom are shown to be objects of jealousy. Michelangelo's family is shown as a dependent and quarrelsome lot, proud of its "name" despite its fallen status. There is a narrative for each of the 5 popes (there were 9 in his productive live) he served and survived and how each papal transition meant a new political mine field for an artist dependent on noble and curial patronage.
The times are turbulent. There are wars, including those waged by popes. Michelangelo's native Florence is besieged by its former leading family which has changed a republic to a dukedom. Rome is sacked by Charles V. These are only a few of the violent events.
Ungar has a feel for his subject's prickly personality which he sometimes interprets from events and other times allows to come through in Michelangelo's own words. For his limited academic education his letter writing and poetry (yes, many sonnets and other forms) show a high degree of literacy.
The book begins with maps of Rome and Florence and concludes with a guide for seeing the artist's work in these two cities. There are color plates of the items of interest with many black and white pictures of the art work, sketches of the people, sites, drawings etc. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page. Usually I was caught in the narrative and skipped them; those I did catch were worthwhile asides.
Ungar brings Michelangelo and his times together. For just under 400 pages, there is a staggering amount of content. Both those who know the work of the artist and the general biography reader will find a lot here. Highly recommended.
November 21, 2025
I really liked this biography and how it was laid out chronologically by eras of his artistic work. The theme the author lays down is that Michelangelo blazed the trail for the ability of an artist to follow their muse instead of only pleasing a patron, and to be accepted in society not as a craftsman or "blue collar" servant, but as an "artist" with nobility of soul imbued with God's grace, or in today's term, "genius." We get history of the Renaissance, some of the politics of the day, the several popes who impacted Michelangelo's life and work, and the portrait of an irascible, stubborn artist jealous of his reputation and professional integrity.
Taught to be leery of discussions about what art "means," it was nevertheless very engaging to follow Unger's ideas on how the master's work reflected the times, including the flowering of the Renaissance, the rise and fall of the Medici and Savonarola, and the Luther cataclysm and conservative backlash against art within the Church's response.
A long read with time out to look at other books and online references to study the pieces, with a chance to learn a lot and appreciate the impact one artist has made on the world, and that 500 years later there are still books and essays and articles being published about him.
I read it on Kindle but I think it would have been nice to have it on paper to make flipping to the photos more tangible. Lucky I had Jesse McDonald's hardback Michelangelo art book to flip through.
Taught to be leery of discussions about what art "means," it was nevertheless very engaging to follow Unger's ideas on how the master's work reflected the times, including the flowering of the Renaissance, the rise and fall of the Medici and Savonarola, and the Luther cataclysm and conservative backlash against art within the Church's response.
A long read with time out to look at other books and online references to study the pieces, with a chance to learn a lot and appreciate the impact one artist has made on the world, and that 500 years later there are still books and essays and articles being published about him.
I read it on Kindle but I think it would have been nice to have it on paper to make flipping to the photos more tangible. Lucky I had Jesse McDonald's hardback Michelangelo art book to flip through.
July 3, 2017
I picked this book almost at random from my local library. I haven't given Michelangelo and the Renaissance two thoughts since my introductory humanities class in college. However, I discovered that, despite not thinking very much about Michelangelo, I had formed a concrete and completely inaccurate conception of him. For example, I was shocked to discover that Michelangelo had a last name! And siblings! I was also surprised to learn that he wasn't a pale skinned, muscled mammoth of a man, but rather, a swarthy, scrawny ugly man with a crooked nose. I was impressed that Michelangelo spent an entire year dissecting cadavers just so that he could sculpt anatomy correctly. That's dedication.
As the title suggests, the biography spends most of it's time on six of Michelangelo's most famous works: his first Pieta, the David, the Sistine Chapel, the Medici Tombs, The Final Judgement, and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.These are presented in chronological order and placed in reference to Michelangelo's personal life and the greater political and economic situation in Europe. I'm under the impression that all of Michelangelo's known works are mentioned.
The biography can, at times, be rather sparse. There is a lot of telling and not showing about Michelangelo's prickly personality. However a highlight of the book is quote from the man who, so fed up with the artist, crushed Michelangelo's nose with this fist and then bragged about it for the rest of his life. The author is more interested in the art and the book contains several glossy, high quality photographs of each of the signature works along with lower quality, black and white photographs of his other work. Some of the more metaphysical discussion of each art piece went over my head. But I really enjoyed the discussion of the physics of the different pieces. I also really enjoyed the discussion of how The Last Judgement painting is a response to Martin Luther's Reformation as well as to Michelangelo's own spiritual re-awakening.
