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رنج و سرمستی
Florence in the year 1475 was the intellectual & artistic center of the flowering Italian Renaissance. Into this gem-like city-state, ruled by the patron of arts & letters, Lorenzo de' Medici, was born one of the greatest geniuses the world has produced--Michelangelo Buonarroti, sculptor, painter, poet, architect & engineer. Few artists have matched the grandeur of his conceptions, or the power of his creations. To know his life is to know the history of Italy's glory.
704 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
About the author
Irving Stone
170 books1,616 followersIn 1923, Stone received his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. In the 1960s, Stone received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Southern California, where he had previously earned a Masters Degree from the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head research librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works.
Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.
Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, were Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. It seems probable that Vincent's letters to and from his own brother Theo provided a foundation for Adversary in the House. Stone additionally did much of his research "in the field". For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.
From Wikipedia
When at home, Stone relied upon the research facilities and expertise made available to him by Esther Euler, head research librarian of the University of California at Los Angeles, to whom he dedicated and thanked, in addition to many others, in several of his works.
Stone enjoyed a long marriage to his wife and editor on many of his works, Jean Stone. The Stones lived primarily in Los Angeles, California. During their lifetime, Stone and his wife funded a foundation to support charitable causes they believed in.
Stone's main source for Lust for Life, as noted in the afterword, were Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo. It seems probable that Vincent's letters to and from his own brother Theo provided a foundation for Adversary in the House. Stone additionally did much of his research "in the field". For example, he spent many years living in Italy while working on The Agony and the Ecstasy. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards during this period for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.
From Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,734 reviews
August 8, 2015
***4.5 stars out of 5***
”To some people stone was dead; ‘hard as stone,’ ‘stone cold,’ they said. To him, as he once again ran his fingers along its contours, it was the most alive substance in the world, rhythmic, responsive, tractable: warm, resilient, colorful, vibrant. He was in love with stone.”
Michelangelo portrait by Volterra
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born in Florence on March 6th, 1475. It was a fortuitous time to be born. He was coming of age just as the Renaissance was beginning to take full flight. His family was an ancient family, as old as the famous Medici family, but they have fallen on hard times by the time Michelangelo’s father became the patriarch. There had never been artists in the family, so the desire, nay the need, to create that existed in the young Michelangelo did not come from tradition, but from a new flame within him.
He wanted to become a sculptor in an age when sculpting was nearly extinct. He wanted a chisel in his hand, not a paintbrush. He wanted white chips beneath his feet. He wanted to be immortal. After all, fire, water, and the passage of time destroyed paint, but stone lasted forever.
Donatello died in 1466, but despite never meeting him or receiving the benefit of his teaching, the influence of Donatello was undeniable. Much later, when Michelangelo got the chance to carve a statue that was supposed to represent Florence, he knew that it must be David.
I was mesmerized by David’s hand when I took this picture in Florence back in 1992. You must see the statue in person to fully comprehend how amazing it is.
That statue grew beyond representing Florence. To many historians that statue symbolizes the whole Renaissance.
The title of this book The Agony and the Ecstasy makes me think of a daytime soap opera with overblown tragedy and illicit affairs driving the daily plot. The life of Michelangelo certainly reflects the title. There are so many twists and turns in the narrative of this artist's life. There are so many critical moments where, if fate had intervened differently, the world might not have ever known the name Michelangelo.
Everyone wanted him to paint because that was what was in fashion. He could make a living painting. No one was interested in buying new marble statues. Buyers rich enough to afford sculptures were only interested in old Greek statues, freshly pulled from their earthy graves. Michelangelo tried; he really did try to do what everyone wanted him to do, but the only time he truly felt alive, truly felt he was fulfilling his mission in life, was when he was liberating a figure from stone.
The marble called to him, and once his hands were on the stone, he merely had to lean close enough to catch the whispers of who was in the stone. ”He had the impression that, no matter how honestly a sculptor designed, it would come to nothing if it did not agree with the basic nature of the block. In this sense a sculptor could never be completely master of his fate, as a painter could be. Paint was fluid, it could bend around corners. Marble was solidity itself. The marble sculptor had to accept the rigorous discipline of a partnership. The marble and he were one. They spoke to each other. And for him the feel of marble was the supreme sensation. No gratification of any other sense, taste, sight, sound, smell, could approach it.”
Irving Stone waited six years to begin writing this novel. He arranged for Dr. Charles Speroni, an Italian professor at the University of California, to translate all four hundred and ninety-five surviving Michelangelo letters as well as the records and art contracts that he kept. Stone wanted to be sure that the portrait he carved of Michelangelo by writing this book was based on as much hard data as he could find. Irving also, to add more authenticity, lived in Italy for several years as he was working on this novel so that he could see, taste, and feel the world that made Michelangelo.
Irving Stone
Some would disagree with Stone’s positive portrayal of Lorenzo de’Medici, but any man who collects ten thousand books and manuscripts to form the largest library since Alexandria is going to receive more veneration than cynicism from me. He held Florence together for his entire life, without holding any office, as did his father and his grandfather. He wasn’t the last of the great de’Medici’s, but let's just say that there was a long drought after his death. His successor, his oldest son, was known as Piero the Unfortunate if that gives you any indication of how well he followed the father known as The Magnificent.
Lorenzo, as he did for many artists of the era, took the young Michelangelo under his protection and allowed him the freedom to express himself in stone. He recognized the passion in the young man. Unlike many powerful people that Michelangelo was going to be forced to work with, Lorenzo understood that all that was required of him was to stay out of the young artist’s way. It was quite the contrast with one of the later popes that Michelangelo worked for. Julius II insisted that he produce just about anything but stone sculptures. He forced him to be a bronze caster, an architect, an engineer, and most famously a *phewy*, let me get the paint off my tongue, the painter of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo was also a poet, not just a dabbler, but a really accomplished poet.
Michelangelo liked women, but preferred males for sculpting. ”I find all beauty and structural power in the male. Take a man in any action, jumping, wrestling, throwing a spear, plowing, bend him into any position and the muscles, the distribution of weight and tension, have their symmetry. For me, a woman to be beautiful or exciting must be absolutely still.”
“Perhaps you just haven't put them in the proper positions.”
Michelangelo was not immune to the allures of women. ”She makes my flesh crawl; I mean the flesh inside my flesh.” He had affairs with women, lifelong affairs that, even when they hadn’t seen each other in decades, their desire for each other still burned with a soft flame. They were women impossible to be with (crafty he was), either because of their station in life or in one case because she was the mistress of a powerful man. He had no interest in marriage. He would have made a poor husband after all. He could love them, but he would always cheat on them with the white marble flesh of his craft.
Michelangelo was feeling a bit lustful when he created this version of the fable of Leda and the Swan.
He was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Da Vinci is held up as the prime example of a Renaissance man, certainly deserved, but until I read this book, I’d forgotten just how much alike he and Michelangelo were in the breadth of their abilities. These three talented men knew each other, but had little to do with each other. Michelangelo was such a loner. He was always so focused on his current project and usually pining for other projects already bubbling in his mind. By the time Mich (after spending this much time with him I feel I can take a few liberties with a nickname) died, he had 80 years worth of projects designed and ready to be made.
”Man Passes. Only works of art are immortal.”
You will feel like you know Michelangelo by the time you finish this book. Irving Stone casts his spells and puts flesh on the bones of a long dead artist and made me feel like I was walking the streets of Bologna, Florence, and Rome, with my hand on the shoulder of a genius. So much so that at one point I blew my nose and found only marble dust in the tissue. ”I’ll put my hand in fire” if it’s not true. I was most impressed with Michelangelo’s work ethic and perseverance. His ideas consumed him, but even when he had to leave his true calling because of the whims of more powerful men, whatever task they asked him to do, he did it to the very best of his abilities. Even unpleasant tasks he felt had to be done right. They had to be done with artistry and genius.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
”To some people stone was dead; ‘hard as stone,’ ‘stone cold,’ they said. To him, as he once again ran his fingers along its contours, it was the most alive substance in the world, rhythmic, responsive, tractable: warm, resilient, colorful, vibrant. He was in love with stone.”
Michelangelo portrait by Volterra
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born in Florence on March 6th, 1475. It was a fortuitous time to be born. He was coming of age just as the Renaissance was beginning to take full flight. His family was an ancient family, as old as the famous Medici family, but they have fallen on hard times by the time Michelangelo’s father became the patriarch. There had never been artists in the family, so the desire, nay the need, to create that existed in the young Michelangelo did not come from tradition, but from a new flame within him.
He wanted to become a sculptor in an age when sculpting was nearly extinct. He wanted a chisel in his hand, not a paintbrush. He wanted white chips beneath his feet. He wanted to be immortal. After all, fire, water, and the passage of time destroyed paint, but stone lasted forever.
Donatello died in 1466, but despite never meeting him or receiving the benefit of his teaching, the influence of Donatello was undeniable. Much later, when Michelangelo got the chance to carve a statue that was supposed to represent Florence, he knew that it must be David.
I was mesmerized by David’s hand when I took this picture in Florence back in 1992. You must see the statue in person to fully comprehend how amazing it is.
That statue grew beyond representing Florence. To many historians that statue symbolizes the whole Renaissance.
The title of this book The Agony and the Ecstasy makes me think of a daytime soap opera with overblown tragedy and illicit affairs driving the daily plot. The life of Michelangelo certainly reflects the title. There are so many twists and turns in the narrative of this artist's life. There are so many critical moments where, if fate had intervened differently, the world might not have ever known the name Michelangelo.
Everyone wanted him to paint because that was what was in fashion. He could make a living painting. No one was interested in buying new marble statues. Buyers rich enough to afford sculptures were only interested in old Greek statues, freshly pulled from their earthy graves. Michelangelo tried; he really did try to do what everyone wanted him to do, but the only time he truly felt alive, truly felt he was fulfilling his mission in life, was when he was liberating a figure from stone.
The marble called to him, and once his hands were on the stone, he merely had to lean close enough to catch the whispers of who was in the stone. ”He had the impression that, no matter how honestly a sculptor designed, it would come to nothing if it did not agree with the basic nature of the block. In this sense a sculptor could never be completely master of his fate, as a painter could be. Paint was fluid, it could bend around corners. Marble was solidity itself. The marble sculptor had to accept the rigorous discipline of a partnership. The marble and he were one. They spoke to each other. And for him the feel of marble was the supreme sensation. No gratification of any other sense, taste, sight, sound, smell, could approach it.”
Irving Stone waited six years to begin writing this novel. He arranged for Dr. Charles Speroni, an Italian professor at the University of California, to translate all four hundred and ninety-five surviving Michelangelo letters as well as the records and art contracts that he kept. Stone wanted to be sure that the portrait he carved of Michelangelo by writing this book was based on as much hard data as he could find. Irving also, to add more authenticity, lived in Italy for several years as he was working on this novel so that he could see, taste, and feel the world that made Michelangelo.
Irving Stone
Some would disagree with Stone’s positive portrayal of Lorenzo de’Medici, but any man who collects ten thousand books and manuscripts to form the largest library since Alexandria is going to receive more veneration than cynicism from me. He held Florence together for his entire life, without holding any office, as did his father and his grandfather. He wasn’t the last of the great de’Medici’s, but let's just say that there was a long drought after his death. His successor, his oldest son, was known as Piero the Unfortunate if that gives you any indication of how well he followed the father known as The Magnificent.
Lorenzo, as he did for many artists of the era, took the young Michelangelo under his protection and allowed him the freedom to express himself in stone. He recognized the passion in the young man. Unlike many powerful people that Michelangelo was going to be forced to work with, Lorenzo understood that all that was required of him was to stay out of the young artist’s way. It was quite the contrast with one of the later popes that Michelangelo worked for. Julius II insisted that he produce just about anything but stone sculptures. He forced him to be a bronze caster, an architect, an engineer, and most famously a *phewy*, let me get the paint off my tongue, the painter of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo was also a poet, not just a dabbler, but a really accomplished poet.
”Were it mine, that shaggy fleece that stays,
Woven and wrought into a vestment fair,
Around her beauteous bosom in such bliss!
ALl through the day she’d clasp me! Would I were
The shoes that bear her burden! When the ways
Were wet with rain, her feet I then would kiss!”
Michelangelo liked women, but preferred males for sculpting. ”I find all beauty and structural power in the male. Take a man in any action, jumping, wrestling, throwing a spear, plowing, bend him into any position and the muscles, the distribution of weight and tension, have their symmetry. For me, a woman to be beautiful or exciting must be absolutely still.”
“Perhaps you just haven't put them in the proper positions.”
Michelangelo was not immune to the allures of women. ”She makes my flesh crawl; I mean the flesh inside my flesh.” He had affairs with women, lifelong affairs that, even when they hadn’t seen each other in decades, their desire for each other still burned with a soft flame. They were women impossible to be with (crafty he was), either because of their station in life or in one case because she was the mistress of a powerful man. He had no interest in marriage. He would have made a poor husband after all. He could love them, but he would always cheat on them with the white marble flesh of his craft.
Michelangelo was feeling a bit lustful when he created this version of the fable of Leda and the Swan.
He was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. Da Vinci is held up as the prime example of a Renaissance man, certainly deserved, but until I read this book, I’d forgotten just how much alike he and Michelangelo were in the breadth of their abilities. These three talented men knew each other, but had little to do with each other. Michelangelo was such a loner. He was always so focused on his current project and usually pining for other projects already bubbling in his mind. By the time Mich (after spending this much time with him I feel I can take a few liberties with a nickname) died, he had 80 years worth of projects designed and ready to be made.
”Man Passes. Only works of art are immortal.”
You will feel like you know Michelangelo by the time you finish this book. Irving Stone casts his spells and puts flesh on the bones of a long dead artist and made me feel like I was walking the streets of Bologna, Florence, and Rome, with my hand on the shoulder of a genius. So much so that at one point I blew my nose and found only marble dust in the tissue. ”I’ll put my hand in fire” if it’s not true. I was most impressed with Michelangelo’s work ethic and perseverance. His ideas consumed him, but even when he had to leave his true calling because of the whims of more powerful men, whatever task they asked him to do, he did it to the very best of his abilities. Even unpleasant tasks he felt had to be done right. They had to be done with artistry and genius.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
June 4, 2011
Oh good lord. No wonder I'm reading this book so slowly. I have to keep putting it down and fanning myself. Here's the young Michelangelo carving marble for the first time:
"He had removed the outer shell. Now he dug into the mass, entered in the biblical sense."
Really? He's fucking the marble? Apparently, yes...
"In this act of creation there was needed the thrust, the penetration, the beating and pulsating upward to a mighty climax, the total possession. It was not merely an act of love, it was the act of love: the mating of his own inner patterns to the inherent forms of the marble; an insemination in which he planted seed, created the living work of art."
Does anybody have a cigarette?
***
Two weeks later: Finally finished. Four stars -- as promised, it's full of agony, it's full of ecstasy. It's very full of history! Very enjoyable, and I learned a huge amount! But the writing is just so overwrought that I removed a star.
"He had removed the outer shell. Now he dug into the mass, entered in the biblical sense."
Really? He's fucking the marble? Apparently, yes...
"In this act of creation there was needed the thrust, the penetration, the beating and pulsating upward to a mighty climax, the total possession. It was not merely an act of love, it was the act of love: the mating of his own inner patterns to the inherent forms of the marble; an insemination in which he planted seed, created the living work of art."
Does anybody have a cigarette?
***
Two weeks later: Finally finished. Four stars -- as promised, it's full of agony, it's full of ecstasy. It's very full of history! Very enjoyable, and I learned a huge amount! But the writing is just so overwrought that I removed a star.
May 8, 2022
One should not become an artist because he can, but because he must. It is only for those who would be miserable without it.
The Agony and the Ecstasy ~~~ Irving Stone
The Pieta
There are books ~~ very few books ~~ that overtake you. Some books have that kind of power. Especially if you have that weird relationship with the book that nothing else can compensate, and if you lie down with it and get up with it for a long time, it is inevitable that you feel at a loss when you finish reading it. Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy is one such book.
For me, a good read is one where the author succeeds in creating the characters so well that I can associate with them and be a part of the story. Stone definitely succeeds in doing so. I was so engrossed in the book.
I experienced what Michelangelo experienced; I was a member his inner circle. I dined with the Medici. I spent time with Popes and the cardinals of the church. I lived in 16th century Italy. I was with Michelangelo as he created his sculptures, paintings and other works. I have the vibrant and fluid language of Irving Stone to thank for this.
Bacchus
So why did I decide to read The Agony and the Ecstasy ? Well, largely due to my mother. She has mentioned Stone as being one of her favorite authors several times. So, when the opportunity arose to read the largely forgotten Stone, I jumped at it. I was not disappointed, and understood why my mother loved his writing.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is slowly plotted ~~ as so many American writers of the 30s, 40s and 50s were want to do ~~ it’s a very straightforward recounting of the major events in Michelangelo’s life, and the people who populated his world ~~ the despised Da Vinci, the even more despised Raphael, the Medicis, Popes galore, French Kings, heretics, revolutionaries, reformationists ~~ including Martin Luther, and more Medicis.
Cleopatra
What truly makes The Agony and the Ecstasy> stellar are the lyrical, beautiful descriptions of both the process of sculpting, and Michelangelo’s sculptures and paintings themselves. The reader is transported as we learn how difficult it is to mine marble, how to transport it, how to choose a piece without inclusions by watching the sunrise through it. Then Michelangelo picks up his hammers and chisels ~~ made afresh for each sculpture ~~ and Stone masterfully takes us inside the mind of the master, so that we feel we understand the exact places to carve away the snowy grain of the marble to achieve the desired effect ~~ the reader tastes the marble dust at the back of their own throat.
Reading The Agony and the Ecstasy is about as close as we’re likely to get to one of the greatest creative minds who ever lived. When I next travel to Italy, The Agony and the Ecstasy will make the journey with me as travel guide. Irving Stone has made me yearn to see these great sculptures and frescos, which he describes with such authority and conviction.
Madonna of Bruges
My one complaint here is that Stone writes Michelangelo as a heterosexual male. He was not. whether he was bi or homosexual exclusively is unknown. Stone avoids stating outright whether Michelangelo had a sexual relationship with Tommaso dei Cavalieri, the man he wrote dozens of passionate sonnets to. Their love is portrayed as platonic, but when one reads these sonnets, it is clear there was much more to their relationship than Stone shares ~~ it was a love that was powerful and sexually charged. I suspect this was due to the time in which it was published ~~ 1961.
In the end, The Agony and the Ecstasy portrays Michelangelo the man, as both both a visionary artist and a son, brother, friend and lover; Stone makes human. It is humanity, as well as the injustice of his time that make Stone's depiction of Michelangelo’s story so powerful.
The Torment of Saint Anthony
The Agony and the Ecstasy ~~~ Irving Stone
The Pieta
There are books ~~ very few books ~~ that overtake you. Some books have that kind of power. Especially if you have that weird relationship with the book that nothing else can compensate, and if you lie down with it and get up with it for a long time, it is inevitable that you feel at a loss when you finish reading it. Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy is one such book.
