Michelangelo: Paintings, Sculpture, Architecture

by Ludwig Goldscheider

First published in 1953, this book remains a classic piece of literature on the work and life of Michelangelo (1475-1564). It continues to be the only volume to contain illustrations of all his paintings, sculpture and architecture. The book is designed to serve both the student and the art the fine quality reproductions emphatically illustrate Michelangelo's genius, while the text surveys the ideas and theses of the world's leading scholars on the painting, sculpture and architecture of Michelangelo and provides a detailed and sophisticated commentary with extensive bibliographical notes. The exhaustive selection of plates devoted to the paintings of the Sistine Chapel provides an invaluable record of their condition before the recent controversial cleaning, while ten colour plates show some of the paintings in their restored state, offering the works to the reader's eye for close discrimination.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Italy, Art History, Art and Photography

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the various angles taken of classic sculptures. Incredible detail! But the frescos are pictured in black/white. These NEED to be in color.

A huge collection. Zero biography. Just pure art. Wish color had been used though.

3.5*

[KarenMLISt · Rating 4 out of 5]

the only volume w/ illustrations of all the master artist's works (paintings, sculpture, architecture), except drawings. large full-color plates (273 total) are beautiful!

[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. First printed in 1953 but reprinted numerous time since (my edition is from 1964), the book contains photos and plates of all of Michelangelo's work, with succinct but informative narrative histories of each of them. Note that while the book has a good (but brief) biographical summary, it is not a biography.

[Hechen Bao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives me goosebumps while reading through all the plates. Uncanny art and great book that captures the soul!

[Theresia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Reread) Sketching practice using Michelangelo's sculpture may either lead to envious frustration or immense adoration. Both happened to me.

Of all the (High) Renaissance genius, Michelangelo is probably the one who emphasizes on bodily aesthetics most, later continued by the Victorian Muscular Christianity's advocates like William H. Hunt and John E. Millais. Michelangelo is a many splendid things, but he's a sculptor first and foremost, still unrivaled even today. I'm just wondering why his sculpture gets more and more muscular as he ages, to the point that his women merely look like men with boobs.

[May Spangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the hand on the cover? It's David's hand, and it holds the stone he's going to throw at Goliath. You'll notice the veins too. I'm loving to look at the works of Michelangelo while reading his biography by Irving Stone (appropriate name for the biographer of a sculptor!). Those two books are a perfect combo.

[Lanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in conjuction with The Agony and the Ecstasy. It was helpful and fun to look at the works of art the book was referring to. It also showed just how acurate Stone's book is.

[Chris Rau · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of my favorite artist's work. A great reference.

[keereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading it, P and I tore out most of the pictures to frame and use as wall art.