As the title suggests, the biography spends most of it's time on six of Michelangelo's most famous works: his first Pieta, the David, the Sistine Chapel, the Medici Tombs, The Final Judgement, and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.These are presented in chronological order and placed in reference to Michelangelo's personal life and the greater political and economic situation in Europe. I'm under the impression that all of Michelangelo's known works are mentioned.
The biography can, at times, be rather sparse. There is a lot of telling and not showing about Michelangelo's prickly personality. However a highlight of the book is quote from the man who, so fed up with the artist, crushed Michelangelo's nose with this fist and then bragged about it for the rest of his life. The author is more interested in the art and the book contains several glossy, high quality photographs of each of the signature works along with lower quality, black and white photographs of his other work. Some of the more metaphysical discussion of each art piece went over my head. But I really enjoyed the discussion of the physics of the different pieces. I also really enjoyed the discussion of how The Last Judgement painting is a response to Martin Luther's Reformation as well as to Michelangelo's own spiritual re-awakening.
August 18, 2014
One of my favourite types of biographies would be those that center around topics, rather than narrating the chronological history of a person. For example, The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things did this perfectly. So when I saw Michelangelo, A Life in Six Masterpieces, I had to request it.
This biography of Michelangelo takes six of his masterpieces and uses them as the focus for a particular section of Michelangelo's life. The six pieces in question are: The Pieta, David, The Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgement, the tombs he carved for the Medici and the vaults and dome of St. Peter.
Mixed in with the biography are plenty of analysis of the six pieces, using the historical context as a base for extracting meaning. I liked reading the analysis, but I've always been terrible at analysing art, so I have no idea if they're accurate (or even conventional).
Personally, I liked the first few chapters much better than the last few. The first few chapters felt much more closely tied to the work in question, but the last few chapters felt as though they were trying to cram in as much information about Michelangelo's life as possible.
But, I guess I shouldn't complain about that, because Michelangelo's a fascinating guy. This is the first biography of him that I've read, and I've found out so much about him. I knew he was a perfectionist, but I didn't expect him to be this fussy and temperamental (as well as so enthusiastic about editing his own history).
This book is for fans of Michelangelo, and art history students. I found it to be an interesting book, and I learnt a lot from it.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
This biography of Michelangelo takes six of his masterpieces and uses them as the focus for a particular section of Michelangelo's life. The six pieces in question are: The Pieta, David, The Sistine Chapel, The Last Judgement, the tombs he carved for the Medici and the vaults and dome of St. Peter.
Mixed in with the biography are plenty of analysis of the six pieces, using the historical context as a base for extracting meaning. I liked reading the analysis, but I've always been terrible at analysing art, so I have no idea if they're accurate (or even conventional).
Personally, I liked the first few chapters much better than the last few. The first few chapters felt much more closely tied to the work in question, but the last few chapters felt as though they were trying to cram in as much information about Michelangelo's life as possible.
But, I guess I shouldn't complain about that, because Michelangelo's a fascinating guy. This is the first biography of him that I've read, and I've found out so much about him. I knew he was a perfectionist, but I didn't expect him to be this fussy and temperamental (as well as so enthusiastic about editing his own history).
This book is for fans of Michelangelo, and art history students. I found it to be an interesting book, and I learnt a lot from it.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
August 9, 2014
I have always had a fascination for art and art history. It may be due to my mother’s influence—I spent the better part of my childhood being dragged from museum to museum, gallery to gallery while my mom worked on her degree in Fine Arts. Or it may be because the lives of the artists themselves were so interesting to me. I suspect it may be a mix of the two. Michelangelo was one of a select group of artists my mom could spend hours talking about. As an adult I was able to see up close the sculptures and paintings I had seen in my mom’s art books. And while I knew a lot about Michelangelo’s work, I knew very little about the man. So when the opportunity arose to read Miles J. Unger’s labor of love, “Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces”, I was thrilled.
From the beginning I could tell that the author was truly passionate about Michelangelo and took great care to portray his life as honestly as possible. To achieve this, he used letters from the artist, his family, his friends, and his contemporaries. Unger does a fantastic job balancing each perspective to separate the legend from the man, which must have been a difficult task because not only was Michelangelo a gifted artist but he was also gifted in self-promotion.
The six title pieces are: The Pietà, David, The Sistine Chapel ceiling, The Medici Chapel, The Last Judgment, and St. Peter's Basilica. The author does discuss many of Michelangelo’s other works but they are used to show the artists growth or to add perspective in regard to the timeline. Of the six pieces featured I have personally seen five. The one I did not see was the Medici Chapel, it was on my list of places to see but morning sickness, the line to see David, the train schedule, and the best strawberries and cream ever, prevented me from seeing it.