For me, a good read is one where the author succeeds in creating the characters so well that I can associate with them and be a part of the story. Stone definitely succeeds in doing so. I was so engrossed in the book.
I experienced what Michelangelo experienced; I was a member his inner circle. I dined with the Medici. I spent time with Popes and the cardinals of the church. I lived in 16th century Italy. I was with Michelangelo as he created his sculptures, paintings and other works. I have the vibrant and fluid language of Irving Stone to thank for this.
Bacchus
So why did I decide to read The Agony and the Ecstasy ? Well, largely due to my mother. She has mentioned Stone as being one of her favorite authors several times. So, when the opportunity arose to read the largely forgotten Stone, I jumped at it. I was not disappointed, and understood why my mother loved his writing.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is slowly plotted ~~ as so many American writers of the 30s, 40s and 50s were want to do ~~ it’s a very straightforward recounting of the major events in Michelangelo’s life, and the people who populated his world ~~ the despised Da Vinci, the even more despised Raphael, the Medicis, Popes galore, French Kings, heretics, revolutionaries, reformationists ~~ including Martin Luther, and more Medicis.
Cleopatra
What truly makes The Agony and the Ecstasy> stellar are the lyrical, beautiful descriptions of both the process of sculpting, and Michelangelo’s sculptures and paintings themselves. The reader is transported as we learn how difficult it is to mine marble, how to transport it, how to choose a piece without inclusions by watching the sunrise through it. Then Michelangelo picks up his hammers and chisels ~~ made afresh for each sculpture ~~ and Stone masterfully takes us inside the mind of the master, so that we feel we understand the exact places to carve away the snowy grain of the marble to achieve the desired effect ~~ the reader tastes the marble dust at the back of their own throat.
Reading The Agony and the Ecstasy is about as close as we’re likely to get to one of the greatest creative minds who ever lived. When I next travel to Italy, The Agony and the Ecstasy will make the journey with me as travel guide. Irving Stone has made me yearn to see these great sculptures and frescos, which he describes with such authority and conviction.
Madonna of Bruges
My one complaint here is that Stone writes Michelangelo as a heterosexual male. He was not. whether he was bi or homosexual exclusively is unknown. Stone avoids stating outright whether Michelangelo had a sexual relationship with Tommaso dei Cavalieri, the man he wrote dozens of passionate sonnets to. Their love is portrayed as platonic, but when one reads these sonnets, it is clear there was much more to their relationship than Stone shares ~~ it was a love that was powerful and sexually charged. I suspect this was due to the time in which it was published ~~ 1961.
In the end, The Agony and the Ecstasy portrays Michelangelo the man, as both both a visionary artist and a son, brother, friend and lover; Stone makes human. It is humanity, as well as the injustice of his time that make Stone's depiction of Michelangelo’s story so powerful.
The Torment of Saint Anthony
October 17, 2007
Goodreads crashed on me - I didn't realize the five stars were posted but not my review. You may be wondering why I rated this book so highly.
The book made Michelangelo and his times really come alive for me. I feel like I personally know, like and respect Michelangelo as a person. He was so recognizably human with family issues, rivalries, loyal friends, treacherous friends and, above all this fierce driving passion for his art, especially sculpture. He was born with a gift and a genius that he acted on. He was passionate, cranky, demanding, willful, opinionated, determined, driven, and unwilling to accept anything short of perfection. Yet he did what he needed to do to pay the bills - sometimes setting his pet projects aside for years. For the first time in my life I am interested in visiting the Sistine Chapel to see his painstakingly and brilliantly executed ceiling frescoe and to view his famous marble sculpture of David (with the broken arm).
Plus on occasion I'm a sucker for epic historical novels. Michelangelo lived from 1475 - 1565 which was a fascinating period of history - Christopher Columbus gets mentioned in passing (some guy who recently set sail in three tiny ships westbound to find India), Raphael and so many other famous names from the Renaissance. Michelangelo had no use for Leonardo da Vinci whom he considered to be a society-seeking dandy and snob. I think most of this information is probably true as the book was extremely well researched with lots of primary sources, such as Michelangelo's 400+ letters.
The book also gets inside his head as an artist as he designs and executes all of his work, especially his most beloved marble sculptures. I had no idea there are so many grades of marble and never thought about how arduous it was to extract the right marble out of the Roman hills. Or to move the finished sculptures to their designated locations.
The dense writing and length (760 pages) made it a slog for me to get through - but an exciting slog and I find myself thinking a lot about it. That's why I gave it five stars.
The book made Michelangelo and his times really come alive for me. I feel like I personally know, like and respect Michelangelo as a person. He was so recognizably human with family issues, rivalries, loyal friends, treacherous friends and, above all this fierce driving passion for his art, especially sculpture. He was born with a gift and a genius that he acted on. He was passionate, cranky, demanding, willful, opinionated, determined, driven, and unwilling to accept anything short of perfection. Yet he did what he needed to do to pay the bills - sometimes setting his pet projects aside for years. For the first time in my life I am interested in visiting the Sistine Chapel to see his painstakingly and brilliantly executed ceiling frescoe and to view his famous marble sculpture of David (with the broken arm).
Plus on occasion I'm a sucker for epic historical novels. Michelangelo lived from 1475 - 1565 which was a fascinating period of history - Christopher Columbus gets mentioned in passing (some guy who recently set sail in three tiny ships westbound to find India), Raphael and so many other famous names from the Renaissance. Michelangelo had no use for Leonardo da Vinci whom he considered to be a society-seeking dandy and snob. I think most of this information is probably true as the book was extremely well researched with lots of primary sources, such as Michelangelo's 400+ letters.
The book also gets inside his head as an artist as he designs and executes all of his work, especially his most beloved marble sculptures. I had no idea there are so many grades of marble and never thought about how arduous it was to extract the right marble out of the Roman hills. Or to move the finished sculptures to their designated locations.
The dense writing and length (760 pages) made it a slog for me to get through - but an exciting slog and I find myself thinking a lot about it. That's why I gave it five stars.
June 8, 2025
رنج و سرمستی روایت مردیه که از سنگ به جاودانگی رسید .ایروینگ استون در این کتاب، نه فقط زندگی یک هنرمند، که نبردی انسانی و دردناک رو به تصویر میکشه، نبردی بین رنج زیستن و سرمستی آفرینش. این کتاب فراتر از ی زندگینامه ست و شرح آلام روحی نابغه اما تنها و رنج کشیده ست.
میکلآنژ ، هنرمند بیپناهیه که در هر برهه از زندگیش، جسم، توان، زمان و هنرش به نوعی به استثمار گرفته شده، اما اون از دل همین بند و زنجیرهایی که به روح و جسمش فشار میارن، راهی رو برای رهایی پیدا میکنه. اون که از کودکیش، بیمادری مثه ی زخم همیشگی بر قلب و روانش موندگار شده ،خیلی زود متوجه میشه که از مهر پدری هم محرومه، و فقط تحت سلطه ی اسم و نسبت خونی با این مرد زندگی میکنه، پدری سرد، پرمدعا، زورگو و وابسته، که همیشه استعدادش رو تحقیر میکنه و ارزش کار هنری پسرش رو انکار.. و جز حرص برای پول و خرید زمین هیچ دغدغه ی دیگه ای نداره و به پسرهاش به چشم وسیله ای برای رسیدن به اهداف مالیش نگاه می کنه. این بیمهری، اگرچه عاطفه رو تا حد زیادی در وجود میکل آنژ خاموش میکنه، اما منشا نیروی عظیم تری میشه که به موجبش آدم های سنگی اون در سکوت ابدیشون، بازتابی از عواطف و ناگفته های مختلف انسانی میشن.
او در بیشتر روزهای زندگیش، هنرمندی خسته و منزویه که با فقر دست و پنجه نرم می کنه اما هرگز تسلیم نمی شه، در سن کم با ترس عمیقش مواجه میشه بر اون غلبه می کنه و با کالبد شکافی از جنازه های ناشناس یا آدم های کم اهمیت تر ( برای جامعه و نه در جایگاه انسانی) دانش خودش رو در مورد کوچکترین جزئیات فیزیکی انسانها در سنین و قالب های مختلف ارتقا میده و همین خودفراگیری آنژ از رگ و پی انسان ها میشه راز و نکته ی برجسته ی هر جلوه ای از عضله، ظریف ترین رگ و ماهیچه و انقباض ها و... در تراش باشکوه ترین پیکرهای حاصل از ضربه های اون بر سنگ...
آنژ در اوایل به سبب فشارهای پدرش با تصویرگری و نقاشی سر می کنه، کاری که براش طاقت فرسا و کسل کننده س و نمی خواد خودش رو درگیر سقف و دیوار کلیساها و قصر ها کنه و ی هنرمند عام و در پی سود باقی بمونه، علاقه ش به سنگ و تلاشش برای افرینش ،گاهی حالتی عرفانی به خودش می گیره، مث ی وظیفه ای که از عالم دیگه ای بهش وانهاده شده باشه. همین شور جنونآمیز هنر و خلاقیت، او رو در برابر قدرتطلبی پاپها، حسادت هنرمندای دورانش، و بیمهری خاندان مدیچی تنها میذاره، اما تنها بودن اون تا همیشه گریز ناپذیر باقی می مونه،به نظر میرسه انگار این انزوا تقدیر هنرمندای بزرگه!
استون با نگارشی گاها شاعرانه و گاها مستندوار، مسیر زندگی میکلآنژ رو روایت میکنه. از کودکی در فلورانس تا شکوه سقف کلیسای سیستین، از دلشکستگیهای عاشقانهی ناتمام تا ملال سنگتراشی در سکوت کوههای کارارا و... این روایت، گاهی چنان زنده ست که نفس خواننده با غبار تراش مرمر سنگین میشه، گاهی روی داربست نقاشی سقف کلیسا بدنش دردناک و خسته می شه، و البته گاهی هم بی حوصله از ازدیاد اطلاعات بی اهمیت کتاب رو کنار می ذاره و کمی از کوچه پس کوچه های فلورانس و حومه دور میشه🗿🫠😁
شخصیتپردازی میکلآنژ، عمیق و به شدت باورپذیره. فضای سیاسی فرهنگی هنری حاکم بر ایتالیا با جزئیات تاریخی دقیق، وضعیت پاپ ها و جاه طلبی هاشون حس واقعیت و اصالت به اثر میده و شخصیتهای فرعی، از جمله زنان تاثیرگذار و دوستان میکلآنژ، اغلب در سایهی عظمت او و دردهای دیگه ی زندگیش گم میشن ...
از نکته های جالب کتاب برخورد میکلآنژ با اشخاص مختلف و نحوه ی رفتارش با اونهاست:
مثلا لئوناردو داوینچی، حس رقابتشون نسبت بهم، نگاه نقادانه و از بالا که با بی ارزش کردن هنر هر کدوم در نگاه دیگری ادامه پیدا میکنه تا در نهایت به همدلی میرسن. و یا کش و قوس هاش با مردان (ساده زیست و بی ادعای!) کلیسا بر سر نگاه ارباب رعیتی و زور و فشارشون بر آنژ برای ارضای حس ماندگاری با یادبود و آرامگاهشون..
میکلآنژ، بهنوعی نماد تمام انسانهاییه که با درد بزرگ شدن، بیمحبتی رو زندگی کردن، اما نخواستن شبیه زخمهاشون بشن...او تا آخرین نفس سرسختانه از نبض و نفس خودش بر سنگ دمید و برای هنرش مایه گذاشت، جدال اون برای به ثمر رسوندن آخرین آثارش و سماجت و عشقی که برای افرینش مردمان مرمریش تا پای جون به کار بست، یک نمونه ی کم نظیر برای اثبات علاقه و تعهدش به مخلوقاتشه، خدایی که با وجود کهولت و بیماری، آخرین رمقش رو هم پای بنده های بی جونش گذاشت و تا همیشه در قامت ملت سنگی ش جاودانه شد...
میکلآنژ ، هنرمند بیپناهیه که در هر برهه از زندگیش، جسم، توان، زمان و هنرش به نوعی به استثمار گرفته شده، اما اون از دل همین بند و زنجیرهایی که به روح و جسمش فشار میارن، راهی رو برای رهایی پیدا میکنه. اون که از کودکیش، بیمادری مثه ی زخم همیشگی بر قلب و روانش موندگار شده ،خیلی زود متوجه میشه که از مهر پدری هم محرومه، و فقط تحت سلطه ی اسم و نسبت خونی با این مرد زندگی میکنه، پدری سرد، پرمدعا، زورگو و وابسته، که همیشه استعدادش رو تحقیر میکنه و ارزش کار هنری پسرش رو انکار.. و جز حرص برای پول و خرید زمین هیچ دغدغه ی دیگه ای نداره و به پسرهاش به چشم وسیله ای برای رسیدن به اهداف مالیش نگاه می کنه. این بیمهری، اگرچه عاطفه رو تا حد زیادی در وجود میکل آنژ خاموش میکنه، اما منشا نیروی عظیم تری میشه که به موجبش آدم های سنگی اون در سکوت ابدیشون، بازتابی از عواطف و ناگفته های مختلف انسانی میشن.
او در بیشتر روزهای زندگیش، هنرمندی خسته و منزویه که با فقر دست و پنجه نرم می کنه اما هرگز تسلیم نمی شه، در سن کم با ترس عمیقش مواجه میشه بر اون غلبه می کنه و با کالبد شکافی از جنازه های ناشناس یا آدم های کم اهمیت تر ( برای جامعه و نه در جایگاه انسانی) دانش خودش رو در مورد کوچکترین جزئیات فیزیکی انسانها در سنین و قالب های مختلف ارتقا میده و همین خودفراگیری آنژ از رگ و پی انسان ها میشه راز و نکته ی برجسته ی هر جلوه ای از عضله، ظریف ترین رگ و ماهیچه و انقباض ها و... در تراش باشکوه ترین پیکرهای حاصل از ضربه های اون بر سنگ...
آنژ در اوایل به سبب فشارهای پدرش با تصویرگری و نقاشی سر می کنه، کاری که براش طاقت فرسا و کسل کننده س و نمی خواد خودش رو درگیر سقف و دیوار کلیساها و قصر ها کنه و ی هنرمند عام و در پی سود باقی بمونه، علاقه ش به سنگ و تلاشش برای افرینش ،گاهی حالتی عرفانی به خودش می گیره، مث ی وظیفه ای که از عالم دیگه ای بهش وانهاده شده باشه. همین شور جنونآمیز هنر و خلاقیت، او رو در برابر قدرتطلبی پاپها، حسادت هنرمندای دورانش، و بیمهری خاندان مدیچی تنها میذاره، اما تنها بودن اون تا همیشه گریز ناپذیر باقی می مونه،به نظر میرسه انگار این انزوا تقدیر هنرمندای بزرگه!
استون با نگارشی گاها شاعرانه و گاها مستندوار، مسیر زندگی میکلآنژ رو روایت میکنه. از کودکی در فلورانس تا شکوه سقف کلیسای سیستین، از دلشکستگیهای عاشقانهی ناتمام تا ملال سنگتراشی در سکوت کوههای کارارا و... این روایت، گاهی چنان زنده ست که نفس خواننده با غبار تراش مرمر سنگین میشه، گاهی روی داربست نقاشی سقف کلیسا بدنش دردناک و خسته می شه، و البته گاهی هم بی حوصله از ازدیاد اطلاعات بی اهمیت کتاب رو کنار می ذاره و کمی از کوچه پس کوچه های فلورانس و حومه دور میشه🗿🫠😁
شخصیتپردازی میکلآنژ، عمیق و به شدت باورپذیره. فضای سیاسی فرهنگی هنری حاکم بر ایتالیا با جزئیات تاریخی دقیق، وضعیت پاپ ها و جاه طلبی هاشون حس واقعیت و اصالت به اثر میده و شخصیتهای فرعی، از جمله زنان تاثیرگذار و دوستان میکلآنژ، اغلب در سایهی عظمت او و دردهای دیگه ی زندگیش گم میشن ...
از نکته های جالب کتاب برخورد میکلآنژ با اشخاص مختلف و نحوه ی رفتارش با اونهاست:
مثلا لئوناردو داوینچی، حس رقابتشون نسبت بهم، نگاه نقادانه و از بالا که با بی ارزش کردن هنر هر کدوم در نگاه دیگری ادامه پیدا میکنه تا در نهایت به همدلی میرسن. و یا کش و قوس هاش با مردان (ساده زیست و بی ادعای!) کلیسا بر سر نگاه ارباب رعیتی و زور و فشارشون بر آنژ برای ارضای حس ماندگاری با یادبود و آرامگاهشون..
میکلآنژ، بهنوعی نماد تمام انسانهاییه که با درد بزرگ شدن، بیمحبتی رو زندگی کردن، اما نخواستن شبیه زخمهاشون بشن...او تا آخرین نفس سرسختانه از نبض و نفس خودش بر سنگ دمید و برای هنرش مایه گذاشت، جدال اون برای به ثمر رسوندن آخرین آثارش و سماجت و عشقی که برای افرینش مردمان مرمریش تا پای جون به کار بست، یک نمونه ی کم نظیر برای اثبات علاقه و تعهدش به مخلوقاتشه، خدایی که با وجود کهولت و بیماری، آخرین رمقش رو هم پای بنده های بی جونش گذاشت و تا همیشه در قامت ملت سنگی ش جاودانه شد...
January 27, 2024
Se știe de mult că memorezi mai ușor un text dacă în lectura lui implici mai multe simțuri. Cînd pe vremuri trebuia să învăț poezii pe de rost (ceea ce, din păcate, nu se mai cere astăzi la școală), le citeam de cîteva ori cu voce tare.
Așa am făcut și cu romanul lui Irving Stone. M-am hotărît să-l „învăț” definitiv. Am deschis ediția de la Polirom (vechea traducere a lui Geo Dumitrescu și Liana Dobrescu, deloc ieșită din comun) și am observat că Radio Babilon oferă o lectură a cărții, un soi de audiobook. Cei de la Radio Babilon pretind că aceste lecturi (care nu respectă nici un copyright) sînt menite să-i ajute pe nevăzători. Frumos, creștinește, bravo! Din păcate, scopul nobil nu justifică furtul.
În audiobook, ascultăm o domniță cu o voce galeșă și cu mari, mari, mari lacune în educație. Nu are habar despre pronunția cuvintelor în italiană și se bizuie, probabil, pe intuiție, deși ar fi putut verifica ușor. De cele mai multe ori, intuiția o înșală. Biserica Santa Croce din Florența devine Santa Cros, strada Borgo la Croce devine Borgo la Cros. Dar, în italiană, cu puține excepții, se citește exact așa cum se scrie. Cititoarea ar fi trebuit să-și amintească un fapt elementar. Numele Beatrice, eroina lui Dante, se pronunță exact așa cum se scrie: Beatrice, în nici un caz Beatris. Soția lui Lorenzo de' Medici se numea Clarice (cum se scrie), nu Claris. Cititoarea radiofonică greșește pînă și pronunția numelui Jan van Eyck care devine van Ic. Păcat de munca ei...
