Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David 1492--1504

by Anton Gill

At the turn of the 16th century, Italy was a turbulent territory made up of independent states, each at war with or intriguing against its neighbor. There were the proud, cultivated, and degenerate Sforzas in Milan, and in Rome, the corrupt Spanish family of the Borgia whose head, Rodrigo, ascended to St Peter's throne as Pope Alexander VI. In Florence, a golden age of culture and sophistication ended with the death of the greatest of the Medici family, Lorenzo the Magnificent, giving way to an era of uncertainty, cruelty, and religious fundamentalism.

In the midst of this turmoil, there existed the greatest concentration of artists that Europe has ever known. Influenced by the rediscovery of the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, artists and thinkers such as Botticelli and da Vinci threw off the shackles of the Middle Ages to produce one of the most creative periods in history - the Renaissance.

This is the story of twelve years when war, plague, famine, and chaos made their mark on a volatile Italy, and when a young, erratic genius, Michelangelo Buonarroti, made his first great statue - the David. It was to become a symbol not only of the independence and defiance of the city of Florence but also of the tortured soul who created it. This is a wonderful history of the artist, his times, and one of his most magnificent works.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Biography, Art History

338 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 2002

About the author

Anton Gill worked for the English Stage Company, the Arts Council of Great Britain, and the BBC before becoming a full-time writer in 1984. He has written more than twenty books, mainly in the field of contemporary history.

aka Oliver Bowden

Reviews

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's as much about the Florentine Renaissance & the Medici as it is about Michelangelo & the David...but I can't complain as it is all presented in a wonderfully concise & straightforward manner. A nice refresher for fans of that era to dip into without being overwhelmed by minutiae.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

De titel dekt niet helemaal de lading van dit boek. Het gaat om veel meer dan alleen het (fantastische) beeld van Michelangelo: de hele tijdsgeest van Firenze en het Italiaanse schiereiland omstreeks 1500 wordt erin beschreven. Hoewel geen recent boek, toch meer dan de moeite waard om Michelangelo's David in de tijdsgeest te plaatsen. Na 2/3 van het boek komt de David pas te voorschijn, maar dat belet niet dat het een fijn boek is.

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, quick yet informative book about Italy and Florence at the time of David's carving. The times and the political circumstances were convoluted and ever-changing, and the author does a good job of outlining them. This is more a history book than an art book, although there is quite a bit of art theory of Michelangelo (and Leonardo) in it as well.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Dad recommended this book, as he has many of the books I've read in my life. This is about the coming of age Michaelangelo as an artist, and the carving of one of his signature works, the David. It's a historical account, and sometimes reads a bit like a Russian novel - at least what I imagine a Russian novel reads like. While half of the book is about the artist, the other half is about the political, religious and military climate in Florence and the rest of the peninsula. These parts kind of bog down a bit with names and factions as any Italian history would, I suppose. But the bits about Michaelangelo and the descriptions of his work are inspiring. Makes me want to return to Italy and have another look at his works.

Now finished with the book, I have to confess to skimming through the final chapter, which seemed a bit of a non-sequitur for me. The book contains lots of insight into the works of art discussed throughout. But there was too much historical context to digest, too much of it was tangential to or not related at all to Michaelangelo and his work.

[Kris]

Anton Gil's style of writing is rather purple and full of dripping fanboyism. I was somewhat put off by his casual dismissal of women and changing attitudes towards their clothing and appearance in his rush to gush on Il Magnifico. His constant denigration of the Middle Ages and comparison of the Renaissance to the rising sun became tedious and annoying.

It takes Gil 75 pages to even get to the birth of Michelangelo: a good third of the book spent extolling the virtues of the Medicis. Sadly I think he fell into the pit of wanting to write about someone about whom there is not much extant information on. Consequently the book drifts into long tangents on other people and Cliffs Notes views of the politics of the time.

It's a good read and a page turner but is it history? I don't think so...

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. I found this one to be more of a history of art and the early renaissance, rather than a complete focus on Michelangelo. There are details of his creation of the David, and a nice selection of pictures. (He's much better in person though...)

An interesting review of the time and era of Florence at the turn of the 16th century: not only a time of flourishing art, but a time of intrigue and politics.

An interesting, but not memorable read.

[Joshua]

The title is somewhat misleading. This is mostly a pretty standard popular history of the Cosimo/Lorenzo Medician Florence, interspersed with a few chapters on Michaelangelo's early career. The actual content of his carving of the David is very minimal.

Also, this book was poorly copy-edited. So many typos!

That being said, it was OK to read while sitting on a beach in San Terenzo after having a bottle of Vermentino with lunch...

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while in Italy, prior to visiting Florence and seeing the David. The book was really good at tying together information about Michelangelo, the David and Florence of the time. So interesting to learn how much was happening in Florence and how it influenced Michelangelo and his work.

Writing was not the best (sometimes repetative), but mostly okay. Quick read.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one a while ago. But having now seen the David in person, I decided to re-read it.

It didn't have as much about the actual creation of the statue (which given Michelangelo's secrecy is unsurprising), but it gives a great overview on the historical times in which it was created. It also briefly summarizes the artist's work up to the carving of one of his masterpieces.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know he's English, but Gill's prose reads like a bad translation. Persevered nevertheless and felt I had learned something. The attempted assassination of Lorenzo was gripping. On to The Agony and the Ecstasy.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to enjoy this book immensely and instead I was distinctly underwhelmed. It is an ok book about the Renaissance in Florence, but I've read a truckloads of those and this one wasn't I will come back too.

[Jo Walton]

This was surprisingly great, and I recommend it to anyone as a starter book on Florence in its focus decade. It's lacking in citations, but well written and full of detail from primary sources. I had this for ages but put off reading it. This was a mistake. This is far better than the Unger or the Ross Michelangelo book, and roots him solidly in his time and place.