What I enjoyed the most was reading about how Michelangelo evolved as an artist and reading about the little behind the scenes details about some of his most famous pieces. I know that art doesn’t just appear, but sometimes you forget the amount of work and the difficulties that went into each piece. It put a lot of things in perspective and gave me a whole new appreciation for his art and the art of his contemporaries.
Unger’s writing was fluid and engaging. Michelangelo was a pleasure to read and I plan on reading the author’s other works on Lorenzo de Medici and Machiavelli, and I hope to see more from him in the future. Anyone interested in art, art history, the Renaissance, Italy, or biographies will enjoy this book.
For this review I was provided a digital copy from NetGalley, which had some formatting issues but I was so engrossed in the book that I was able to overlook most of the issues. I really loved this book. So much so, that I have ordered the print copy to add to my collection—if my mom doesn’t steal from me first.
You can see this and more reviews on my blog Latte-Books
From the beginning I could tell that the author was truly passionate about Michelangelo and took great care to portray his life as honestly as possible. To achieve this, he used letters from the artist, his family, his friends, and his contemporaries. Unger does a fantastic job balancing each perspective to separate the legend from the man, which must have been a difficult task because not only was Michelangelo a gifted artist but he was also gifted in self-promotion.
The six title pieces are: The Pietà, David, The Sistine Chapel ceiling, The Medici Chapel, The Last Judgment, and St. Peter's Basilica. The author does discuss many of Michelangelo’s other works but they are used to show the artists growth or to add perspective in regard to the timeline. Of the six pieces featured I have personally seen five. The one I did not see was the Medici Chapel, it was on my list of places to see but morning sickness, the line to see David, the train schedule, and the best strawberries and cream ever, prevented me from seeing it.
What I enjoyed the most was reading about how Michelangelo evolved as an artist and reading about the little behind the scenes details about some of his most famous pieces. I know that art doesn’t just appear, but sometimes you forget the amount of work and the difficulties that went into each piece. It put a lot of things in perspective and gave me a whole new appreciation for his art and the art of his contemporaries.
Unger’s writing was fluid and engaging. Michelangelo was a pleasure to read and I plan on reading the author’s other works on Lorenzo de Medici and Machiavelli, and I hope to see more from him in the future. Anyone interested in art, art history, the Renaissance, Italy, or biographies will enjoy this book.
For this review I was provided a digital copy from NetGalley, which had some formatting issues but I was so engrossed in the book that I was able to overlook most of the issues. I really loved this book. So much so, that I have ordered the print copy to add to my collection—if my mom doesn’t steal from me first.
You can see this and more reviews on my blog Latte-Books
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May 11, 2017Michelangelo was the quintessential creative genius. He was a man of art, religion, philosophy and science: truly a renaissance man alongside his contemporary – Leonardo Da Vinci. This garnered Michelangelo many fans, rivals, and patrons. These powerful patrons both political, religious and in many cases a combination of the two, caused headaches for Michelangelo as well as opportunities to create divine works of art such as The David and the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Throughout his life Michelangelo’s family was also a constant thorn in his side. The tumultuous state politics of the time as well as internal politics of the church were cause for many failed or incomplete works as well as masterpieces by Michelangelo. Author Miles Unger reveals the vain, perfectionist, breaker of rules, visionary that was Michelangelo. Whether you are an art, history, or biography buff there is something for everyone in this captivating read.
- Amy O.
- Amy O.
July 22, 2021
Now I know what they mean when they say an "exhaustive" biography. This book is jam packed with facts and history and details. I like the premise very much - defining Michelangelo in the context of 6 of his best works.
And overall, this concept works. To understand his genius you do need an understanding of all that was going on in the world at the time. But the footnotes alone would make a small book. The author doesn't just restrain himself to the 6 masterpieces - he brings in many other works by the master. Just like the subject of the book, he can't seem to help himself.
The most annoying part was there was quite a bit of repetition - yes, we get that Michelangelo was a temperamental, touchy artist. The other thing this book needed were far more photographs! The author pointed out many details of the artist's work but you had no way within the book to see them for yourself, so the true significance or appreciation of these things is often lost.
Unger clearly admires his subject, and this is often what makes the most compelling biographies. But this book could have benefited from better editing as some things were belabored and dragged the writing down. His writing is also very lofty and he uses a lot of high flown vocabulary.