Tipărit în 1961, Agonie și extaz a fost un bestseller instantaneu, în Times a stat 18 luni pe primul loc, s-a vîndut în mai bine de 3 milioane de exemplare. Filmul cît se poate de mediocru s-a turnat mai tîrziu. E un roman istoric solid. Irving Stone a încercat să rămînă fidel documentelor biografice. A tradus scrisorile lui Michelangelo (în număr de 495), a lucrat în atelierul unui sculptor în marmură, a vizitat locurile (Florența, Bologna, Roma), a citit un vraf de cărți despre viața cotidiană în Renaștere. A preluat și legendele. Una dintre ele afirmă că Lorenzo de' Medici, il Magnifico, l-a chemat pe tînărul artist în palatul său: „vreau să locuiești aici ca membru al familiei mele”. În palat, Michelangelo se îndrăgostește de fiica cea mică a lui Lorenzo, Contessina. Femeia n-a rămas de piatră. În genere, Irving Stone vrea să-l facă pe Michelangelo mult mai heterosexual decît a fost. Mai tîrziu, pe cînd se afla în Bologna, îi găsește și o amantă (Clarissa Saffi) care îl inițiază binevoitoare în tainele amorului. Toate aceste legende au fost inventate de Giorgio Vasari (1550) și de Michelangelo însuși, în mărturia dictată lui Ascanio Condivi în 1553. Personalitatea strivitoare a lui Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni le-a anulat spiritul crtic.
În încheiere, transcriu acest pasaj despre frumusețile Romei pe la anul 1500:
Aveai de unde alege...
Așa am făcut și cu romanul lui Irving Stone. M-am hotărît să-l „învăț” definitiv. Am deschis ediția de la Polirom (vechea traducere a lui Geo Dumitrescu și Liana Dobrescu, deloc ieșită din comun) și am observat că Radio Babilon oferă o lectură a cărții, un soi de audiobook. Cei de la Radio Babilon pretind că aceste lecturi (care nu respectă nici un copyright) sînt menite să-i ajute pe nevăzători. Frumos, creștinește, bravo! Din păcate, scopul nobil nu justifică furtul.
În audiobook, ascultăm o domniță cu o voce galeșă și cu mari, mari, mari lacune în educație. Nu are habar despre pronunția cuvintelor în italiană și se bizuie, probabil, pe intuiție, deși ar fi putut verifica ușor. De cele mai multe ori, intuiția o înșală. Biserica Santa Croce din Florența devine Santa Cros, strada Borgo la Croce devine Borgo la Cros. Dar, în italiană, cu puține excepții, se citește exact așa cum se scrie. Cititoarea ar fi trebuit să-și amintească un fapt elementar. Numele Beatrice, eroina lui Dante, se pronunță exact așa cum se scrie: Beatrice, în nici un caz Beatris. Soția lui Lorenzo de' Medici se numea Clarice (cum se scrie), nu Claris. Cititoarea radiofonică greșește pînă și pronunția numelui Jan van Eyck care devine van Ic. Păcat de munca ei...
Tipărit în 1961, Agonie și extaz a fost un bestseller instantaneu, în Times a stat 18 luni pe primul loc, s-a vîndut în mai bine de 3 milioane de exemplare. Filmul cît se poate de mediocru s-a turnat mai tîrziu. E un roman istoric solid. Irving Stone a încercat să rămînă fidel documentelor biografice. A tradus scrisorile lui Michelangelo (în număr de 495), a lucrat în atelierul unui sculptor în marmură, a vizitat locurile (Florența, Bologna, Roma), a citit un vraf de cărți despre viața cotidiană în Renaștere. A preluat și legendele. Una dintre ele afirmă că Lorenzo de' Medici, il Magnifico, l-a chemat pe tînărul artist în palatul său: „vreau să locuiești aici ca membru al familiei mele”. În palat, Michelangelo se îndrăgostește de fiica cea mică a lui Lorenzo, Contessina. Femeia n-a rămas de piatră. În genere, Irving Stone vrea să-l facă pe Michelangelo mult mai heterosexual decît a fost. Mai tîrziu, pe cînd se afla în Bologna, îi găsește și o amantă (Clarissa Saffi) care îl inițiază binevoitoare în tainele amorului. Toate aceste legende au fost inventate de Giorgio Vasari (1550) și de Michelangelo însuși, în mărturia dictată lui Ascanio Condivi în 1553. Personalitatea strivitoare a lui Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni le-a anulat spiritul crtic.
În încheiere, transcriu acest pasaj despre frumusețile Romei pe la anul 1500:
„Femeile romane, purtînd papagali sau maimuțe pe umeri, acoperite de giuvaieruri parfumate, urmate de slujnicele lor, negrese lucioase, le luau de sus pe străine: pe fetele din Spania, cu părul lor negru strălucitor și cu ochii limpezi; pe grecoaice, înalte, îmbrăcate în rochiile lor albe, încinse pe mijlocul subțire; pe egiptencele cu pielea tuciurie, înveșmîntate în mantii ce cădeau drept, de la umeri în jos; pe blondele din nordul Europei, cu ochi albaștri și cu flori împletite în cosițe, pe turcoaicele cu părul lins, ce aruncau priviri ademenitoare din dosul vălurilor; pe orientalele cu ochii ca mura, înfășurate în lungi mătăsuri viu colorate”.
Aveai de unde alege...
February 23, 2008
Even with Art History 101 under my belt, I was shocked to learn of his monumental contributions to sculpture, paint, architecture and even politics. But I was even more inspired by the incredible challenges he overcame throughout all of his 90 years of life. Nothing came easy. What an inspiration! Here is a quote from his death bed:
"Life has been good. God did not create me to abandon me. I have loved marble, yes, and paint too. I have loved architecture, and poetry too. I have loved my family and my friends. I have loved God, the forms of the earth and the heavens, and people too. I have loved life to the full, and now I love death as its natural termination. Il Magnifico would be happy: for me, the forces of destruction never overcame creativity."
It took me 13 months to read this book, and I will miss it (him).
PS: If you are going to read it, make a chart with four columns-Family, Medici, Friends, Enemies. There are many people with long Italian names, and they all remain relevant throughout his life
"Life has been good. God did not create me to abandon me. I have loved marble, yes, and paint too. I have loved architecture, and poetry too. I have loved my family and my friends. I have loved God, the forms of the earth and the heavens, and people too. I have loved life to the full, and now I love death as its natural termination. Il Magnifico would be happy: for me, the forces of destruction never overcame creativity."
It took me 13 months to read this book, and I will miss it (him).
PS: If you are going to read it, make a chart with four columns-Family, Medici, Friends, Enemies. There are many people with long Italian names, and they all remain relevant throughout his life
September 9, 2018
The "agony" and the "ecstasy" of "THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY"!
I wonder if Stone would feel honoured or slighted at my brash theft of HIS title THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY, as the basis for my review of his wonderful work!
Irving Stone's THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY is an enormous, comprehensive re-creation of the life and death of Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the acknowledged world giants of art. Not only has he allowed us to share Michelangelo's triumphs as a sculptor, painter, architect and poet but he has also compelled us to weep as we suffer with Michelangelo through his struggles with a petulant and greedy family, exile, political and artistic disgrace, chronic financial difficulties and the loss of love made even more poignant by its never having truly been experienced in the first place!
Were the events of this man's life not breathtaking or compelling enough on their own, Stone has also provided us with a lushly detailed portrait of the immensely complicated background of Renaissance Europe - the madness of Savonarola's puritanical tyranny over Florence and his fanatical revolt against the Roman Catholic church; the Medici family's reign over Florence and virtual stranglehold on the papacy and the church bureaucracy; the turbulent camaraderie (or was that spiteful, ruthless competition?) with other artistic greats of the same period such as da Vinci and Raphael; and the political machinations of the ruthless Borgia family.
That Stone can create magnificent prose, the "ecstasy" as it were, is beyond question! Time and again I was awestruck at Stone's creative abilities as a wordsmith. Witness this brilliant re-working of an often used metaphor for time which, in the hands of a less talented writer, may have become merely hackneyed:
"Time was not a mountain but a river; it changed its rate of flow as well as its course. It could become swollen, overflow its banks, or dry to a trickle; it could run clean and pure along its bed or become laden with silt and throw up debris along the shore."
On the other hand, the novel's "agony" was its intimidating length and Stone's absolute refusal to be anything less than comprehensive, scholarly and absolutely accurate in the tiniest detail. While Stone ultimately avoided the fatal trap, this compulsively detailed chronology constantly threatened to push the novel from entertaining and informative into the realm of list-making tedium.
That said, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY is an extraordinary piece of literature and any patient reader will come to its conclusion feeling uplifted, more knowledgeable and well repaid for the effort!
Paul Weiss
I wonder if Stone would feel honoured or slighted at my brash theft of HIS title THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY, as the basis for my review of his wonderful work!
Irving Stone's THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY is an enormous, comprehensive re-creation of the life and death of Michelangelo Buonarroti, one of the acknowledged world giants of art. Not only has he allowed us to share Michelangelo's triumphs as a sculptor, painter, architect and poet but he has also compelled us to weep as we suffer with Michelangelo through his struggles with a petulant and greedy family, exile, political and artistic disgrace, chronic financial difficulties and the loss of love made even more poignant by its never having truly been experienced in the first place!
Were the events of this man's life not breathtaking or compelling enough on their own, Stone has also provided us with a lushly detailed portrait of the immensely complicated background of Renaissance Europe - the madness of Savonarola's puritanical tyranny over Florence and his fanatical revolt against the Roman Catholic church; the Medici family's reign over Florence and virtual stranglehold on the papacy and the church bureaucracy; the turbulent camaraderie (or was that spiteful, ruthless competition?) with other artistic greats of the same period such as da Vinci and Raphael; and the political machinations of the ruthless Borgia family.
That Stone can create magnificent prose, the "ecstasy" as it were, is beyond question! Time and again I was awestruck at Stone's creative abilities as a wordsmith. Witness this brilliant re-working of an often used metaphor for time which, in the hands of a less talented writer, may have become merely hackneyed:
"Time was not a mountain but a river; it changed its rate of flow as well as its course. It could become swollen, overflow its banks, or dry to a trickle; it could run clean and pure along its bed or become laden with silt and throw up debris along the shore."
On the other hand, the novel's "agony" was its intimidating length and Stone's absolute refusal to be anything less than comprehensive, scholarly and absolutely accurate in the tiniest detail. While Stone ultimately avoided the fatal trap, this compulsively detailed chronology constantly threatened to push the novel from entertaining and informative into the realm of list-making tedium.
That said, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY is an extraordinary piece of literature and any patient reader will come to its conclusion feeling uplifted, more knowledgeable and well repaid for the effort!
Paul Weiss
August 26, 2018
At the age of thirteen, Michelangelo enters the workshop of painter Ghirlandaio and studies the fresco painting technique. Son of a surly bourgeois father of noble descent, lost his mother at an early age, Michelangelo eventually becomes fascinated by the texture of marble and wishes to release, the trapped forms which, according to his neo-Platonic worldview, are already hidden inside the raw material.
A book is not big enough to fit the magnitude of Michelangelo Buonarroti's artistic genius, the complexity of his character, and the interpretation of his immense work. Irving Stone does an exquisite work in presenting the life and deeds of the great sculptor and painter who produced masterpieces such as the Pietà of St. Peter's Basilica, the Giant David of Florence and Cappella Sistina's frescoes.
Μου πήρε σχεδόν τέσσερις μήνες να το τελειώσω. Και στο τέλος των 776 σελίδων έπιασα τον εαυτό μου να παραπονιέται, επειδή το έργο αυτό δεν ήταν μεγαλύτερο σε έκταση, ήθελα ακόμα περισσότερες πληροφορίες, ακόμα περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες – κατά βάθος είχε γίνει κομμάτι της καθημερινότητάς μου σε σημείο που δεν ήθελα να τελειώσει.
Δεν αρκεί ένα βιβλίο για να χωρέσει το μέγεθος της καλλιτεχνικής ιδιοφυΐας του Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), την πολυπλοκότητα του χαρακτήρα του και την ερμηνευτική προσέγγιση του τεράστιου έργου του. Ο Irving Stone κάνει μια εξαίσια δουλειά στη μυθιστορηματική αναπαράσταση της ζωής του σπουδαίου γλύπτη και ζωγράφου που μας χάρισε αριστουργήματα όπως η Pietà της Βασιλικής του Αγίου Πέτρου, τον γίγαντα Δαβίδ της Φλωρεντίας, τις τοιχογραφίες της Cappella Sistina, και σηματοδότησε με το έργο του την εποχή του Ουμανισμού και της Αναγέννησης με όλες τις αντιφάσεις, τις συγκρούσεις και τις πολιτικές και πολιτισμικές παραμέτρους που τη χαρακτηρίζουν.
Δεν είναι μόνο το βιβλίο αυτό καθαυτό αλλά το έργο του ίδιου του καλλιτέχνη που, ακολουθώντας τα γεγονότα της ζωής του, μπόρεσα να γνωρίσω (χρησιμοποιώντας και άλλες πηγές προκειμένου να το κατανοήσω ακόμα καλύτερα). Ο Irving Stone καταφέρνει να αναπαραστήσει την εποχή και τα γεγονότα με τόση πιστότητα και τόση αληθοφάνεια, ώστε τελικά δημιουργεί τη ψευδαίσθηση πως πρόκειται για αποτέλεσμα όχι απλής εμβριθούς μελέτης και έρευνας, αλλά για βιωμένη πραγματικότητα ενός αυτόπτη μάρτυρα. Όπως αναφέρει και ίδιος στο σημείωμα που παρατίθεται στο τέλος του μυθιστορήματος:
«Αυτή η μυθιστορηματική βιογραφία στηρίζεται σε πολυετή έρευνα των πηγών, ζώντας και μελετώντας, στη Φλωρεντία, τη Ρώμη, την Καρράρα και την Μπολόνια. Το έργο ξεκίνησε έξι χρόνια πριν από τη συγγραφή του, όταν απέκτησα πρόσβαση στις 495 επιστολές του καθώς και στα αρχεία και τα συμβόλαιά του […]»
Στα δεκατρία του ο Michelangelo, μαθητεύει στο εργαστήρι του ζωγράφου Ghirlandaio και εκπαιδεύεται στην τεχνική της νωπογραφίας (fresco). Γιος ενός στριφνού και ξεπεσμένου αστού με ευγενική καταγωγή, ορφανός από μητέρα, γοητεύεται από πολύ νωρίς από την υφή του μαρμάρου, μέσα από το οποίο θέλει να απελευθερώσει, τις παγιδευμένες μορφές, που σύμφωνα με την νεοπλατωνική κοσμοθεωρία του, ήδη προϋπάρχουν κρυμμένες εντός της ακατέργαστης πρώτης ύλης. Τα δύο κυρίαρχα ρεύματα στη Φλωρεντία της εποχής ασκούν επάνω του τεράστια επιρροή:
Από τη μία ο Lorenzo dei Medici, ένας σπουδαίος πολιτικός και πνευματικός ηγέτης συγκεντρώνει στην αυλή του νεοπλατωνιστές φιλοσόφους, με το όραμα να μετατρέψει τη Φλωρεντία σε μια δεύτερη Αθήνα, έχοντας στη διάθεσή του πνευματικούς ανθρώπους όπως ο Marsilio Ficino, ο Christoforo Landino, ο Angelo Poliziano, ο Picco della Mirandola, ο Δημήτριος Χαλκοκονδύλης κα. Από την άλλη πλευρά δεσπόζει ένας φανατισμένος, παράφρονας Δομινικανός μοναχός από τη Φερράρα, ο Girolamo Savonarola που κήρυττε την απόλυτη αποχή από τα εγκόσμια, την απέχθεια του για την τέχνη και τη πνευματική ζωή της εποχής της. Και οι δύο πλευρές παρά τις θεμελιώδεις αντιθέσεις τους, επιθυμούσαν τη μεταρρύθμιση της εκκλησίας της Ρώμης η οποία μέσα από μια σειρά διεφθαρμένων παπών είχε αποκλίνει από τον πνευματικό της ρόλο (γεγονός που οδήγησε μετέπειτα στη διαμαρτυρία του Λουθήρου και τη δημιουργία της Ισπανικής Ιεράς Εξέτασης).
Ο Lorenzo dei Medici αποφασισμένος να αποκτήσει τη δική του σχολή γλυπτικής φέρνει ως δάσκαλο τον υπέργηρο Bertoldo di Giovanni, μαθητή του σπουδαίου φλωρεντίνου γλύπτη Donatello και τον εγκαθιστά στον κήπο του παλατιού του. Στο πλάι του, ο νεαρός Michelangelo, μέσα σε αυτήν την μαρμάρινη Εδέμ, θα πάρει τα πρώτα του μαθήματα, ξεκινώντας από το σχέδιο στην επίπεδη επιφάνεια του χαρτιού και τα προσχέδια από κερί και πηλό, για να περάσει στη δημιουργία των πρώτων ανάγλυφων έργων του καθώς και στα πρώτα πλήρως τρισδιάστατα γλυπτά του.
Δύο παράγοντες έπαιξαν σπουδαίο ρόλο στην τεχνική του καλλιτέχνη. Από τη μία η μελέτη των αρχαίων ρωμαϊκών γλυπτών, που συχνά ανασύρονταν από την γόνιμη ιταλική γη και κοσμούσαν τις αυλές των ευγενών και πλουσίων, και η μελέτη της ανθρώπινης ανατομίας – την οποία σπούδασε στα κρυφά, στο μοναστήρι του Santo Spirito, το οποίο λειτουργούσε και ως νοσοκομείο, με τη βοήθεια του ηγούμενου Bichiellini. Τα γλυπτά του έσφυζαν από ζωή και αναπαριστούσαν το ανδρικό σώμα στην παραμικρή του λεπτομέρεια.
Το ανδρικό σώμα αποτελεί για τον καλλιτέχνη ένα αντικείμενο λατρείας. Ο Irving Stone δεν εστιάζει σχεδόν καθόλου στους ομοφυλοφιλικούς έρωτες του καλλιτέχνη, στην ουσία τους παραβλέπει σε βαθμό που να στερείται ένα σημαντικότατο ερμηνευτικό κλειδί για την κατανόηση του έργου του. Για να λέμε τα πράγματα με το όνομά τους. Ο Michelangelo έκανε έρωτα με νεαρούς άνδρες, το ομολογεί άλλωστε και στα ποιήματά του (το γνωρίζουν άλλωστε και οι σύγχρονοί του – βλέπε λίβελο του Pietro Aretino):
La carne terra, e qui l'ossa mia, prive
de' lor begli occhi, e del leggiadro aspetto
fan fede a quel ch'i' fu grazia nel letto,
che abbracciava, e' n che l'anima vive.
Τώρα η σάρκα έγινε χώμα, κι εδώ τα κόκκαλά μου,
στερημένα από τα όμορφά του μάτια και την ωραία μορφή του
παραμένουν πιστά σε αυτόν που απολάμβανα μαζί του να πλαγιάζω
σε εκείνον που αγκάλιαζα και μέσα στον οποίο τώρα ζει η ψυχή μου.
(ποίημα του Michelangelo για τον θάνατο του αγαπημένου εραστή του, Cecchino dei Bracci).
Σε μια εποχή όπου το φάσμα της ανθρώπινης σεξουαλικότητας περιοριζόταν ασφυκτικά από τον πατριαρχικό ετεροσεξουαλικό προσανατολισμό και τις περί σοδομίας εκκλησιαστικές διδασκαλίες είναι λογικό όλοι οι πόθοι του καλλιτέχνη να διοχετεύονται μέσα στην απεικόνιση του ιδεώδους ανδρικού κορμιού, το οποίο χρησιμεύει ως μοντέλο για όλες τις μορφές, είτε είναι ανδρικές είτε είναι γυναικείες. Έτσι στο Doni Tondo (πίνακας που εικονίζει την Αγία Οικογένεια) η Παναγία εικονίζεται ως ένα γεροδεμένο αγόρι με στιβαρά μπράτσα, στην Sagrestia Nuova οι μαστοί των γυναικείων γλυπτών μοιάζουν στην κυριολεξία κολλημένοι επάνω σε ανδρικά σώματα, ενώ διακοσμεί την οροφή της Cappella Sistina με ένα πλήθος ανδρικών γυμνών γνωστών ως Ignudi.
Πέρα από τη γλυπτική, τη ζωγραφική και την ποίηση ο Michelangelo ασχολήθηκε επίσης με έργα οδοποιίας, οχυρώσεων και αρχιτεκτονικής. Παρέμεινε υπερδραστήριος και δημιουργικός ως το τέλος της ζωής του, αλλά ακριβώς αυτή η υπεραπασχόληση και η εμμονή του να εργάζεται πρωτίστως ο ίδιος επάνω στα έργα του, αφήνοντας ελάχιστα στην επιμέλεια των βοηθών του, ήταν εξαιρετικά χρονοβόρα και είχε ως αποτέλεσμα να αφήσει πίσω του πολλά ημιτελή έργα, τα οποία ωστόσο, ακόμα κι έτσι έχουν κάτι το μεγαλειώδες (πχ βλέπε Pietà Rondanini το τελευταίο έργο που δούλευε μέχρι έξι ημέρες πριν τον θάνατό του). Ήθελε να ολοκληρώσει το έργο του πριν επιτρέψει στους υπόλοιπους να το μελετήσουν γι’ αυτό ήταν ιδιαίτερα μυστικοπαθής και απεχθανόταν την ιδέα να διαρρεύσει κάτι χωρίς την έγκρισή του.
Πεισματάρης και επίμονος συγκρούστηκε με άλλες σπουδαίες καλλιτεχνικές μορφές την εποχής του, όπως με τον Leonardo da Vinci (οι δυο θρυλικές, πλέον χαμένες, τοιχογραφίες στο Palazzo Vecchio της Φλωρεντίας είναι το αποκορύφωμα του ανταγωνισμού τους) και τον Raphael. Πάτρωνές του και χρηματοδότες του ήταν πρωτίστως η πολιτεία της Φλωρεντίας και οι πάπες της Ρώμης με τους οποίους επίσης συγκρούστηκε στην προσπάθειά του να επιβληθεί ως δημιουργός διεκδικώντας σεβασμό και ικανοποιητικές αμοιβές. Δεν παντρεύτηκε ποτέ, ωστόσο παρέμεινε αφοσιωμένος στον πατέρα και τα αδέρφια του παρά τις πολλές διαφωνίες και προστριβές που είχε μαζί τους. Στην ηλικία των εξήντα ετών συνδέθηκε με βαθιά φιλία με την διανοούμενη ποιήτρια Vittoria Colonna, η οποία αποτέλεσε γι’ αυτόν πηγή έμπνευσης.
Ο Michelangelo Buonarroti συνέβαλλε στην αφύπνιση του δυτικού πολιτισμού έπειτα από έναν λήθαργο αιώνων. Ήταν ένας από εκείνους που συνέδεσαν τα ξεχασμένα επιτεύγματα της αρχαιότητας με το παρόν της εποχής του. Ο σύγχρονος κόσμος, η εποχή μας όπως τη ζούμε σήμερα, δεν θα ήταν ίδια αν δεν έφεραν την υπογραφή ανθρώπων του δικού του μεγέθους:
Michaelangelus Bonarotus Florent(inus) Faciebat.
Αν σας ενδιαφέρει να δείτε τα κυριότερα έργα του καλλιτέχνη:
https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio...
Ακολουθώντας τους υπερσυνδέσμους και πατώντας επάνω στην εκάστοτε φωτογραφία ανοίγει νέο παράθυρο με διάφορες επιλογές ανάλυσης από 25 έως 200% ).
A book is not big enough to fit the magnitude of Michelangelo Buonarroti's artistic genius, the complexity of his character, and the interpretation of his immense work. Irving Stone does an exquisite work in presenting the life and deeds of the great sculptor and painter who produced masterpieces such as the Pietà of St. Peter's Basilica, the Giant David of Florence and Cappella Sistina's frescoes.
Μου πήρε σχεδόν τέσσερις μήνες να το τελειώσω. Και στο τέλος των 776 σελίδων έπιασα τον εαυτό μου να παραπονιέται, επειδή το έργο αυτό δεν ήταν μεγαλύτερο σε έκταση, ήθελα ακόμα περισσότερες πληροφορίες, ακόμα περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες – κατά βάθος είχε γίνει κομμάτι της καθημερινότητάς μου σε σημείο που δεν ήθελα να τελειώσει.
Δεν αρκεί ένα βιβλίο για να χωρέσει το μέγεθος της καλλιτεχνικής ιδιοφυΐας του Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), την πολυπλοκότητα του χαρακτήρα του και την ερμηνευτική προσέγγιση του τεράστιου έργου του. Ο Irving Stone κάνει μια εξαίσια δουλειά στη μυθιστορηματική αναπαράσταση της ζωής του σπουδαίου γλύπτη και ζωγράφου που μας χάρισε αριστουργήματα όπως η Pietà της Βασιλικής του Αγίου Πέτρου, τον γίγαντα Δαβίδ της Φλωρεντίας, τις τοιχογραφίες της Cappella Sistina, και σηματοδότησε με το έργο του την εποχή του Ουμανισμού και της Αναγέννησης με όλες τις αντιφάσεις, τις συγκρούσεις και τις πολιτικές και πολιτισμικές παραμέτρους που τη χαρακτηρίζουν.
Δεν είναι μόνο το βιβλίο αυτό καθαυτό αλλά το έργο του ίδιου του καλλιτέχνη που, ακολουθώντας τα γεγονότα της ζωής του, μπόρεσα να γνωρίσω (χρησιμοποιώντας και άλλες πηγές προκειμένου να το κατανοήσω ακόμα καλύτερα). Ο Irving Stone καταφέρνει να αναπαραστήσει την εποχή και τα γεγονότα με τόση πιστότητα και τόση αληθοφάνεια, ώστε τελικά δημιουργεί τη ψευδαίσθηση πως πρόκειται για αποτέλεσμα όχι απλής εμβριθούς μελέτης και έρευνας, αλλά για βιωμένη πραγματικότητα ενός αυτόπτη μάρτυρα. Όπως αναφέρει και ίδιος στο σημείωμα που παρατίθεται στο τέλος του μυθιστορήματος:
«Αυτή η μυθιστορηματική βιογραφία στηρίζεται σε πολυετή έρευνα των πηγών, ζώντας και μελετώντας, στη Φλωρεντία, τη Ρώμη, την Καρράρα και την Μπολόνια. Το έργο ξεκίνησε έξι χρόνια πριν από τη συγγραφή του, όταν απέκτησα πρόσβαση στις 495 επιστολές του καθώς και στα αρχεία και τα συμβόλαιά του […]»
Στα δεκατρία του ο Michelangelo, μαθητεύει στο εργαστήρι του ζωγράφου Ghirlandaio και εκπαιδεύεται στην τεχνική της νωπογραφίας (fresco). Γιος ενός στριφνού και ξεπεσμένου αστού με ευγενική καταγωγή, ορφανός από μητέρα, γοητεύεται από πολύ νωρίς από την υφή του μαρμάρου, μέσα από το οποίο θέλει να απελευθερώσει, τις παγιδευμένες μορφές, που σύμφωνα με την νεοπλατωνική κοσμοθεωρία του, ήδη προϋπάρχουν κρυμμένες εντός της ακατέργαστης πρώτης ύλης. Τα δύο κυρίαρχα ρεύματα στη Φλωρεντία της εποχής ασκούν επάνω του τεράστια επιρροή:
Από τη μία ο Lorenzo dei Medici, ένας σπουδαίος πολιτικός και πνευματικός ηγέτης συγκεντρώνει στην αυλή του νεοπλατωνιστές φιλοσόφους, με το όραμα να μετατρέψει τη Φλωρεντία σε μια δεύτερη Αθήνα, έχοντας στη διάθεσή του πνευματικούς ανθρώπους όπως ο Marsilio Ficino, ο Christoforo Landino, ο Angelo Poliziano, ο Picco della Mirandola, ο Δημήτριος Χαλκοκονδύλης κα. Από την άλλη πλευρά δεσπόζει ένας φανατισμένος, παράφρονας Δομινικανός μοναχός από τη Φερράρα, ο Girolamo Savonarola που κήρυττε την απόλυτη αποχή από τα εγκόσμια, την απέχθεια του για την τέχνη και τη πνευματική ζωή της εποχής της. Και οι δύο πλευρές παρά τις θεμελιώδεις αντιθέσεις τους, επιθυμούσαν τη μεταρρύθμιση της εκκλησίας της Ρώμης η οποία μέσα από μια σειρά διεφθαρμένων παπών είχε αποκλίνει από τον πνευματικό της ρόλο (γεγονός που οδήγησε μετέπειτα στη διαμαρτυρία του Λουθήρου και τη δημιουργία της Ισπανικής Ιεράς Εξέτασης).
Ο Lorenzo dei Medici αποφασισμένος να αποκτήσει τη δική του σχολή γλυπτικής φέρνει ως δάσκαλο τον υπέργηρο Bertoldo di Giovanni, μαθητή του σπουδαίου φλωρεντίνου γλύπτη Donatello και τον εγκαθιστά στον κήπο του παλατιού του. Στο πλάι του, ο νεαρός Michelangelo, μέσα σε αυτήν την μαρμάρινη Εδέμ, θα πάρει τα πρώτα του μαθήματα, ξεκινώντας από το σχέδιο στην επίπεδη επιφάνεια του χαρτιού και τα προσχέδια από κερί και πηλό, για να περάσει στη δημιουργία των πρώτων ανάγλυφων έργων του καθώς και στα πρώτα πλήρως τρισδιάστατα γλυπτά του.
Δύο παράγοντες έπαιξαν σπουδαίο ρόλο στην τεχνική του καλλιτέχνη. Από τη μία η μελέτη των αρχαίων ρωμαϊκών γλυπτών, που συχνά ανασύρονταν από την γόνιμη ιταλική γη και κοσμούσαν τις αυλές των ευγενών και πλουσίων, και η μελέτη της ανθρώπινης ανατομίας – την οποία σπούδασε στα κρυφά, στο μοναστήρι του Santo Spirito, το οποίο λειτουργούσε και ως νοσοκομείο, με τη βοήθεια του ηγούμενου Bichiellini. Τα γλυπτά του έσφυζαν από ζωή και αναπαριστούσαν το ανδρικό σώμα στην παραμικρή του λεπτομέρεια.
Το ανδρικό σώμα αποτελεί για τον καλλιτέχνη ένα αντικείμενο λατρείας. Ο Irving Stone δεν εστιάζει σχεδόν καθόλου στους ομοφυλοφιλικούς έρωτες του καλλιτέχνη, στην ουσία τους παραβλέπει σε βαθμό που να στερείται ένα σημαντικότατο ερμηνευτικό κλειδί για την κατανόηση του έργου του. Για να λέμε τα πράγματα με το όνομά τους. Ο Michelangelo έκανε έρωτα με νεαρούς άνδρες, το ομολογεί άλλωστε και στα ποιήματά του (το γνωρίζουν άλλωστε και οι σύγχρονοί του – βλέπε λίβελο του Pietro Aretino):
La carne terra, e qui l'ossa mia, prive
de' lor begli occhi, e del leggiadro aspetto
fan fede a quel ch'i' fu grazia nel letto,
che abbracciava, e' n che l'anima vive.
Τώρα η σάρκα έγινε χώμα, κι εδώ τα κόκκαλά μου,
στερημένα από τα όμορφά του μάτια και την ωραία μορφή του
παραμένουν πιστά σε αυτόν που απολάμβανα μαζί του να πλαγιάζω
σε εκείνον που αγκάλιαζα και μέσα στον οποίο τώρα ζει η ψυχή μου.
(ποίημα του Michelangelo για τον θάνατο του αγαπημένου εραστή του, Cecchino dei Bracci).
Σε μια εποχή όπου το φάσμα της ανθρώπινης σεξουαλικότητας περιοριζόταν ασφυκτικά από τον πατριαρχικό ετεροσεξουαλικό προσανατολισμό και τις περί σοδομίας εκκλησιαστικές διδασκαλίες είναι λογικό όλοι οι πόθοι του καλλιτέχνη να διοχετεύονται μέσα στην απεικόνιση του ιδεώδους ανδρικού κορμιού, το οποίο χρησιμεύει ως μοντέλο για όλες τις μορφές, είτε είναι ανδρικές είτε είναι γυναικείες. Έτσι στο Doni Tondo (πίνακας που εικονίζει την Αγία Οικογένεια) η Παναγία εικονίζεται ως ένα γεροδεμένο αγόρι με στιβαρά μπράτσα, στην Sagrestia Nuova οι μαστοί των γυναικείων γλυπτών μοιάζουν στην κυριολεξία κολλημένοι επάνω σε ανδρικά σώματα, ενώ διακοσμεί την οροφή της Cappella Sistina με ένα πλήθος ανδρικών γυμνών γνωστών ως Ignudi.
Πέρα από τη γλυπτική, τη ζωγραφική και την ποίηση ο Michelangelo ασχολήθηκε επίσης με έργα οδοποιίας, οχυρώσεων και αρχιτεκτονικής. Παρέμεινε υπερδραστήριος και δημιουργικός ως το τέλος της ζωής του, αλλά ακριβώς αυτή η υπεραπασχόληση και η εμμονή του να εργάζεται πρωτίστως ο ίδιος επάνω στα έργα του, αφήνοντας ελάχιστα στην επιμέλεια των βοηθών του, ήταν εξαιρετικά χρονοβόρα και είχε ως αποτέλεσμα να αφήσει πίσω του πολλά ημιτελή έργα, τα οποία ωστόσο, ακόμα κι έτσι έχουν κάτι το μεγαλειώδες (πχ βλέπε Pietà Rondanini το τελευταίο έργο που δούλευε μέχρι έξι ημέρες πριν τον θάνατό του). Ήθελε να ολοκληρώσει το έργο του πριν επιτρέψει στους υπόλοιπους να το μελετήσουν γι’ αυτό ήταν ιδιαίτερα μυστικοπαθής και απεχθανόταν την ιδέα να διαρρεύσει κάτι χωρίς την έγκρισή του.
Πεισματάρης και επίμονος συγκρούστηκε με άλλες σπουδαίες καλλιτεχνικές μορφές την εποχής του, όπως με τον Leonardo da Vinci (οι δυο θρυλικές, πλέον χαμένες, τοιχογραφίες στο Palazzo Vecchio της Φλωρεντίας είναι το αποκορύφωμα του ανταγωνισμού τους) και τον Raphael. Πάτρωνές του και χρηματοδότες του ήταν πρωτίστως η πολιτεία της Φλωρεντίας και οι πάπες της Ρώμης με τους οποίους επίσης συγκρούστηκε στην προσπάθειά του να επιβληθεί ως δημιουργός διεκδικώντας σεβασμό και ικανοποιητικές αμοιβές. Δεν παντρεύτηκε ποτέ, ωστόσο παρέμεινε αφοσιωμένος στον πατέρα και τα αδέρφια του παρά τις πολλές διαφωνίες και προστριβές που είχε μαζί τους. Στην ηλικία των εξήντα ετών συνδέθηκε με βαθιά φιλία με την διανοούμενη ποιήτρια Vittoria Colonna, η οποία αποτέλεσε γι’ αυτόν πηγή έμπνευσης.
Ο Michelangelo Buonarroti συνέβαλλε στην αφύπνιση του δυτικού πολιτισμού έπειτα από έναν λήθαργο αιώνων. Ήταν ένας από εκείνους που συνέδεσαν τα ξεχασμένα επιτεύγματα της αρχαιότητας με το παρόν της εποχής του. Ο σύγχρονος κόσμος, η εποχή μας όπως τη ζούμε σήμερα, δεν θα ήταν ίδια αν δεν έφεραν την υπογραφή ανθρώπων του δικού του μεγέθους:
Michaelangelus Bonarotus Florent(inus) Faciebat.
Αν σας ενδιαφέρει να δείτε τα κυριότερα έργα του καλλιτέχνη:
https://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/bio...
Ακολουθώντας τους υπερσυνδέσμους και πατώντας επάνω στην εκάστοτε φωτογραφία ανοίγει νέο παράθυρο με διάφορες επιλογές ανάλυσης από 25 έως 200% ).
March 24, 2019
Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy was a magnificent literary biographical novel of the renowned and beloved artist Michelangelo. It beautifully details the complexity, not only of the man, but a lifetime of his works, including the many and famous sculptures from Carrara marble, paintings, frescos and architecture, not only in Florence, but in Bologna and Rome. Michelangelo's large body of work included his iconic sculptures of David and the Pieta. Although he preferred other forms of artistic expression over painting, some of his most famous frescos include the beautiful ceiling in the Sistine Chapel as well as The Last Judgment on the altar wall. At the age of 74, Michelangelo became the architect of St. Peter's Basilica that occupied the remainder of his life. He worked on models of the dome he envisioned over the nave of St. Peter's so it could be completed after his death. I loved this book and I'm looking forward to another trip to Italy to once again enjoy these timeless artistic works of Michelangelo, but this time with a much greater understanding, appreciation and awe of the artist.
"White marble was the heart of the universe, the purest substance created by God; not merely a symbol of God but a portrait, God's way of manifesting himself. Only a divine hand could create such noble beauty. He felt himself a part of the white purity before him, felt its integrity as though it were his own."
"Art for me is a torment, grievous when it goes bad, ecstatic when it goes well; but always it possesses me. When I have finished with a day of work I am a husk. Everything that was inside of me is now inside the marble or fresco. That is why I have nothing to give elsewhere."
"Every work of art is a self-portrait. They have tremendous emotional impact; it's as though I must project myself into their unfinished forms, complete them by my own thinking and feeling."
". . . he was content. He had come into the autumn of his life: a man has his seasons, even as had the earth. Was the harvesting of autumn less important than the seeding of spring? Each without the other was meaningless."