If you have the time and you are really, really interested in Michelangelo, you will find much in this book to enjoy. It would be a great book to read prior to visiting Rome and Florence as you will have a much greater appreciation of Michelangelo's genius. And you will have gained a history of Italy, the Catholic Church, 9 popes, Raphael, da Vinci, the Medici, the Renaissance, architecture...Well, you get the point. Exhaustive. And somewhat exhausting, sadly.
And overall, this concept works. To understand his genius you do need an understanding of all that was going on in the world at the time. But the footnotes alone would make a small book. The author doesn't just restrain himself to the 6 masterpieces - he brings in many other works by the master. Just like the subject of the book, he can't seem to help himself.
The most annoying part was there was quite a bit of repetition - yes, we get that Michelangelo was a temperamental, touchy artist. The other thing this book needed were far more photographs! The author pointed out many details of the artist's work but you had no way within the book to see them for yourself, so the true significance or appreciation of these things is often lost.
Unger clearly admires his subject, and this is often what makes the most compelling biographies. But this book could have benefited from better editing as some things were belabored and dragged the writing down. His writing is also very lofty and he uses a lot of high flown vocabulary.
If you have the time and you are really, really interested in Michelangelo, you will find much in this book to enjoy. It would be a great book to read prior to visiting Rome and Florence as you will have a much greater appreciation of Michelangelo's genius. And you will have gained a history of Italy, the Catholic Church, 9 popes, Raphael, da Vinci, the Medici, the Renaissance, architecture...Well, you get the point. Exhaustive. And somewhat exhausting, sadly.
March 18, 2018
Miles Unger views the life of Michelangelo through the lens of six of the artist’s greatest works: the Pieta, David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Medici tombs, The Final Judgment, and the dome of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. Michelangelo’s acts of creation and his writings are the most interesting aspects of this biography, while the critical analyses of the works and the papal intrigues surrounding them are less compelling.
February 10, 2019
Very informative - I really liked this novel about Michelangelo's life and works!
May 31, 2025
I thought I knew everything I wanted to know about Michelangelo. Boy was I wrong!! After years of teaching Art History, with a particular preference for the High Renaissance, I don't know what drove me to acquire this marvelous book because as I stated, I thought I had nothing to learn.... Of course, research has continued to investigate the big players. As well they should, and this volume is replete with personal and historical facts that were new to me.
August 10, 2015
I received this book for free from the publisher through the GoodReads first reads program in exchange for an honest review.
Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces is at once more than an art history and more than a biography. In this book Miles J. Unger effortlessly weaves together the life of one of history's most compelling and outspoken artist with the political strife of the world he worked in and the dynamic art he created. Unger paints a vibrant portrait of the mercurial man, amply citing the arist's own writings in the process. I went into the text knowing very little about Michelangelo, and I came out of it feeling nearly as if I knew the man personally.
Unger's writing is at times dry, but it never commits the sin of being boring. I feel that my own response to the text at times was borne far more out of me being entirely foreign to the history itself than due to poor writing. Unger cited so heavily actual accounts of the day, poems, and letters that for a moment I found myself curious to read more about Italy during that period. I found myself nostalgic for the world that was destroyed within Michelangelo's own lifetime, broken and violent though it was.
Unger's descriptions of the art itself is where his text truly thrives. He had a fine eye for detail, and singles out several small sections of paintings and sculpture that I would never have noticed on my own. He is adept at explaining why certain choices were made, and bringing to life the turmoil of the art and artist alike with each composition.
All in all, this is a book that I would feel comfortable recommending to anyone with a curiosity about Michelangelo. Should one wish to know more, the bibliography at the back is extensive. Likewise, there is an appendix that covers where one can best see Michelangelo's artwork and where each important piece is housed.
Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces is at once more than an art history and more than a biography. In this book Miles J. Unger effortlessly weaves together the life of one of history's most compelling and outspoken artist with the political strife of the world he worked in and the dynamic art he created. Unger paints a vibrant portrait of the mercurial man, amply citing the arist's own writings in the process. I went into the text knowing very little about Michelangelo, and I came out of it feeling nearly as if I knew the man personally.
Unger's writing is at times dry, but it never commits the sin of being boring. I feel that my own response to the text at times was borne far more out of me being entirely foreign to the history itself than due to poor writing. Unger cited so heavily actual accounts of the day, poems, and letters that for a moment I found myself curious to read more about Italy during that period. I found myself nostalgic for the world that was destroyed within Michelangelo's own lifetime, broken and violent though it was.
Unger's descriptions of the art itself is where his text truly thrives. He had a fine eye for detail, and singles out several small sections of paintings and sculpture that I would never have noticed on my own. He is adept at explaining why certain choices were made, and bringing to life the turmoil of the art and artist alike with each composition.
All in all, this is a book that I would feel comfortable recommending to anyone with a curiosity about Michelangelo. Should one wish to know more, the bibliography at the back is extensive. Likewise, there is an appendix that covers where one can best see Michelangelo's artwork and where each important piece is housed.
August 22, 2014
We all know that Michelangelo was a genius, but until I read Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces, I never realized how radical he was. He was the first to try new ways of showing thing. His "The Last Judgment" was considered heretical because he showed chaos at the end, not happy faithful and miserable sinners begging for intercession from the saints. Even the faithful look unsure and confused. Believe it or not, not showing the saints interceding for sinners was considered dangerous and radical. Many of the cardinals in the Vatican wanted the mural destroyed.
Another thing I didn't know was that artists of his era were considered common laborers. They were paid by the square foot and not by their artistic creations. So they didn't try very hard to be different than any other artists. Just paint or sculpt what the buyer wanted. Michelangelo wanted to show that the artist worked with his mind, not his hands. He did what he wanted, not letting even the pope watch what he was doing. He made being an artist respectable and admirable.
While becoming one of the greatest creators in history, he still had the same kind of problems we have today. His father was ashamed of him for being an artist (even though his dad never worked a day in his life and was completely financially supported by the son he was ashamed of.)
I wish there were more illustrations. Many times the author writes about a certain sculpture but there won't be a photo. But there is a nice section of color photos. Just wish there were more.
I learned much from this book that I didn't know about someone we all think we know. I am grateful to have won this in a goodreads firstread giveaway.
Another thing I didn't know was that artists of his era were considered common laborers. They were paid by the square foot and not by their artistic creations. So they didn't try very hard to be different than any other artists. Just paint or sculpt what the buyer wanted. Michelangelo wanted to show that the artist worked with his mind, not his hands. He did what he wanted, not letting even the pope watch what he was doing. He made being an artist respectable and admirable.
While becoming one of the greatest creators in history, he still had the same kind of problems we have today. His father was ashamed of him for being an artist (even though his dad never worked a day in his life and was completely financially supported by the son he was ashamed of.)
I wish there were more illustrations. Many times the author writes about a certain sculpture but there won't be a photo. But there is a nice section of color photos. Just wish there were more.
I learned much from this book that I didn't know about someone we all think we know. I am grateful to have won this in a goodreads firstread giveaway.
August 25, 2019
A very good biography of Michelangelo told through the sometimes decades-long stories of six of his masterpieces. I began reading this as preparation for my trip to Rome and Florence, to better appreciate the works I would be seeing. I ended up with not only a better appreciation of his art but of the times he lived in and the challenges he faced, as Unger explains a lot about the political intrigues and wars that characterized Italian and European lives during the time of Michelangelo. It’s amazing that Michelangelo was able to so deftly navigate the turmoil and live to such an old age, always managing to win over this or that Duke or Pope who could just as easily have ordered his execution.
I came away with a better understanding of Michelangelo the man, as well as being sad that he experienced social difficulties due to his very prickly personality. But under the rough surface and lofty genius was a good but tormented soul who treated the poor and other outcasts of society with generosity and respect. He was a man of faith, who saw art as being a godly calling, and his own art as the expression of his faith, his doubts, and his relationship with God. And miraculously, he convinced the rest of the world that artists are not merely technicians completing colour-by-number assignments but vessels through which the divine could manifest itself, forever elevating the painter, sculptor, and architect to a more deserved and higher reputation.
I came away with a better understanding of Michelangelo the man, as well as being sad that he experienced social difficulties due to his very prickly personality. But under the rough surface and lofty genius was a good but tormented soul who treated the poor and other outcasts of society with generosity and respect. He was a man of faith, who saw art as being a godly calling, and his own art as the expression of his faith, his doubts, and his relationship with God. And miraculously, he convinced the rest of the world that artists are not merely technicians completing colour-by-number assignments but vessels through which the divine could manifest itself, forever elevating the painter, sculptor, and architect to a more deserved and higher reputation.
November 4, 2014
Unger uses an interesting approach to biography in this book. He presents Michelangelo's life by discussing 6 of his masterworks. These range from sculpture The David, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel fresco, and architecture St. Peter's Basilica. He was an artist and a genius. Part of his agenda was to raise the stature of artists from being seen a mere workmen who could create a sculpture or paint your wife's portrait to a higher status in society. He was the main financial support of his extended family. He never married and had no children. The book contains some speculation about possible romances with his young male assistants.