"St. Peter's . . . He entered the church through its front portal, walked in the strong Roman sunshine down the wide nave, stood below the center of the dome, just over the tomb of St. Peter. He felt his soul leave his body, rise upward into the dome, becoming part of it: part of space, of time, of heaven and of God."
"White marble was the heart of the universe, the purest substance created by God; not merely a symbol of God but a portrait, God's way of manifesting himself. Only a divine hand could create such noble beauty. He felt himself a part of the white purity before him, felt its integrity as though it were his own."
"Art for me is a torment, grievous when it goes bad, ecstatic when it goes well; but always it possesses me. When I have finished with a day of work I am a husk. Everything that was inside of me is now inside the marble or fresco. That is why I have nothing to give elsewhere."
"Every work of art is a self-portrait. They have tremendous emotional impact; it's as though I must project myself into their unfinished forms, complete them by my own thinking and feeling."
". . . he was content. He had come into the autumn of his life: a man has his seasons, even as had the earth. Was the harvesting of autumn less important than the seeding of spring? Each without the other was meaningless."
"St. Peter's . . . He entered the church through its front portal, walked in the strong Roman sunshine down the wide nave, stood below the center of the dome, just over the tomb of St. Peter. He felt his soul leave his body, rise upward into the dome, becoming part of it: part of space, of time, of heaven and of God."
July 31, 2015
I discovered this Irving Stone title in high school many many years ago, but I had not read the book again since then so it was fresh, new, and incredibly stunning for me. We meet Michelangelo when he is thirteen, and follow him through his almost tortured life until he dies at age 88. In between we see him become an Artist like no other before or since. We learn Art History, Italian History, Vatican History, and meet an incredible number of Popes, all of whom keep Michelangelo on a short leash. I can only imagine what he could have created if he had been allowed to concentrate on the marble the way he so intensely desired to do.
But every Pope, from Julius II to Pius IV, expected Michelangelo to create specific projects just for them. For example, he never wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel, he was ordered to do that job, with the promise that when he was done he could return to his sculpture. He could easily have given less than 100% of himself to the work, but Michelangelo was a true artist. Plus he also knew that He was a victim of his own integrity, which forced him to do his best, even when he would have preferred to do nothing at all. So he created a treasure for the ages. And did so every time he was forced away from his one true passion: working the marble.
My reading of the book this time was enriched by keeping my laptop nearby and referring to it frequently. I researched artists whose work influenced Michelangelo such as Donatello, whose bronze David left our young artist speechless when he first saw it. I would stop reading many times just to examine the pictures of Michelangelo's works. Stone has frequent passages describing the thought process as Michelangelo developed his ideas for each piece, then the physical act of creation, where man and stone seemed to merge. (Although I have to admit that the author's descriptions of the actual sculpting did seem a bit over the top. I can understand the creation metaphors, but Stone's intensely sexual language in these sections felt more than a little creepy.) But the point is that to go from the printed page to a computer image of the piece was amazing, and helped me appreciate the details of the artwork, Michelangelo's genius, and even my computer better than ever.
And just think, Michelangelo was not a big burly man, the kind I have always imagined a sculptor to be. He wasn't even a tall, thin man like Charlton Heston, who played the role in the movie of this book.
Michelangelo was only five feet four inches tall, and when working obsessively (the only way he knew how) he weighed less than 100 pounds of pure muscle and will power by the time he was finished. And yet, he was a true giant of his era and for all time.
But every Pope, from Julius II to Pius IV, expected Michelangelo to create specific projects just for them. For example, he never wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel, he was ordered to do that job, with the promise that when he was done he could return to his sculpture. He could easily have given less than 100% of himself to the work, but Michelangelo was a true artist. Plus he also knew that He was a victim of his own integrity, which forced him to do his best, even when he would have preferred to do nothing at all. So he created a treasure for the ages. And did so every time he was forced away from his one true passion: working the marble.
My reading of the book this time was enriched by keeping my laptop nearby and referring to it frequently. I researched artists whose work influenced Michelangelo such as Donatello, whose bronze David left our young artist speechless when he first saw it. I would stop reading many times just to examine the pictures of Michelangelo's works. Stone has frequent passages describing the thought process as Michelangelo developed his ideas for each piece, then the physical act of creation, where man and stone seemed to merge. (Although I have to admit that the author's descriptions of the actual sculpting did seem a bit over the top. I can understand the creation metaphors, but Stone's intensely sexual language in these sections felt more than a little creepy.) But the point is that to go from the printed page to a computer image of the piece was amazing, and helped me appreciate the details of the artwork, Michelangelo's genius, and even my computer better than ever.
And just think, Michelangelo was not a big burly man, the kind I have always imagined a sculptor to be. He wasn't even a tall, thin man like Charlton Heston, who played the role in the movie of this book.
Michelangelo was only five feet four inches tall, and when working obsessively (the only way he knew how) he weighed less than 100 pounds of pure muscle and will power by the time he was finished. And yet, he was a true giant of his era and for all time.
October 22, 2025
سنگی را در نظر بگیر که هنوز دست نخورده است. سرد، بیجان، خاموش. اما درون آن، روحی خفته است که تنها کسی چون میکلآنژ میتواند بیدارش کند.
«رنج و سرمستی» ایروینگ استون، روایت همین بیداری است؛ رمانی که بیش از آنکه زندگینامهی یک هنرمند باشد، سفری است از دل خاک و مرمر تا ژرفای روح انسان.
استون در این اثر، نه تنها تاریخ رنسانس را بازسازی میکند، بلکه با دقتی وسواسگونه درون ذهن و تن هنرمندی را میکاود که میان آسمان و زمین در نوسان است؛ انسانی که از یکسو درگیر وسوسهی کمال و از سوی دیگر، اسیر فقر، تنهایی، و بیرحمی قدرت است. میکلآنژِ استون، نه یک قدیس است و نه صرفاً نابغهای بینقص؛ او انسانی است که جسمش در رنج و روحش در پرواز است.
هر فصل این کتاب، همچون حجاری تازهایست بر تودهای از زمان. استون با نثری پرجزییات و زنده، فضای فلورانس و رم سدههای پانزدهم و شانزدهم را به شکلی احضار میکند که خواننده بوی مرمر خیس، صدای چکش بر سنگ، و زمزمهی هنرمندان کارگاه را میشنود. دقت نویسنده در پژوهش حیرتانگیز است: شش سال مطالعه، زندگی در ایتالیا، ترجمهی صدها نامه و یادداشت میکلآنژ — همه برای آنکه کوچکترین جمله دروغی در این بازآفرینی نباشد.
اما آنچه «رنج و سرمستی» را از یک زندگینامهی صرف فراتر میبرد، نگاه اگزیستانسیال آن است. در پس هر جملهی این رمان، جدالی پنهان جریان دارد: میان ماده و معنا، ایمان و تردید، بدن و روح. میکلآنژ در تلاش است تا در دل مرمر، «روحی تابنده» بیافریند، و در این مسیر، خود را تکهتکه میتراشد. او به قول خودش، «آنچه درون سنگ پنهان است» را آزاد میکند، گویی هر تندیس نه آفریدهی او، بلکه رهایییافتهای از بند ماده است. این همان فلسفهای است که استون استادانه از خلال زندگی روزمرهی میکلآنژ به ما نشان میدهد: هنر نه ساختن، که آزاد کردن است.
در کنار این بعد فلسفی، جنبهی انسانی و عاطفی کتاب نیز چشمگیر است. رابطهی پرتنش میکلآنژ با خانوادهاش، دشمنیاش با رافائل، جدال ابدیاش با پاپها، و عشقهای خاموش و حسرتبارش، همه با جزئیاتی نفسگیر تصویر شدهاند. استون موفق میشود میان «رنج» و «سرمستی» تعادلی بیافریند؛ نشان میدهد که خلق زیبایی بدون رنج ممکن نیست، و هر ضربهی چکش، هم زخمی است و هم نجات.
کانون درخشان کتاب، البته خود هنر است: پرسشی دربارهی اینکه چرا انسان میآفریند؟ میکلآنژ باور دارد دشمن هنر، زشتی نیست — جهل است. نادانی است که سنگ را بیروح میگذارد و جهان را خاموش. از همین روست که آثار او، حتی در روایت استون، بوی آگاهی میدهند: بوی روحی که در برابر نادانی قیام کرده است.
خواندن این رمان، تجربهای است که با خودِ آفرینش پیوند میخورد. هر صفحه، وزن تلاشی را بر دوش دارد که میخواهد از دل محدودیت، بینهایت بسازد. استون در خلال روایت، بارها ما را به مرز میان انسان و خدا، میان سازنده و مخلوق میبرد. گویی خودِ نوشتن «رنج و سرمستی» نیز تلاشی است برای آفرینش تندیسی از واژهها، تا روح هنرمند را از دل تاریخ بیرون کشد.
از میان خطوط کتاب، صدای میکلآنژ به گوش میرسد: صدای مردی که بهجای آرامش، رنج را برگزید، چون میدانست فقط در رنج است که معنا شکل میگیرد. او هرگز به رضایت نرسید، اما در همان نرسیدن، جاودانه شد.
اگر کسی بخواهد بداند هنر در عمیقترین معنای خود چیست — نه در قالب زیبایی، که در بهای پرداختشدهاش — باید این کتاب را بخواند. «رنج و سرمستی» تنها سرگذشت یک هنرمند نیست؛ مانیفست جاودانهی انسانِ خلاق است که میان شکست و شکوه، میان خاک و خدا، راهی برای معنا میجوید.
در پایان کتاب، حس میکنی نهفقط میکلآنژ را شناختهای، بلکه خودت را نیز کمی بیشتر میفهمی. درمییابی که رنج، اگر به راه درست هدایت شود، میتواند سرچشمهی سرمستی باشد — همان سرمستیای که از لمس زیبایی برمیخیزد، و تنها انسان است که قادر به تجربهی آن است.
«رنج و سرمستی» ایروینگ استون، روایت همین بیداری است؛ رمانی که بیش از آنکه زندگینامهی یک هنرمند باشد، سفری است از دل خاک و مرمر تا ژرفای روح انسان.
استون در این اثر، نه تنها تاریخ رنسانس را بازسازی میکند، بلکه با دقتی وسواسگونه درون ذهن و تن هنرمندی را میکاود که میان آسمان و زمین در نوسان است؛ انسانی که از یکسو درگیر وسوسهی کمال و از سوی دیگر، اسیر فقر، تنهایی، و بیرحمی قدرت است. میکلآنژِ استون، نه یک قدیس است و نه صرفاً نابغهای بینقص؛ او انسانی است که جسمش در رنج و روحش در پرواز است.
هر فصل این کتاب، همچون حجاری تازهایست بر تودهای از زمان. استون با نثری پرجزییات و زنده، فضای فلورانس و رم سدههای پانزدهم و شانزدهم را به شکلی احضار میکند که خواننده بوی مرمر خیس، صدای چکش بر سنگ، و زمزمهی هنرمندان کارگاه را میشنود. دقت نویسنده در پژوهش حیرتانگیز است: شش سال مطالعه، زندگی در ایتالیا، ترجمهی صدها نامه و یادداشت میکلآنژ — همه برای آنکه کوچکترین جمله دروغی در این بازآفرینی نباشد.
اما آنچه «رنج و سرمستی» را از یک زندگینامهی صرف فراتر میبرد، نگاه اگزیستانسیال آن است. در پس هر جملهی این رمان، جدالی پنهان جریان دارد: میان ماده و معنا، ایمان و تردید، بدن و روح. میکلآنژ در تلاش است تا در دل مرمر، «روحی تابنده» بیافریند، و در این مسیر، خود را تکهتکه میتراشد. او به قول خودش، «آنچه درون سنگ پنهان است» را آزاد میکند، گویی هر تندیس نه آفریدهی او، بلکه رهایییافتهای از بند ماده است. این همان فلسفهای است که استون استادانه از خلال زندگی روزمرهی میکلآنژ به ما نشان میدهد: هنر نه ساختن، که آزاد کردن است.
در کنار این بعد فلسفی، جنبهی انسانی و عاطفی کتاب نیز چشمگیر است. رابطهی پرتنش میکلآنژ با خانوادهاش، دشمنیاش با رافائل، جدال ابدیاش با پاپها، و عشقهای خاموش و حسرتبارش، همه با جزئیاتی نفسگیر تصویر شدهاند. استون موفق میشود میان «رنج» و «سرمستی» تعادلی بیافریند؛ نشان میدهد که خلق زیبایی بدون رنج ممکن نیست، و هر ضربهی چکش، هم زخمی است و هم نجات.
کانون درخشان کتاب، البته خود هنر است: پرسشی دربارهی اینکه چرا انسان میآفریند؟ میکلآنژ باور دارد دشمن هنر، زشتی نیست — جهل است. نادانی است که سنگ را بیروح میگذارد و جهان را خاموش. از همین روست که آثار او، حتی در روایت استون، بوی آگاهی میدهند: بوی روحی که در برابر نادانی قیام کرده است.
خواندن این رمان، تجربهای است که با خودِ آفرینش پیوند میخورد. هر صفحه، وزن تلاشی را بر دوش دارد که میخواهد از دل محدودیت، بینهایت بسازد. استون در خلال روایت، بارها ما را به مرز میان انسان و خدا، میان سازنده و مخلوق میبرد. گویی خودِ نوشتن «رنج و سرمستی» نیز تلاشی است برای آفرینش تندیسی از واژهها، تا روح هنرمند را از دل تاریخ بیرون کشد.
از میان خطوط کتاب، صدای میکلآنژ به گوش میرسد: صدای مردی که بهجای آرامش، رنج را برگزید، چون میدانست فقط در رنج است که معنا شکل میگیرد. او هرگز به رضایت نرسید، اما در همان نرسیدن، جاودانه شد.
اگر کسی بخواهد بداند هنر در عمیقترین معنای خود چیست — نه در قالب زیبایی، که در بهای پرداختشدهاش — باید این کتاب را بخواند. «رنج و سرمستی» تنها سرگذشت یک هنرمند نیست؛ مانیفست جاودانهی انسانِ خلاق است که میان شکست و شکوه، میان خاک و خدا، راهی برای معنا میجوید.
در پایان کتاب، حس میکنی نهفقط میکلآنژ را شناختهای، بلکه خودت را نیز کمی بیشتر میفهمی. درمییابی که رنج، اگر به راه درست هدایت شود، میتواند سرچشمهی سرمستی باشد — همان سرمستیای که از لمس زیبایی برمیخیزد، و تنها انسان است که قادر به تجربهی آن است.
July 22, 2018
I took delight in the legend, I cherished just as much the reality. A remarkable, wonderful and true story-telling about Agony and Ecstasy. And, to the same extent, I liked the constant striving to split up from the existence of this demiurge the exact detail from the legend itself.
And yet, however impressive is in its proportions the list of titles of books dedicated to the life and creation work of the great Florentine artist, despite researches and although numerous papers have been brought out to light in the nearly five centuries that separate us from his death, we cannot help looking with astonishment at the personality of the one who is gloriously identified with the era of passion and of striving to the truth, which is the Renaissance.
The legend perhaps took birth on that day of September 19, 1510, when Pope Julius II commanded to take down the scaffolding from the Sistine Chapel. To the frightful eyes of those present it was revealed a real struggle of the man and the universe. His creation, the unravelling of the elements from the primordial chaos, the first encounter of shadow and light, the first gesture of man, worn and pained, a whole tragic epopee: this is what brought Michelangelo from the biblical legend and the gift of his time. Not only the bodies of men were tailored down to new canons, healthy and powerful bodies, dominating in a glorious strain the whole scene of Genesis. The inner dimensions of this new god - the man, the creator of the world, were of greatness that surpassed that of ancient or biblical divinities.
A supreme homage to the human personality, the fresco on the Sistine vault was a moment full of significance in the history of the Renaissance. It elevates a passionate hymn of pure, magnificent human beauty ... The artist was confused, even by his contemporaries, with his work, thus becoming a mythical hero. His creation is overwhelming, so the rather short and frail man began to resemble his characters, and crossed the time being represented in the posterity consciousness with a healthy and high athlete, with large shoulders, resembling his Moses and David, and not as Nicodim the short and with crooked nose, the self-portrait of Pieta from Florence. This is undoubtedly a side aspect: the legend of Michelangelo encompassed not only life, but also part of his work.
Irving Stone sought to restore the truth in the most eloquent circumstances of a life of agony and ecstasy. Agony in the original sense of the word, that is of battle, that Milton once used to portray another titan, Samson Agonistes.
As for the sources of Michelangelo's creation, interpretations of its meanings, the writer sometimes inclines (which, after all, is normal within the genre chosen by Stone) to more spectacular solutions. It is tempting, for example, to speak for such a tumultuous, passionate personality about the breaking of any bridge between his creation work and the older traditions. And, since most of the artist's work famous researchers have contributed to the prolongation of the legend, to the preservation of this myth of Michelangelo's existence, or even to some imprecision in the appreciation of his work, it is equally understood that an author of romantic biographies, such is Irving Stone, could not afford to give up the charming pages that such an occasion could have provided him with.
The ideal of the artist approaches that of Donatello, rejecting the picturesque and gentle in the art of his first master Ghirlandaio. It has Giovanni Bertoldo as master of the art of sculpture, who was Donatello's apprentice. Along with the modest Bertoldo, his 15th-century masters will be the sculptors of the Greek and Roman antiquities, whose works will have the opportunity to contemplate them in the gardens of Lorenzo de 'Medici. From this happy meeting, led by the scholars gathered around Magnifico, the first works of Michelangelo appeared.
Angelo Poliziano, the Florentine humanist, urged him to carve a "Fight of the Centaurs", a subject detached from the friezes of the ancient Greek temples. There was the meeting of the young artist with Plato's ideas, a meeting where, in the footsteps of famous celebrities of Michelangelo, Irving Stone was referring. The remark is old, it was made by Vasari and Condivi, sculptor's contemporary biographers.
At Michelangelo, tragic comes from the very condition of man, wrapped in a hostile destiny, while his thirst is heading for liberation from the chains in which he is locked by stronger powers than himself. The theme of human suffering as a pained whirlwind crossed the entire work of the Titan. The "dying slave" is a symbol of this Renaissance period illustrated by Michelangelo. The resignation of the saint Sebastian, pierced by the arrows, is otherwise interpreted in the sculpture of 1512. Even though he is not trying to free himself from the chains, a tragic impulse is revealed in the attitude of the one who is destined to death.
Michelangelo has not lived, like Rafael, the serenity of his creation. For him, the ultimate act of releasing the idea from the cover of the stone, the bold flight of thought, often means suffering and sadness. His artistic ideal planted in direct participation in the people's aspirations of his time, was too high for his works, which we are seeing today with silent tingles, have meant something other than steps cut into a hard stone, in the dazzling way to the supreme majesty. He had once dreamed of sculpting an entire mountain, and so even the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral was just a small work of what Michelangelo's genius knew. His despair, embodied in the allegorical statues from Giuliano and Lorenzo's graves, Lorenzo Magnifico's son and nephew, is dominated by the statue of the Thinker, that symbol of victorious reason, which, like the ancient Minerva, carries the fighter helmet.
In Michelangelo's youthful sculpture - David - who defended the freedom of his people, looks stoutly, with an incomparable dignity to his enemy, same as often has seen his enemies throughout whole life Michelangelo himself.
Often, his art has caused him unimaginable physical pain. Followed by the obsession of his own physical ugliness, with his nose deformed by that barbarian blow that made Torrigiani's colleague more famous than his few sculptures in Spain, Michelangelo suffered horribly on the scaffolding of Sistine.
Irving Stone sometimes talks about Michelangelo's creation - as did, especially in the last decades, other commentaries - as an expression of mystic ecstasy. A personalist mystique that would raise to the surface from the turbulent depths of the subconscious images in which the artist recognizes, shattering, a sign that he is chosen to speak in the name of supreme forces. That's what Freud and Merejkovski thought about da Vinci.
Michelangelo is, like all the great creators of his time, a rationalist. Human thinking is, in his opinion, the only force able to uncover nature and man.
Michelangelo's personality is Faustian. Not only in the sense of the untiring search for the truth, the supreme truth, the cosmic, and the human truth; but also in the sense of love for human activity, carried out on multiple plans.
Perhaps, at the time of his death, on that February 1564, Michelangelo, looking at the amazing work he produced during his long life, could have whispered, "Stop, moment, you are so beautiful!"
And yet, however impressive is in its proportions the list of titles of books dedicated to the life and creation work of the great Florentine artist, despite researches and although numerous papers have been brought out to light in the nearly five centuries that separate us from his death, we cannot help looking with astonishment at the personality of the one who is gloriously identified with the era of passion and of striving to the truth, which is the Renaissance.
The legend perhaps took birth on that day of September 19, 1510, when Pope Julius II commanded to take down the scaffolding from the Sistine Chapel. To the frightful eyes of those present it was revealed a real struggle of the man and the universe. His creation, the unravelling of the elements from the primordial chaos, the first encounter of shadow and light, the first gesture of man, worn and pained, a whole tragic epopee: this is what brought Michelangelo from the biblical legend and the gift of his time. Not only the bodies of men were tailored down to new canons, healthy and powerful bodies, dominating in a glorious strain the whole scene of Genesis. The inner dimensions of this new god - the man, the creator of the world, were of greatness that surpassed that of ancient or biblical divinities.
A supreme homage to the human personality, the fresco on the Sistine vault was a moment full of significance in the history of the Renaissance. It elevates a passionate hymn of pure, magnificent human beauty ... The artist was confused, even by his contemporaries, with his work, thus becoming a mythical hero. His creation is overwhelming, so the rather short and frail man began to resemble his characters, and crossed the time being represented in the posterity consciousness with a healthy and high athlete, with large shoulders, resembling his Moses and David, and not as Nicodim the short and with crooked nose, the self-portrait of Pieta from Florence. This is undoubtedly a side aspect: the legend of Michelangelo encompassed not only life, but also part of his work.
Irving Stone sought to restore the truth in the most eloquent circumstances of a life of agony and ecstasy. Agony in the original sense of the word, that is of battle, that Milton once used to portray another titan, Samson Agonistes.
As for the sources of Michelangelo's creation, interpretations of its meanings, the writer sometimes inclines (which, after all, is normal within the genre chosen by Stone) to more spectacular solutions. It is tempting, for example, to speak for such a tumultuous, passionate personality about the breaking of any bridge between his creation work and the older traditions. And, since most of the artist's work famous researchers have contributed to the prolongation of the legend, to the preservation of this myth of Michelangelo's existence, or even to some imprecision in the appreciation of his work, it is equally understood that an author of romantic biographies, such is Irving Stone, could not afford to give up the charming pages that such an occasion could have provided him with.
The ideal of the artist approaches that of Donatello, rejecting the picturesque and gentle in the art of his first master Ghirlandaio. It has Giovanni Bertoldo as master of the art of sculpture, who was Donatello's apprentice. Along with the modest Bertoldo, his 15th-century masters will be the sculptors of the Greek and Roman antiquities, whose works will have the opportunity to contemplate them in the gardens of Lorenzo de 'Medici. From this happy meeting, led by the scholars gathered around Magnifico, the first works of Michelangelo appeared.
Angelo Poliziano, the Florentine humanist, urged him to carve a "Fight of the Centaurs", a subject detached from the friezes of the ancient Greek temples. There was the meeting of the young artist with Plato's ideas, a meeting where, in the footsteps of famous celebrities of Michelangelo, Irving Stone was referring. The remark is old, it was made by Vasari and Condivi, sculptor's contemporary biographers.
At Michelangelo, tragic comes from the very condition of man, wrapped in a hostile destiny, while his thirst is heading for liberation from the chains in which he is locked by stronger powers than himself. The theme of human suffering as a pained whirlwind crossed the entire work of the Titan. The "dying slave" is a symbol of this Renaissance period illustrated by Michelangelo. The resignation of the saint Sebastian, pierced by the arrows, is otherwise interpreted in the sculpture of 1512. Even though he is not trying to free himself from the chains, a tragic impulse is revealed in the attitude of the one who is destined to death.
Michelangelo has not lived, like Rafael, the serenity of his creation. For him, the ultimate act of releasing the idea from the cover of the stone, the bold flight of thought, often means suffering and sadness. His artistic ideal planted in direct participation in the people's aspirations of his time, was too high for his works, which we are seeing today with silent tingles, have meant something other than steps cut into a hard stone, in the dazzling way to the supreme majesty. He had once dreamed of sculpting an entire mountain, and so even the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral was just a small work of what Michelangelo's genius knew. His despair, embodied in the allegorical statues from Giuliano and Lorenzo's graves, Lorenzo Magnifico's son and nephew, is dominated by the statue of the Thinker, that symbol of victorious reason, which, like the ancient Minerva, carries the fighter helmet.
In Michelangelo's youthful sculpture - David - who defended the freedom of his people, looks stoutly, with an incomparable dignity to his enemy, same as often has seen his enemies throughout whole life Michelangelo himself.
Often, his art has caused him unimaginable physical pain. Followed by the obsession of his own physical ugliness, with his nose deformed by that barbarian blow that made Torrigiani's colleague more famous than his few sculptures in Spain, Michelangelo suffered horribly on the scaffolding of Sistine.
Irving Stone sometimes talks about Michelangelo's creation - as did, especially in the last decades, other commentaries - as an expression of mystic ecstasy. A personalist mystique that would raise to the surface from the turbulent depths of the subconscious images in which the artist recognizes, shattering, a sign that he is chosen to speak in the name of supreme forces. That's what Freud and Merejkovski thought about da Vinci.
Michelangelo is, like all the great creators of his time, a rationalist. Human thinking is, in his opinion, the only force able to uncover nature and man.
Michelangelo's personality is Faustian. Not only in the sense of the untiring search for the truth, the supreme truth, the cosmic, and the human truth; but also in the sense of love for human activity, carried out on multiple plans.
Perhaps, at the time of his death, on that February 1564, Michelangelo, looking at the amazing work he produced during his long life, could have whispered, "Stop, moment, you are so beautiful!"
June 22, 2023
۴ جلد، ۱۲۹۱ صفحه بالاخره تموم شد!
۴.۵ از ۵
«و اگر فقط به مورد پذیرش قرار گرفتن کار خویش از جانب دیگران خشنود میشد چه چیزی از او میماند؟»
۴.۵ از ۵
«و اگر فقط به مورد پذیرش قرار گرفتن کار خویش از جانب دیگران خشنود میشد چه چیزی از او میماند؟»
May 12, 2020
Este libro permanece en mi mente como una de las mejores lecturas de mi vida.
Biografía novelada de Miguel Ángel. Vivimos la vida del artista como si estuviéramos en su piel, inmersos en el panorama artístico del Renacimiento en Florencia y Roma, con sus luces (la explosión artística en todas sus formas) y sombras (Savonarola, el Saco de Roma). La dura etapa de aprendizaje en Florencia bajo el patrocinio de la Familia Médici, sus conflictos con Leonardo, su pugna entre su habilidad natural para la escultura y su empeño en destacar el la Pintura y la Arquitectura, que finalmente le llevó al Olimpo de los más grandes, siempre con una energía inagotable. Sus conflictos con su egoísta familia que le explota de forma vergonzosa, su traslado a Roma y su relación de amor y odio con los distintos papas cuyos encargos finalmente acaban desembocando en algunas de las mejores obras de arte de todos los tiempos, su ambigüedad sexual..........todo esto desplegado como un fresco extraordinario de esta época y de este genio del arte, que merece ser leído y disfrutado.
Biografía novelada de Miguel Ángel. Vivimos la vida del artista como si estuviéramos en su piel, inmersos en el panorama artístico del Renacimiento en Florencia y Roma, con sus luces (la explosión artística en todas sus formas) y sombras (Savonarola, el Saco de Roma). La dura etapa de aprendizaje en Florencia bajo el patrocinio de la Familia Médici, sus conflictos con Leonardo, su pugna entre su habilidad natural para la escultura y su empeño en destacar el la Pintura y la Arquitectura, que finalmente le llevó al Olimpo de los más grandes, siempre con una energía inagotable. Sus conflictos con su egoísta familia que le explota de forma vergonzosa, su traslado a Roma y su relación de amor y odio con los distintos papas cuyos encargos finalmente acaban desembocando en algunas de las mejores obras de arte de todos los tiempos, su ambigüedad sexual..........todo esto desplegado como un fresco extraordinario de esta época y de este genio del arte, que merece ser leído y disfrutado.
December 7, 2009
Finished: I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars. I learned a lot and this book will push me on to reading more about Italy in the 1500s, more about the Medici, more about the Borgia family, more about the Popes, more about Charles V,the Holy Roman Emperor. History was made VERY interesting. It was not difficult to keep track of the numerous people. It isn't necessary to keep a list of friends, foes, family and Medicis. The reader learns a lot about the internecine religious battles of the times. And of course you learn about Michelangelo. He became very real to me. I really did come to care for him. I admire his passion for sculpture, his determination to do any job, whether he liked it or not, to his best ability. I admire his loyalty to his friends and family. Why not 5 stars? Well that is because the writing style had no magic. It didn't sparkle. You get a history text book, albeit engagingly told.
Through page 551:Previously I said that I was not really drawn into caring about the main characters. That is no longer true. I totally love Michelangelo. Wow, what a guy. My heart bleeds for him.
Through page 501: If the Pope wants you to make a bronze statue, well then you make a bronze statue. If the Pope wants you to paint, what choice do you have but to paint! I admire Michelangelo's attempts to oppose Pope Julius II. And now I finally understand what pushed Michelangelo from marble to painting...... I actually feel sorry for Michelangelo. Also the competition between, Michelangelo and da Vinci was illuminating. The competition and how it was resolved says alot about both artists.
Through page 392: I am just wondering, how does Stone know so much about Michelangelo's thoughts behind each sculpture. For Michelangelo's David it is said:
"For him(Michelangelo), then, it was David's decision (to kill Goliath) that made him a giant, not the (actual) killing of Goliath."
How does Stone know Michelangelo's inner thoughts? Maybe notes at the end will clarify. Probably they are simply plausible conjectures, but I am not so sure I am convinced of their veracity. This is nothing new. An art critic's in-depth analysis often drives me crazy.
Even though I have a critical mind, it doesn't mean I am not enjoying the book.
Through page 336:I love the following quote. Michelangelo has just shown his brother, Buonarroto, his Bacchus statue.His brother's sole reply was to ask if people liked it.
"That was all. Michelangelo observed to himself, 'He doesn't have the faintest notion of what sculpture is about. His only interest is that people approve of what I have done, so that I can be happy, and get more work.....none of which he will ever understand. He is a true Buonarroti, blind to the meaning of art. But he loves me.'"
A good definition of familial love and relationships.
This book is a delightful learning experience, but one does not fall in love with any of the characters. That is OK. What you get from the learning is enough. You respect Michelangelo and admire his dedication.
Through page 293: It is well-known that Michelangelo was a homosexual. It is a bit disturbing that this side of his character is not clearly revealed. If this isn't discussed, what else is missing? THAT is what has been bothering me! His homosexuality is only subtely revealed in the following quote:
"One afternoon Leo asked, 'Wouldn't you like to sketch some women? There are several baths for both sexes in the city walls (Rome), run by prostitutes, but with quite respectable clienteles.'"
Michelangelo replies: "I have no interest in the female form."
"You're summarily dismissing half the figures in the world," answers Leo.
And Michelangelo counters: "Roughly, yes. ....But I find all beauty and structural power in the male. Take a man in any action, jumping, wrestling, throwing a spear, plowing, bend him into any position and the muscles, the distribution of weight and tension, have their symmetry. For me, a woman to be beautiful or exciting must be absolutely still."
Leo jokes, "Perhaps you haven't put them into the proper position."
"Michelangelo smiled. 'Yes, I have. I find it a sight for love but not for sculpture.'"
So far that is as close as one gets to the question of Michelangelo's true sexual appetite. Hmmph! I also find Michelangelo's view irritating!
Another thing I should mention is that the Italian names aren't the easiest to keep straight. Someone recommended making a chart with people, categorizing them as family, Medici, friend or enemmy. This does help, but also add columns for artists, religious and political figures.
Through page 246 of 776: This book does an excellent job of teaching me history about Florence at the end of the 1400s, about the Medici family and about the religious conflicts taking place. This is another book that makes me happy about not being religious. Most importantly it teaches about the strivings of Michelangelo. I am so terribly impressed by his dedication. Sculpture is ALL he can possibly think about. You stand back in awe reading about what he does to learn how to scuplture. Utterly amazing. I am so glad I have seen the Pietà in
St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.... I also really have enjoyed reading about Lorenzo Medici, who was his patron, who took him in as a family member. Lorenzo, perhaps not as outstanding as Cosimo Medici, but still a wonderful leader of Florence. Wonderful b/c he truly loved Florence and did his utmost to promote art and beauty and thinking in the city. I wouldn't say the language is particularly exceptional, but the information is excellent. I really don't like Michelangelo's father - a money grubbing individual who couldn't care less about art! And he sired Michelangelo. They couldn't be more opposites in character! Laura, how far have you come in the book.
Through page 551:Previously I said that I was not really drawn into caring about the main characters. That is no longer true. I totally love Michelangelo. Wow, what a guy. My heart bleeds for him.
Through page 501: If the Pope wants you to make a bronze statue, well then you make a bronze statue. If the Pope wants you to paint, what choice do you have but to paint! I admire Michelangelo's attempts to oppose Pope Julius II. And now I finally understand what pushed Michelangelo from marble to painting...... I actually feel sorry for Michelangelo. Also the competition between, Michelangelo and da Vinci was illuminating. The competition and how it was resolved says alot about both artists.
Through page 392: I am just wondering, how does Stone know so much about Michelangelo's thoughts behind each sculpture. For Michelangelo's David it is said:
"For him(Michelangelo), then, it was David's decision (to kill Goliath) that made him a giant, not the (actual) killing of Goliath."
How does Stone know Michelangelo's inner thoughts? Maybe notes at the end will clarify. Probably they are simply plausible conjectures, but I am not so sure I am convinced of their veracity. This is nothing new. An art critic's in-depth analysis often drives me crazy.
Even though I have a critical mind, it doesn't mean I am not enjoying the book.
Through page 336:I love the following quote. Michelangelo has just shown his brother, Buonarroto, his Bacchus statue.His brother's sole reply was to ask if people liked it.
"That was all. Michelangelo observed to himself, 'He doesn't have the faintest notion of what sculpture is about. His only interest is that people approve of what I have done, so that I can be happy, and get more work.....none of which he will ever understand. He is a true Buonarroti, blind to the meaning of art. But he loves me.'"
A good definition of familial love and relationships.
This book is a delightful learning experience, but one does not fall in love with any of the characters. That is OK. What you get from the learning is enough. You respect Michelangelo and admire his dedication.
Through page 293: It is well-known that Michelangelo was a homosexual. It is a bit disturbing that this side of his character is not clearly revealed. If this isn't discussed, what else is missing? THAT is what has been bothering me! His homosexuality is only subtely revealed in the following quote:
"One afternoon Leo asked, 'Wouldn't you like to sketch some women? There are several baths for both sexes in the city walls (Rome), run by prostitutes, but with quite respectable clienteles.'"
Michelangelo replies: "I have no interest in the female form."
"You're summarily dismissing half the figures in the world," answers Leo.
And Michelangelo counters: "Roughly, yes. ....But I find all beauty and structural power in the male. Take a man in any action, jumping, wrestling, throwing a spear, plowing, bend him into any position and the muscles, the distribution of weight and tension, have their symmetry. For me, a woman to be beautiful or exciting must be absolutely still."
Leo jokes, "Perhaps you haven't put them into the proper position."
"Michelangelo smiled. 'Yes, I have. I find it a sight for love but not for sculpture.'"
So far that is as close as one gets to the question of Michelangelo's true sexual appetite. Hmmph! I also find Michelangelo's view irritating!
Another thing I should mention is that the Italian names aren't the easiest to keep straight. Someone recommended making a chart with people, categorizing them as family, Medici, friend or enemmy. This does help, but also add columns for artists, religious and political figures.
Through page 246 of 776: This book does an excellent job of teaching me history about Florence at the end of the 1400s, about the Medici family and about the religious conflicts taking place. This is another book that makes me happy about not being religious. Most importantly it teaches about the strivings of Michelangelo. I am so terribly impressed by his dedication. Sculpture is ALL he can possibly think about. You stand back in awe reading about what he does to learn how to scuplture. Utterly amazing. I am so glad I have seen the Pietà in
St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel's ceiling.... I also really have enjoyed reading about Lorenzo Medici, who was his patron, who took him in as a family member. Lorenzo, perhaps not as outstanding as Cosimo Medici, but still a wonderful leader of Florence. Wonderful b/c he truly loved Florence and did his utmost to promote art and beauty and thinking in the city. I wouldn't say the language is particularly exceptional, but the information is excellent. I really don't like Michelangelo's father - a money grubbing individual who couldn't care less about art! And he sired Michelangelo. They couldn't be more opposites in character! Laura, how far have you come in the book.
December 3, 2017
This is a thoroughly well-researched historical novel about the life of Michelangelo. What an incredible time in history! Michelangelo was definitely passionate and driven when it came to his art. He finished the Pietà when he was just twenty-five years old! This depicts the body of Christ on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion.
Detail of Pietà
[image error]
He finished the statue of David before he was thirty.
Sculpting marble was what he loved most and most of his works were sculptures. He painted the Sistine ceiling alone over a four-year period. He felt driven by God to create.
He also had to face many challenges – and I assume that’s what “The Agony” part of the title is referring to. His obstacles included: his money-grubbing family members and all their demands, pettiness, and drama; his own financial troubles; various corrupt popes; as well as wars. I was amazed that he managed to get much done with all the craziness around him.