He was a religious man and wrote poetry. His sculptures were remarkable because of their life like quality. His paintings were unique in their day because of the ways in which he arranged his figures and the way he was able to paint their expressions and manners to express his ideas.
A really interesting book. Unger analyzes each of the works of art he presents and opines on the genius of the piece. He also sets the scene of Michelangelo's life at the time he created the piece and provides background cultural and political information about 16th Century Florence and Rome and Michelangelo's relationships with the various popes who employed him.
He was a religious man and wrote poetry. His sculptures were remarkable because of their life like quality. His paintings were unique in their day because of the ways in which he arranged his figures and the way he was able to paint their expressions and manners to express his ideas.
A really interesting book. Unger analyzes each of the works of art he presents and opines on the genius of the piece. He also sets the scene of Michelangelo's life at the time he created the piece and provides background cultural and political information about 16th Century Florence and Rome and Michelangelo's relationships with the various popes who employed him.
November 14, 2014
I liked this book as it fleshed out the real man the Michelangelo truly was. The historical detail was fascinating but the subjective artistic interpretations of the author may prove daunting to the less artistically inclined reader. While I have seen the works described several times I can understand and forgive the author's wordiness in describing Michelangelo's work. When I first saw his Moses I couldn't believe I was looking at a figure made of stone. I also enjoyed and agree with the author's belief that it was Michelangelo that brought the artist out of the level of low class artisan or craftsman and elevated him to social acceptance on the same tier as intellectuals of the day. This is a book for those interested in art or Renaissance history.
September 15, 2015
Thoroughly researched and well-written. Erudite in the extreme which detracts from its readability (I've only been reading it since March), but had many thoughtful things to say about Michelangelo. I appreciated that it focused on his work, and less speculation about his sex life, unlike so many articles written about this guy. Don't think I'll add him to my fantasy dinner guest list. Sounds like a rather prickly guy, but if he was willing to share his thoughts, he'd certainly be fascinating.
If you are feeling extremely nerdy, you can read it along with a tablet/computer and virtually visit the works of art that are being discussed. How cool is that?
If you are feeling extremely nerdy, you can read it along with a tablet/computer and virtually visit the works of art that are being discussed. How cool is that?
November 20, 2014
I loved this book. Filled w beautiful photos of artwork, interesting tales and explanatory maps this was a great read. I learned so much about Michelangelo the man as well as the art he created, the times he lived in and the famous benefactors and rivals he interacted with. An added bonus was the appendix on where to find all of Michelangelo's art in Rome and Florence. I wish I had read this before my trip to Italy last year. But even now it made everything I saw (and wish I had seen) become more alive - knowing all the context added greatly to my enjoyment and made me want to go back!
September 22, 2016
Art history, the author puts forward the idea that Michelangelo was one of the first artists to put forward the idea that the artist should have creative freedom and originality and isn't a craftsman. Also, that Michelangelo was a prickly soul that was difficult to get along with. I enjoyed learning more about Renaissance art and politics.
July 28, 2014
Enjoyed the book. Learned more than I expected by the book keeping me involved.
July 21, 2014
I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.
October 4, 2025
Even when studying art history at school, I was not interested in Michelangelo or his works. However I gained a new appreciation for him after reading this book. A few takeaways:
- He was often compared to Leonardo da Vinci (which was analysed beautifully in this book). Even as a painter, Michelangelo approached his work as a sculptor, defining each figure in bold relief.
- He was misogynistic and was known for being a difficult, reserved man, yet he took on the burden of supporting his family willingly and graciously. Also, if you were loyal and worked hard, he treated you heaps better!
- Has trust issues, frequently "dwell[s] on the melancholy side of life", and despises oil painting.
- Outlived many popes, escaped death multiple times, including the Black Death of 1348 (luck was on his side), and lived much longer than the average life expectancy at that time.
- An immigrant to Rome but a Florentine at heart, his life is indeed "a tale of two cities". The line that speaks to many immigrants who have more than one home:"Much as he loved his native land, however, returning home was a mixed blessing, since the tenderness he felt for his family was inversely proportional to their proximity."
- His incredible ability to tell stories using the human form. More often than not, he constantly jumped from one project to another, ended up with a long string of "unfulfilled promises and half-realized masterpieces". As the author puts it, "he left so many works at various stages of incompletion that the unfinished has taken on an aesthetic life".