I can’t recommend this book unless if you’re eager to learn about Michelangelo, that period of time in history, or if you just love art history. It got excessively long (more than 700 pages long) and I felt bogged down by way too many repetitive details. However, for me it’s not the length that bothered me. When it comes to loving books, length is never an issue. In fact, if I love a book, I don’t want it to end. This book just didn’t draw me in the way that I had hoped. Am I happy that I read it? Yes. Did I love it? Not necessarily.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“God was the first sculptor; He made the first figure: man. And when He wanted to give His laws, what material did He use? Stone.”
“The Tuscan treats stone with the tenderness that a lover reserves for his sweetheart.”
“He had always loved God. In his darkest hours he cried out, ‘God did not create us to abandon us.’ His faith in God sustained him; and now he must make manifest to the world who God was, what he looked and felt like, wherein lay His divine power and grace. His God must not be special or peculiar or particular, but God the Father to all men, one whom they could accept, honor, adore.”
Detail of Pietà
[image error]
He finished the statue of David before he was thirty.
Sculpting marble was what he loved most and most of his works were sculptures. He painted the Sistine ceiling alone over a four-year period. He felt driven by God to create.
He also had to face many challenges – and I assume that’s what “The Agony” part of the title is referring to. His obstacles included: his money-grubbing family members and all their demands, pettiness, and drama; his own financial troubles; various corrupt popes; as well as wars. I was amazed that he managed to get much done with all the craziness around him.
I can’t recommend this book unless if you’re eager to learn about Michelangelo, that period of time in history, or if you just love art history. It got excessively long (more than 700 pages long) and I felt bogged down by way too many repetitive details. However, for me it’s not the length that bothered me. When it comes to loving books, length is never an issue. In fact, if I love a book, I don’t want it to end. This book just didn’t draw me in the way that I had hoped. Am I happy that I read it? Yes. Did I love it? Not necessarily.
Some of my favorite quotes:
“God was the first sculptor; He made the first figure: man. And when He wanted to give His laws, what material did He use? Stone.”
“The Tuscan treats stone with the tenderness that a lover reserves for his sweetheart.”
“He had always loved God. In his darkest hours he cried out, ‘God did not create us to abandon us.’ His faith in God sustained him; and now he must make manifest to the world who God was, what he looked and felt like, wherein lay His divine power and grace. His God must not be special or peculiar or particular, but God the Father to all men, one whom they could accept, honor, adore.”
May 28, 2020
o carte pasionantă, despre viața lui michelangelo. ceea ce mi-a plăcut a fost încercarea autorului să surprindă psihologia sculptorului prin întrebările pe care și le punea sieși înainte de o lucrare. mi-a mai întregit imaginea despre renașterea florentină.
March 29, 2025
This is a book that I will remember for the rest of my life. Truly epic, it is a novelization of the life of Michelangelo Buonnaroti. The author spent six years in Italy researching Michelangelo, the Medici, and the various popes and dukes of the era; and it shows. I learned so much about carving marble, painting frescoes, and the tumultuous nature of life in renaissance Italy. It is a very long novel, and it took me a long time to read it, but I was practically never bored by it. Creating art is a deeply spiritual experience, and the author perfectly captured the artist’s mindset in his characterization of Michelangelo. He was equally adept at immersing the reader in the politics of the Medici and the various popes of the 1500s. This was my first Irving Stone novel, and I look forward to reading more of his work.
May 28, 2013
rating: 4.5/5
I have conflicted feelings regarding this novel. There is just so much to love, so much that has made a profound emotional and intellectual impact on me. And yet in some aspects it seems incomplete, the presentation of Michelangelo Buonarroti's character is lacking a dimension.
I must clarify something before I go on, even though reading this book required research into Michelangelo's artwork and the politics during the period of Renaissance during which he lived, I am by no means qualified to speak on behalf of the accuracy of the biographical information. All my thoughts below refer to Michelangelo as presented by Irving Stone and discuss his presentation of the character, they are not meant to say anything meaningful regarding the real Michelangelo (especially since I am shamefully quite ignorant of much of the historical specifics of the time period or Michelangelo's life, nor am I one to do more than only make assumptions about a person who lived 500 years ago). Now that I've gotten my little disclaimer out of the way, on to the review...
First, the wonderful... This novel transported me straight into the mind of an amazing artist, drawing vividly emotional passages of a relationship between a sculptor and his marble, an artist and his art. It was beautiful and agonizing (the title fits this novel brilliantly!), it let me experience as close to creating a striking sculpture as my un-artistic self possibly ever could. Stone has a beautiful way with words and he made art alive in his prose, a living, breathing creature of creation. It was breathtaking...
I appreciate a variety of art forms, but have always seemed to be stumped by visual art such as paintings and sculpture. I just can't seem to "see" what others do and that may be tied to my ability of barely being able to draw stick figures. However, I found myself pulling up images of Michelangelo's works of art and staring at them while reading about the process of their creation and the emotional impact on the artist as well as the emotional depth he reached into to create them. I found myself looking at art in a different way, started "seeing" things I've never "seen" before. It helped me open my eyes to art, and not just Michelangelo's. I started looking at other artists' works and found myself having a different set of eyes. I'll never forget this experience and the effect it's had on my appreciation of art.
But beware, unless you are familiar with Italian Renaissance history during that time period, you will need to do research to fully understand what's occurring. Despite this, I enjoyed researching the time period and getting immersed fully into this world. Stone presents a region torn between the old and new. The Catholic Church is being split with the protestant reformation movement, corruption at the highest levels, wars, inquisitions, tensions between conservatives and reformers, freedom of expression/art and modesty/tradition, etc. Michelangelo stumbles through this hectic world with a vision straddling between the Church he was raised with and art inspired by the sculptures and writings of the ancient Greeks; a constant struggle between getting paid commissions and freedom of art. As the powers of the Church push and pull against the old and new, art is being commissioned and burned, appreciated and scorned. Powerful families, like the Medici family, grapple for power bringing wars and discord to Florence, Rome. Stone does an amazing job bringing us right into the fray (although some supplemental information needs to be obtained from additional research).
However, the characterization of Michelangelo seemed incomplete. The most glaring lapse was the confusion surrounding Michelangelo's sexuality. I understand the novel was published in 1961, that the times were different. Honestly, for the purposes of reading a novel such as this I really don't care what Michelangelo's sexuality really was. But it seemed like Stone wasn't even sure how he wanted to present Michelangelo's sexuality so he gave him a confused mix of everything.
I get it, homosexuality wasn't as acceptable when Stone wrote the book, especially when writing about someone as famous and admired as Michelangelo (someone who by now is more legend than man). But forcing random acts of heterosexuality in such a half-assed way while the rest of the novel vibrates with homoerotic undertones is frustrating and leaves a scattered and incomplete picture of Michelangelo. It left me exasperated and detracted from the rest of this magnificent novel. Despite my extended rant, I really did love this book and it has made a significant impact on the way I look at art and the Renaissance. I still highly recommend it, warts and all.
I have conflicted feelings regarding this novel. There is just so much to love, so much that has made a profound emotional and intellectual impact on me. And yet in some aspects it seems incomplete, the presentation of Michelangelo Buonarroti's character is lacking a dimension.
I must clarify something before I go on, even though reading this book required research into Michelangelo's artwork and the politics during the period of Renaissance during which he lived, I am by no means qualified to speak on behalf of the accuracy of the biographical information. All my thoughts below refer to Michelangelo as presented by Irving Stone and discuss his presentation of the character, they are not meant to say anything meaningful regarding the real Michelangelo (especially since I am shamefully quite ignorant of much of the historical specifics of the time period or Michelangelo's life, nor am I one to do more than only make assumptions about a person who lived 500 years ago). Now that I've gotten my little disclaimer out of the way, on to the review...
First, the wonderful... This novel transported me straight into the mind of an amazing artist, drawing vividly emotional passages of a relationship between a sculptor and his marble, an artist and his art. It was beautiful and agonizing (the title fits this novel brilliantly!), it let me experience as close to creating a striking sculpture as my un-artistic self possibly ever could. Stone has a beautiful way with words and he made art alive in his prose, a living, breathing creature of creation. It was breathtaking...
I appreciate a variety of art forms, but have always seemed to be stumped by visual art such as paintings and sculpture. I just can't seem to "see" what others do and that may be tied to my ability of barely being able to draw stick figures. However, I found myself pulling up images of Michelangelo's works of art and staring at them while reading about the process of their creation and the emotional impact on the artist as well as the emotional depth he reached into to create them. I found myself looking at art in a different way, started "seeing" things I've never "seen" before. It helped me open my eyes to art, and not just Michelangelo's. I started looking at other artists' works and found myself having a different set of eyes. I'll never forget this experience and the effect it's had on my appreciation of art.
But beware, unless you are familiar with Italian Renaissance history during that time period, you will need to do research to fully understand what's occurring. Despite this, I enjoyed researching the time period and getting immersed fully into this world. Stone presents a region torn between the old and new. The Catholic Church is being split with the protestant reformation movement, corruption at the highest levels, wars, inquisitions, tensions between conservatives and reformers, freedom of expression/art and modesty/tradition, etc. Michelangelo stumbles through this hectic world with a vision straddling between the Church he was raised with and art inspired by the sculptures and writings of the ancient Greeks; a constant struggle between getting paid commissions and freedom of art. As the powers of the Church push and pull against the old and new, art is being commissioned and burned, appreciated and scorned. Powerful families, like the Medici family, grapple for power bringing wars and discord to Florence, Rome. Stone does an amazing job bringing us right into the fray (although some supplemental information needs to be obtained from additional research).
However, the characterization of Michelangelo seemed incomplete. The most glaring lapse was the confusion surrounding Michelangelo's sexuality. I understand the novel was published in 1961, that the times were different. Honestly, for the purposes of reading a novel such as this I really don't care what Michelangelo's sexuality really was. But it seemed like Stone wasn't even sure how he wanted to present Michelangelo's sexuality so he gave him a confused mix of everything.
I get it, homosexuality wasn't as acceptable when Stone wrote the book, especially when writing about someone as famous and admired as Michelangelo (someone who by now is more legend than man). But forcing random acts of heterosexuality in such a half-assed way while the rest of the novel vibrates with homoerotic undertones is frustrating and leaves a scattered and incomplete picture of Michelangelo. It left me exasperated and detracted from the rest of this magnificent novel. Despite my extended rant, I really did love this book and it has made a significant impact on the way I look at art and the Renaissance. I still highly recommend it, warts and all.
June 15, 2019
Sul treno per andare al Carnevale di Venezia, con il mio fidanzato di allora circa fine anni ’80, lui prende lo zaino e ne tira fuori un volumone grosso grosso cui facevo il filo da un po’ e me lo porge. Apprezzai tantissimo il dono ma soprattutto pensai che adesso avremmo dovuto girare per due giorni attraverso le calli Veneziane tra Maschere, madamine e frittelle, gravati di un peso aggiuntivo nella borsa. Mi sono sempre chiesta ma aspettare a darmelo al ritorno magari no? Ah quell'incredibile fantasia visionaria degli Acquari e il loro fantastico senso di irrealtà. A prescindere dal piacevole ricordo, una biografia di Michelangelo Buonarroti bellissima.
December 29, 2008
This is a book I got in Florence after having admired the works of Michelangelo. A wonderful reading experience - I found myself reading slower and slower towards the end, because I did not want to finish reading the book! Every time I opened it and started reading, it was like entering a secret gate to 16th century Italy.
August 15, 2019
Il papa e il marmo
Libro ben scritto, ha il merito di accendere l’attenzione su un artista unico per capacità creative, potenza realizzatrice e devozione all’arte, con nessuna concessione a quello che riteneva futile: Michelangelo. Bello leggere il libro e guardare le opere su internet e sui libri.
Mi fa sorridere il fatto che un busto di Bruto (non finito), che nei libri è a malapena menzionato, sia per me la più bella opera contenuta nel museo del Bargello, giusto per dire di quanto MB stacchi gli altri scultori.
Si tratta di una biografia romanzata, utile per ripercorrere vita e opere dell’artista nel travagliato ‘500 italiano, credo complessivamente abbastanza corretta. E’ anche interessante per rinfrescarsi le idee sulla vita artistica dell’epoca a Firenze e Roma e i vari architetti e pittori che furono contemporanei. Fa riflettere sull’influsso determinante che il carattere di una persona ha su vita e opere, nel senso che M, pur avendo spaziato dalla prediletta scultura a pittura, architettura e ingegneria (San Pietro in primo luogo) ed essendo introdotto presso almeno 4 papi e Carlo V, fu sempre altamente sottopagato, ricattato e inseguito: per aver speso pochissime delle sue sovrumane energie a comportarsi in modo prudente.
Mi ha però disturbato l’amore giovanile fra Michelangelo e Contessina de’ Medici, perché non è documentato in maniera attendibile e sembra messo lì perché il giovane Michelangelo si sarà pure innamorato, e la sua innamorata sarà stata una fanciulla speciale e poche potevano essere più speciali di una figlia di Lorenzo il Magnifico. Necessariamente alcune parti della lunga vita di MB non sono raccontate; tuttavia mi pare che le dissolvenze non siano molto armoniose. Si può aggiungere che l’origine del tormento era il papa di turno che lo distoglieva dall’opera alla quale stava lavorando per altre commissioni e l’estasi era davanti al marmo.
Libro ben scritto, ha il merito di accendere l’attenzione su un artista unico per capacità creative, potenza realizzatrice e devozione all’arte, con nessuna concessione a quello che riteneva futile: Michelangelo. Bello leggere il libro e guardare le opere su internet e sui libri.
Mi fa sorridere il fatto che un busto di Bruto (non finito), che nei libri è a malapena menzionato, sia per me la più bella opera contenuta nel museo del Bargello, giusto per dire di quanto MB stacchi gli altri scultori.
Si tratta di una biografia romanzata, utile per ripercorrere vita e opere dell’artista nel travagliato ‘500 italiano, credo complessivamente abbastanza corretta. E’ anche interessante per rinfrescarsi le idee sulla vita artistica dell’epoca a Firenze e Roma e i vari architetti e pittori che furono contemporanei. Fa riflettere sull’influsso determinante che il carattere di una persona ha su vita e opere, nel senso che M, pur avendo spaziato dalla prediletta scultura a pittura, architettura e ingegneria (San Pietro in primo luogo) ed essendo introdotto presso almeno 4 papi e Carlo V, fu sempre altamente sottopagato, ricattato e inseguito: per aver speso pochissime delle sue sovrumane energie a comportarsi in modo prudente.
Mi ha però disturbato l’amore giovanile fra Michelangelo e Contessina de’ Medici, perché non è documentato in maniera attendibile e sembra messo lì perché il giovane Michelangelo si sarà pure innamorato, e la sua innamorata sarà stata una fanciulla speciale e poche potevano essere più speciali di una figlia di Lorenzo il Magnifico. Necessariamente alcune parti della lunga vita di MB non sono raccontate; tuttavia mi pare che le dissolvenze non siano molto armoniose. Si può aggiungere che l’origine del tormento era il papa di turno che lo distoglieva dall’opera alla quale stava lavorando per altre commissioni e l’estasi era davanti al marmo.
February 1, 2022
Пищно, мащабно, зрелищно.
September 14, 2026
It took me almost as long to read this 680-page epic as Michelangelo took to paint the Sistine Chapel. While I found his life fascinating with his arguments with Da Vinci (DaVinci thought sculptors were beneath painters), the Popes who insisted he paint for him, his family always begging him for money & contracting syphilis & treating the disease with mercury.
What was tiring was the many pages of his engineering his paintings.
What was tiring was the many pages of his engineering his paintings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2007
In the wake of The Da Vinci Code, the field of art history has had a curious relationship with pop culture, especially mainstream literature. These books remain infinitely more accessible to readers than scholarly writings, and are marketed as if they carry the same amount of factual evidence, but with an enticing story so no one gets bored (overlooking the fact that the subjects were real people, and even as geniuses, were inherently boring).
The result is a public that feels informed, but in fact has a sensationalized understanding of artists as heroes and their work as divine manifestations, which serves no purpose except to sell books.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is no different, except that it predates The Da Vinci Code by about forty years. It discusses the life of Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, and its depiction of Michelangelo as a divine figure among us, like Giorgio Vasari's, is largely responsible for Michelangelo's popularity today.
So why did I pick up this book in the first place? Simply to make an abstract moral point on a literature-based networking site made up of people with relatively the same intellectual and financial status as myself?
No. I can postulate about the publishing industry's negative effects on our culture's self-perception until the cows come home, but the reason I picked this book up is because I cannot remove myself from pop culture. I read it on the reccomendation of art history professors who told me it was upwards towards fabulous. I read it based on comments from family members and friends who talked about the enjoyable experience of artist biography.
What a mistake. The book was published in 1961, a time when our understanding of Michelangelo was completely different. Part of this was a result of scholars' refusal to accept the homosexual undertones of his work and life due to contemporary morality. Even so, Stone's bibliography is primarily made up of books published in the nineteenth century, which seems to me to be a direct refusal of any real understanding of Michelangelo, ignoring important biographical information revealed about Michelangelo during the first half of the twentieth century (such as the location of his childhood home) and instead selecting certain outdated facts which create a more easily understood narrative.
Yet the purposeful ignorance behind this book is more of a disservice to Michelangelo than other contemporary pop-art history books. A deeper understanding of Michelangelo is neither boring nor confusing but instead gives a more precise explanation for his interest in the human body, muscle and flesh, passion, death, intense joy, melancholy, stone, resurrection, and other ideas left untouched by his contemporaries. This picture of Michelangelo is more human, more relatable than that portrayed by Stone's novel, which inherently blocks the reader from truly understanding Michelangelo and instead forces them on their knees at the altar of a cultural genius.
The result is a public that feels informed, but in fact has a sensationalized understanding of artists as heroes and their work as divine manifestations, which serves no purpose except to sell books.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is no different, except that it predates The Da Vinci Code by about forty years. It discusses the life of Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, and its depiction of Michelangelo as a divine figure among us, like Giorgio Vasari's, is largely responsible for Michelangelo's popularity today.
So why did I pick up this book in the first place? Simply to make an abstract moral point on a literature-based networking site made up of people with relatively the same intellectual and financial status as myself?
No. I can postulate about the publishing industry's negative effects on our culture's self-perception until the cows come home, but the reason I picked this book up is because I cannot remove myself from pop culture. I read it on the reccomendation of art history professors who told me it was upwards towards fabulous. I read it based on comments from family members and friends who talked about the enjoyable experience of artist biography.
What a mistake. The book was published in 1961, a time when our understanding of Michelangelo was completely different. Part of this was a result of scholars' refusal to accept the homosexual undertones of his work and life due to contemporary morality. Even so, Stone's bibliography is primarily made up of books published in the nineteenth century, which seems to me to be a direct refusal of any real understanding of Michelangelo, ignoring important biographical information revealed about Michelangelo during the first half of the twentieth century (such as the location of his childhood home) and instead selecting certain outdated facts which create a more easily understood narrative.
Yet the purposeful ignorance behind this book is more of a disservice to Michelangelo than other contemporary pop-art history books. A deeper understanding of Michelangelo is neither boring nor confusing but instead gives a more precise explanation for his interest in the human body, muscle and flesh, passion, death, intense joy, melancholy, stone, resurrection, and other ideas left untouched by his contemporaries. This picture of Michelangelo is more human, more relatable than that portrayed by Stone's novel, which inherently blocks the reader from truly understanding Michelangelo and instead forces them on their knees at the altar of a cultural genius.
April 27, 2024
Irving Stone's "The Agony and The Ecstasy" is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It hits all the right marks and can be viewed as a superb example of several different genres. It's a wonderful biographical historical fiction, it's a wonderful novel, it's a great book for lovers of art history and history in general, and it is a wonderful book for those interested in the wonderful city of Florence, Italy, as this will truly lend even the simplest stroll through the city a wonderful historical background. A true pleasure to read.
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born in 1475 in the small city of Caprese. While Michelangelo was a gifted genius, the rest of the Buonarroti-Simoni clan leaves so much to be desired and is a constant combination of drag, hamper, and headache. None of the males are of much worth and the father, Lodovico, is an enormous pain in the ass. Still, Michaelangelo was a devout son and family member, much to his personal ills later.
Michaelangelo's gifts as a sculptor are obvious to anyone who has seen his towering David in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence. This book delves deeply into his personal turmoil as the time spent away from carving marble is the literal "Agony" of the title and the "Ecstasy" is the release from creating amazing works.
Michaelangelo was not only a gifted sculptor, but he was also a genius artist and I was stunned by the sheer grandeur of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michaelangelo was also a very talented architect and poet. If you are interested in art and the creative process, you will love this book.
But as a historian, I rejoiced in the sheer history of this tale. Michaelangelo kept company with giants and his personal relationships and direct experiences span the great figures of Florence. Michaelangelo's personal road will cross paths with luminaries like Lorenzo de' Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) and Leonardo da Vinci, to famous religious figures such as Fra Savaranola (Of the Bonfire of Vanities) and Pope Alexander VI ( Roderic de Borgia). In fact, it will be Michaelangelo's unfortunate love/hate relationship with the Pontif that will define him as he will have to deal with, as an artist, over a dozen Popes including:
Pope Paul II (Pietro Barbo )
Pope Sixtus IV (Francesco della Rovere)
Pope Innocent VIII ( Giovanni Battista Cybo)
Pope Alexander VI (Roderic Llançol i de Borja)
Pope Pius III (Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini)
Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere,)
Pope Leo X (Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici)
Pope Adrian VI (Aryaen Floriszoon Boeyens )
Pope Clement VII (Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici )
Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese)
Pope Julius III (Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte )
Pope Marcellus II (Marcello Cervini degli Spannochi)
Pope Paul IV (Giovanni Pietro Carafa)
Pope Pius IV (Giovanni Angelo Medici)
Quite the list and quite the pain-in-the-ass, but it also resulted in some of the greatest works of art in the world. Thus the scope of this story is grand and the telling of it rich. You can not go wrong with this wonderful book on any level. Highly recommended.
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was born in 1475 in the small city of Caprese. While Michelangelo was a gifted genius, the rest of the Buonarroti-Simoni clan leaves so much to be desired and is a constant combination of drag, hamper, and headache. None of the males are of much worth and the father, Lodovico, is an enormous pain in the ass. Still, Michaelangelo was a devout son and family member, much to his personal ills later.
Michaelangelo's gifts as a sculptor are obvious to anyone who has seen his towering David in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence. This book delves deeply into his personal turmoil as the time spent away from carving marble is the literal "Agony" of the title and the "Ecstasy" is the release from creating amazing works.
Michaelangelo was not only a gifted sculptor, but he was also a genius artist and I was stunned by the sheer grandeur of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michaelangelo was also a very talented architect and poet. If you are interested in art and the creative process, you will love this book.
But as a historian, I rejoiced in the sheer history of this tale. Michaelangelo kept company with giants and his personal relationships and direct experiences span the great figures of Florence. Michaelangelo's personal road will cross paths with luminaries like Lorenzo de' Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) and Leonardo da Vinci, to famous religious figures such as Fra Savaranola (Of the Bonfire of Vanities) and Pope Alexander VI ( Roderic de Borgia). In fact, it will be Michaelangelo's unfortunate love/hate relationship with the Pontif that will define him as he will have to deal with, as an artist, over a dozen Popes including:
Pope Paul II (Pietro Barbo )
Pope Sixtus IV (Francesco della Rovere)
Pope Innocent VIII ( Giovanni Battista Cybo)
Pope Alexander VI (Roderic Llançol i de Borja)
Pope Pius III (Francesco Todeschini Piccolomini)
Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere,)
Pope Leo X (Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici)
Pope Adrian VI (Aryaen Floriszoon Boeyens )
Pope Clement VII (Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici )
Pope Paul III (Alessandro Farnese)
Pope Julius III (Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte )
Pope Marcellus II (Marcello Cervini degli Spannochi)
Pope Paul IV (Giovanni Pietro Carafa)
Pope Pius IV (Giovanni Angelo Medici)
Quite the list and quite the pain-in-the-ass, but it also resulted in some of the greatest works of art in the world. Thus the scope of this story is grand and the telling of it rich. You can not go wrong with this wonderful book on any level. Highly recommended.
May 25, 2016
It's a brilliant & thoroughly researched account of a multi-talented artist who suffered and worked till extremities. Michelangelo's life and his artwork is truly inspiring. He did everything what he believed he could not or should I say he was made to do it by pontiffs. Nonetheless, he excelled in everything.
Too many Italian names while reading becomes a little annoying but then I got used to it gradually. Highly recommended.
Too many Italian names while reading becomes a little annoying but then I got used to it gradually. Highly recommended.
June 1, 2022
Great biographical novel about Michelangelo.
Irving Stone is a fantastic writer.
Irving Stone is a fantastic writer.
February 4, 2022
Finished 02/03/2022
I picked this up when I was much younger, 19, 20 years old. Barely stumbled through it and retained nothing. For awhile now it's been one of those modern classics that I always intended to go back to as a more mature (hopefully?) adult and see all the genius and amazingness that catapulted this into classic territory.
Well. This time around I definitely grasped the subject matter a lot better, I'm pretty sure the first time around I just read words without lending any brain power to deciphering them. You know like when you're distracted and you read a page 3x and you realize you read the words but don't have a single idea what they said? Ya, that's how I got through it the first time around, so this time I at least understood what I was reading. Still though, if I'm being entirely truthful I'd have to admit that my 3 star rating is actually being generous. I hate to say this, because I did feel that at the core of the story there was something special, and the subject matter of course is no triviality.
I am not particularly artistically inclined, and I had literally zero knowledge of Michelangelo or his works other than seeing The David in Florence & then also my experience sneaking pics of the Sistine Chapel in Italy & getting kicked out by Italian police shoving assault rifles in my back and forcing me to delete the pics from my phone (which is stupid because the actual reason for not allowing pics inside is because the flashes can be erosive to the art, so making me delete a pic I had already taken was just redundant. But whatever this is off topic.) I am not a particular fan of Michelangelo's, classical art like that just goes over my head, so why I chose to read this biographical book on the artist, I'm not really sure, but I felt it was a classic I had to check off the list. And so checked it is!
What tripped me up with this was just how convoluted this was, and on top of the endless Italian names and references, it made it difficult for me to ever get into a reading groove. I crawled through this, tiny bit by tiny bit. I shouldn't have expected anything especially fast paced considering the subject matter, but there were just bits that really just hardcore dragged and felt aimless & meandering. That in itself wouldn't have been enough for a low rating though as I realize this was never going to be plot centric.
I have to admit that for like the first quarter of this book, I thought this was a fictionalized/imagined/reimagined account of Michelangelo's life, so I was constantly googling things to see which parts were true and which were embellished/made up, and eventually when things kept checking out it occurred to me to confirm that this was actually fiction, and what do you know, I realized it was in fact an actual biography of Michelangelo. Nice Jenelle. The layout was novel-esque, which naturally added to my confusion, but once I had my ah-ha moment and finally understood what I was reading, I kinda sorta almost liked this layout for a biography, the idea of a single cohesive storyline rather than the typical increments divided by subject or time span.
One major and significant failing in the Agony and the Ecstasy, is the portrayal or lack thereof of the well known homosexual undertones in Michelangelo's work. Of course I realized that TAATE was published in the very early 60's, and so the way info was snipped & skewed to suit the morality of the times would obviously be an issue. But knowing what we know now, leaving something out that we know is so significant winds up making TAATE look and feel just plain ol antiquated and incorrect. After pausing here and there to do a little research alongside my reading, it became pretty obvious that Michelangelo's sexuality plays a substantial role in not just his art, but also the curiosities and passions that fueled his art, things like his interest in flesh, anatomy, death, intense joy and melancholy, spirituality & transcendence. Not being able to tell his story truthfully & having to suppress & conceal such a defining & crucial element of his story docked TAATE major points, it's basically akin to reading a decades old middle school history book, like the kind that depicted Thanksgiving as this friendly feast between colonizers and native Americans, devoid completely of all the genocide, disease, starvation, hostility, cannibalism, greed and enslavement that was in reality the defining events of the time, it's basically the same thing.
There is still plenty here to learn about and engross yourself in, though the absence of all mention of his homosexual tendencies was conspicuous and was for me jarring, just knowing that so much of what was written was missing a key component, but as far as the setting and location, that was probably the book's highlight for me, my introduction to the Medici family & the culture & the detailed accounting of all his works. Though it was at times sliiightly oversaturated with these details, like we literally go down the line of every single one of his significant works & are totally submerged in info about each painting/sculpture/piece etc. There was a lot of great insight here, but again, without any mention of his homosexuality we wind up missing out on a lot as well.
I also really enjoyed the realistic depictions of Michelangelo, I actually found it funny because on the one end, artistically, it's obvious that Stone sort of thinks Michelangelo can do no wrong. There's seemingly no trial an error, mess ups, drafts or revisions. I mean come on, working with stone?!?! Nobody just gets up and carves out the David on his first try. We DO get plenty of oddly descriptive and sexualized accounting of his chiseling, hitting, tapping, carving, etc etc, but in terms of being an artist, Stone obviously idolizes him. But on the other end of things, as a person, Stone manages to depict Michelangelo with a little more honesty, revealing his whiny, irritable, nagging side. It was all together just fascinating to pick up all these bits of Michelangelo that make up a whole, to learn all about this historical figure who has always been larger than life and go into depth about all his contributions to the various arts: sculpting, painting, architecture, even politics. He was undeniably a genius and getting into the mind of somebody so brilliant is always going to be interesting.
And back to the "sexualized accounting of his chiseling" really quickly. When I said that I was not joking, in fact I was under selling it. He straight up is f*cking the stone. Like full on sex scene complete with thrusts and humps and pulsating and climaxes. I kid you not. I can't say that I all together hated it though, there was something well, sexy about it. Not the actual idea of supposedly penetrating stone, which obviously is impossible you'd either break your dick or break the stone, but just the all consuming love and passion for an art form such as stone work, the idea of loving something so wholly and entirely and passionately that it also encompasses your sexual side. I wholly believe that Michelangelo was capable of this level of intensity and passion, so not only did I find it sexy but it also rang true.
All in all, I found enough here to immerse myself in and absorb despite my misgivings and complaints. It absolutely was not the easiest read, it was totally a slog and a half for a good chunk of the time but I managed to make it through, I really wanted to give it a higher rating but the reality is just that for me the reading experience just never exceeded that of a 3 star, and the 3 stars was TAATE at it's best, at it's worst it was closer to 2 stars. Had I been an art buff who was interested in Michelangelo mainly as an artist, this book probably would've hit a little better, but I was definitely more interested in him on a personal level, & historically as well, and unfortunately it was in those departments that I think Stone was deficient. Without ever even mentioning his homosexuality he does the reader the disservice of never painting an adequate or truthful picture. I'm going to give Stone the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was just a sign of the times, publishing in 1961, we were coming straight out of a hyper traditional decade and had yet to hit the sexual revolution, so I'm going to believe that Stone was simply writing a book for his time, just like most authors would do, and that it wasn't some indication of his own personal homophobia. Though a quick google search showed me that Stone apparently adamantly refused to admit that Michelangelo was a homosexual and went so far as to call the charge slander. SMH. Oh well. I'm still going to say that some accounting for the times has to be made. Regardless of how wrong or right it may have been, it was what it was, and Irving Stone was a product of his station and the times. At the end of the day, I think if one wants to read an unmitigated biographical account of Michelangelo's life and work, there are surely more accurate and comprehensive works out there.
I picked this up when I was much younger, 19, 20 years old. Barely stumbled through it and retained nothing. For awhile now it's been one of those modern classics that I always intended to go back to as a more mature (hopefully?) adult and see all the genius and amazingness that catapulted this into classic territory.
Well. This time around I definitely grasped the subject matter a lot better, I'm pretty sure the first time around I just read words without lending any brain power to deciphering them. You know like when you're distracted and you read a page 3x and you realize you read the words but don't have a single idea what they said? Ya, that's how I got through it the first time around, so this time I at least understood what I was reading. Still though, if I'm being entirely truthful I'd have to admit that my 3 star rating is actually being generous. I hate to say this, because I did feel that at the core of the story there was something special, and the subject matter of course is no triviality.
I am not particularly artistically inclined, and I had literally zero knowledge of Michelangelo or his works other than seeing The David in Florence & then also my experience sneaking pics of the Sistine Chapel in Italy & getting kicked out by Italian police shoving assault rifles in my back and forcing me to delete the pics from my phone (which is stupid because the actual reason for not allowing pics inside is because the flashes can be erosive to the art, so making me delete a pic I had already taken was just redundant. But whatever this is off topic.) I am not a particular fan of Michelangelo's, classical art like that just goes over my head, so why I chose to read this biographical book on the artist, I'm not really sure, but I felt it was a classic I had to check off the list. And so checked it is!
What tripped me up with this was just how convoluted this was, and on top of the endless Italian names and references, it made it difficult for me to ever get into a reading groove. I crawled through this, tiny bit by tiny bit. I shouldn't have expected anything especially fast paced considering the subject matter, but there were just bits that really just hardcore dragged and felt aimless & meandering. That in itself wouldn't have been enough for a low rating though as I realize this was never going to be plot centric.
I have to admit that for like the first quarter of this book, I thought this was a fictionalized/imagined/reimagined account of Michelangelo's life, so I was constantly googling things to see which parts were true and which were embellished/made up, and eventually when things kept checking out it occurred to me to confirm that this was actually fiction, and what do you know, I realized it was in fact an actual biography of Michelangelo. Nice Jenelle. The layout was novel-esque, which naturally added to my confusion, but once I had my ah-ha moment and finally understood what I was reading, I kinda sorta almost liked this layout for a biography, the idea of a single cohesive storyline rather than the typical increments divided by subject or time span.
One major and significant failing in the Agony and the Ecstasy, is the portrayal or lack thereof of the well known homosexual undertones in Michelangelo's work. Of course I realized that TAATE was published in the very early 60's, and so the way info was snipped & skewed to suit the morality of the times would obviously be an issue. But knowing what we know now, leaving something out that we know is so significant winds up making TAATE look and feel just plain ol antiquated and incorrect. After pausing here and there to do a little research alongside my reading, it became pretty obvious that Michelangelo's sexuality plays a substantial role in not just his art, but also the curiosities and passions that fueled his art, things like his interest in flesh, anatomy, death, intense joy and melancholy, spirituality & transcendence. Not being able to tell his story truthfully & having to suppress & conceal such a defining & crucial element of his story docked TAATE major points, it's basically akin to reading a decades old middle school history book, like the kind that depicted Thanksgiving as this friendly feast between colonizers and native Americans, devoid completely of all the genocide, disease, starvation, hostility, cannibalism, greed and enslavement that was in reality the defining events of the time, it's basically the same thing.
There is still plenty here to learn about and engross yourself in, though the absence of all mention of his homosexual tendencies was conspicuous and was for me jarring, just knowing that so much of what was written was missing a key component, but as far as the setting and location, that was probably the book's highlight for me, my introduction to the Medici family & the culture & the detailed accounting of all his works. Though it was at times sliiightly oversaturated with these details, like we literally go down the line of every single one of his significant works & are totally submerged in info about each painting/sculpture/piece etc. There was a lot of great insight here, but again, without any mention of his homosexuality we wind up missing out on a lot as well.
I also really enjoyed the realistic depictions of Michelangelo, I actually found it funny because on the one end, artistically, it's obvious that Stone sort of thinks Michelangelo can do no wrong. There's seemingly no trial an error, mess ups, drafts or revisions. I mean come on, working with stone?!?! Nobody just gets up and carves out the David on his first try. We DO get plenty of oddly descriptive and sexualized accounting of his chiseling, hitting, tapping, carving, etc etc, but in terms of being an artist, Stone obviously idolizes him. But on the other end of things, as a person, Stone manages to depict Michelangelo with a little more honesty, revealing his whiny, irritable, nagging side. It was all together just fascinating to pick up all these bits of Michelangelo that make up a whole, to learn all about this historical figure who has always been larger than life and go into depth about all his contributions to the various arts: sculpting, painting, architecture, even politics. He was undeniably a genius and getting into the mind of somebody so brilliant is always going to be interesting.
And back to the "sexualized accounting of his chiseling" really quickly. When I said that I was not joking, in fact I was under selling it. He straight up is f*cking the stone. Like full on sex scene complete with thrusts and humps and pulsating and climaxes. I kid you not. I can't say that I all together hated it though, there was something well, sexy about it. Not the actual idea of supposedly penetrating stone, which obviously is impossible you'd either break your dick or break the stone, but just the all consuming love and passion for an art form such as stone work, the idea of loving something so wholly and entirely and passionately that it also encompasses your sexual side. I wholly believe that Michelangelo was capable of this level of intensity and passion, so not only did I find it sexy but it also rang true.
All in all, I found enough here to immerse myself in and absorb despite my misgivings and complaints. It absolutely was not the easiest read, it was totally a slog and a half for a good chunk of the time but I managed to make it through, I really wanted to give it a higher rating but the reality is just that for me the reading experience just never exceeded that of a 3 star, and the 3 stars was TAATE at it's best, at it's worst it was closer to 2 stars. Had I been an art buff who was interested in Michelangelo mainly as an artist, this book probably would've hit a little better, but I was definitely more interested in him on a personal level, & historically as well, and unfortunately it was in those departments that I think Stone was deficient. Without ever even mentioning his homosexuality he does the reader the disservice of never painting an adequate or truthful picture. I'm going to give Stone the benefit of the doubt and assume that it was just a sign of the times, publishing in 1961, we were coming straight out of a hyper traditional decade and had yet to hit the sexual revolution, so I'm going to believe that Stone was simply writing a book for his time, just like most authors would do, and that it wasn't some indication of his own personal homophobia. Though a quick google search showed me that Stone apparently adamantly refused to admit that Michelangelo was a homosexual and went so far as to call the charge slander. SMH. Oh well. I'm still going to say that some accounting for the times has to be made. Regardless of how wrong or right it may have been, it was what it was, and Irving Stone was a product of his station and the times. At the end of the day, I think if one wants to read an unmitigated biographical account of Michelangelo's life and work, there are surely more accurate and comprehensive works out there.
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