- An amazing sculptor, a talented architect and a passionate poet ("Heaven's only where you are; else, total dark.").
- During the Renaissance, it was perceived normal to write intensely romantic letters to your male friends, even between men. Attachments "could be intense without being erotic", and because love "was viewed as the universal force uniting all to all whose most profound manifestation was the soul's desire to reunite with God." I think that trend should be revived; a little more love would not hurt.
- Upon approaching his end days, "I am old and death has taken from me the dreams of youth. He who knows nothing of old age should await its coming patiently, since no one can conceive it before it happens."
This book is also a great guide to visiting Italy, specifically Rome and Florence.
- He was often compared to Leonardo da Vinci (which was analysed beautifully in this book). Even as a painter, Michelangelo approached his work as a sculptor, defining each figure in bold relief.
- He was misogynistic and was known for being a difficult, reserved man, yet he took on the burden of supporting his family willingly and graciously. Also, if you were loyal and worked hard, he treated you heaps better!
- Has trust issues, frequently "dwell[s] on the melancholy side of life", and despises oil painting.
- Outlived many popes, escaped death multiple times, including the Black Death of 1348 (luck was on his side), and lived much longer than the average life expectancy at that time.
- An immigrant to Rome but a Florentine at heart, his life is indeed "a tale of two cities". The line that speaks to many immigrants who have more than one home:"Much as he loved his native land, however, returning home was a mixed blessing, since the tenderness he felt for his family was inversely proportional to their proximity."
- His incredible ability to tell stories using the human form. More often than not, he constantly jumped from one project to another, ended up with a long string of "unfulfilled promises and half-realized masterpieces". As the author puts it, "he left so many works at various stages of incompletion that the unfinished has taken on an aesthetic life".
- An amazing sculptor, a talented architect and a passionate poet ("Heaven's only where you are; else, total dark.").
- During the Renaissance, it was perceived normal to write intensely romantic letters to your male friends, even between men. Attachments "could be intense without being erotic", and because love "was viewed as the universal force uniting all to all whose most profound manifestation was the soul's desire to reunite with God." I think that trend should be revived; a little more love would not hurt.
- Upon approaching his end days, "I am old and death has taken from me the dreams of youth. He who knows nothing of old age should await its coming patiently, since no one can conceive it before it happens."
This book is also a great guide to visiting Italy, specifically Rome and Florence.
June 8, 2019
This book was a good tour for me through Michelangelo’s work. There was a lot of discussion of deep spiritual meanings, such as Neo-Platonism that went over my head, but the simple stuff I could understand. For example Michelangelo’s statue of David had a rock in his right hand that he used to dispatch Goliath. I was too dumb to notice that on my own.
Also, Michelangelo’s Bacchus – now that Unger mentions it, Bacchus looks like some losers I have seen in bars – obviously buzzed and having trouble standing up.
While reading the book I watched the movie “The Agony and the Ecstasy” starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The movie matched the book pretty well, so if you want to skip the book you could just see the movie. As the book and the movie both show, Michelangelo could be a real jerk, but the popes put up with him. Cardinals were a dime a dozen, but there was only one Michelangelo.
I was surprised at the range of Michelangelo’s talents. Besides being a painter, sculptor, and architect, he could do the brutal and dangerous work of a marble quarry, and also write good letters and sonnets. But, well, of course, duhh…He was the quintessential Renaissance man.
Also, Michelangelo’s Bacchus – now that Unger mentions it, Bacchus looks like some losers I have seen in bars – obviously buzzed and having trouble standing up.
While reading the book I watched the movie “The Agony and the Ecstasy” starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The movie matched the book pretty well, so if you want to skip the book you could just see the movie. As the book and the movie both show, Michelangelo could be a real jerk, but the popes put up with him. Cardinals were a dime a dozen, but there was only one Michelangelo.
I was surprised at the range of Michelangelo’s talents. Besides being a painter, sculptor, and architect, he could do the brutal and dangerous work of a marble quarry, and also write good letters and sonnets. But, well, of course, duhh…He was the quintessential Renaissance man.
May 26, 2019
Unger weaves the life story of Michelangelo Buonarroti through the perspective of 6 of his greatest works: the Pieta, David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Medici tombs, The Final Judgment, and the dome of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. It was interesting to note that he had as many unfinished works as he had completed ones. The major explanation for this was the time needed to complete each piece and the changing circumstances of his patrons and commissions. He would have multiple contracts at one time; money would dry up, people went out of favor or died, political factions would change and Michelangelo would need to flee, or he would feel slighted or insulted and would stop work. The Pieta was completed when he was 21 and his last work, the Rondaninni Pieta, when he was 89. He was the beginning of the current view of the artist who creates for art's sake rather than strictly as the commissioner decides. He demanded autonomy over his work even if the work was paid for and a specific concept was contracted by a patron. Very interesting with lots of specifics on the descriptions and meanings for the works.
June 26, 2021
No doubt Michelangelo was one of the greatest artist of all time. Reading this book will make you know and understand more about the real personality of this prolific artist. The only artist that has served over nine popes in his life as an artists from Pope Julius II to Pope Pius IV.
Like Ayn Rand's book the Fountainhead, the character (Architect Howard Roark) who wants to create his own artwork by his own ideas, Michelangelo also makes up the same persona. He didn't want any pope to dictate about how he was going to do the project, what kind of design. Leave everything to him. He has a little bit of temper. His service to the pope gave him enough financial security to live for the rest of this life as an artist.
Michelangelo was a highly focused person. He spent most of his time in his shop crafting his masterpiece and even skips meal because he was so into his work. Michelangelo died single, he was never married. On couple of accounts, it was mentioned that maybe he was a gay person. In one letter, it was seen that he felt in love with a "handsome nobleman".
Its a great book to read about this great artist.
Like Ayn Rand's book the Fountainhead, the character (Architect Howard Roark) who wants to create his own artwork by his own ideas, Michelangelo also makes up the same persona. He didn't want any pope to dictate about how he was going to do the project, what kind of design. Leave everything to him. He has a little bit of temper. His service to the pope gave him enough financial security to live for the rest of this life as an artist.
Michelangelo was a highly focused person. He spent most of his time in his shop crafting his masterpiece and even skips meal because he was so into his work. Michelangelo died single, he was never married. On couple of accounts, it was mentioned that maybe he was a gay person. In one letter, it was seen that he felt in love with a "handsome nobleman".
Its a great book to read about this great artist.
July 14, 2017
I struggled to get through this book, which I'll admit, after having read Unger's previous two Renaissance tomes (on Machiavelli and Il Magnifico) came as somewhat of a surprise. I found nearly 400 pages of material that probably could have made a very robust 200 pages. I learned again...and again...and again...that Michelangelo was a difficult man but very talented. Choosing to represent Michelangelo's life by the major pieces that he did was, at first, I felt a really interesting way to look at it. By the end though, as the last several chapters jumped years often and confusingly, I no longer felt quite the same way. I did learn some new things and I do find it an enjoyable time period. However, I seem to be much more inclined towards history than art history and would have far preferred a straight biography than reading many rhapsodic lines devoted to in-depth analysis of Michelangelo's works.
January 6, 2019
For the most part, I loved the author's writing style and obvious admiration of Michelangelo's work, as well as his dedication to portraying both the estimable and unsavory sides of the artist. However, I found some of the author's claims to be unsupported by evidence and largely conjecture. In some cases, it's impossible to know what Michelangelo was thinking or why he acted the way he did, and the author tended to present his speculations as fact, rather than as speculations. Additionally, parts of this biography felt repetitive. The author explained over and over who certain people were, or how certain events took place. I was more interested in Michelangelo's life than the larger history of Rome, Florence, the Holy Roman Empire, and France.
October 24, 2019
A wonderful read on this temperamental giant...Michelangelo ....and the story behind 6 of his greatest works and his own bio told throughout this read! Do you realize 2 of his greatest works, his Pieta and David were done before this Titan turned 30?? Is that humbling or what...I am trying to think what accomplishments I had before the age of 30???? This book is for the serious lover of art or for lay people like myself......amazing God given talent to one man.....we all know Michelangelo Sistine Chapel work or his last judgement......Incredibly Michelangelo would protest that he was no painter....ha ha...can you imagine....his real muse was sculpting...he thought of himself as a second rate painter......incredible! Anyways....a fun and elucidating read!!
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October 1, 2020An in-depth dive into Michelangelo's life and personality. I didn't read the entire book. I went to the works I was interested most in. I also watched a movie about him The Agony and The Ecstasy with Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison.
Sculpture from marble is amazing. He saw the figures in the stone and liberated them. That is insight. I especially like the chapter about the Pieta and the discussion about Mary's age as a young woman, even younger than the deceased Jesus in her lap.
Sculpture from marble is amazing. He saw the figures in the stone and liberated them. That is insight. I especially like the chapter about the Pieta and the discussion about Mary's age as a young woman, even younger than the deceased Jesus in her lap.
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