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Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time
Today most of us enjoy the work of famed Renaissance artist Michelangelo by perusing art books or strolling along the galleries of a museum—and the luckier of us have had a chance to see his extraordinary frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But as Bernadine Barnes shows in this book, even a visit to a well-preserved historical sight doesn’t quite afford the experience the artist intended us to have. Bringing together the latest historical research, she offers us an accurate account of how Michelangelo’s art would have been seen in its own time.
As Barnes shows, Michelangelo’s works were made to be viewed in churches, homes, and political settings, by people who brought their own specific needs and expectations to them. Rarely were his paintings and sculptures viewed in quiet isolation—as we might today in the stark halls of a museum. Instead, they were an integral part of ritual and ceremonies, and viewers would have experienced them under specific lighting conditions and from particular vantages; they would have moved through spaces in particular ways and been compelled to relate various works with others nearby. Reconstructing some of the settings in which Michelangelo’s works appeared, Barnes reassembles these experiences for the modern viewer. Moving throughout his career, she considers how his audience changed, and how this led him to produce works for different purposes, sometimes for conventional religious settings, but sometimes for more open-minded patrons. She also shows how the development of print and art criticism changed the nature of the viewing public, further altering the dynamics between artist and audience.
Historically attuned, this book encourages today’s viewers to take a fresh look at this iconic artist, seeing his work as they were truly meant to be seen.
As Barnes shows, Michelangelo’s works were made to be viewed in churches, homes, and political settings, by people who brought their own specific needs and expectations to them. Rarely were his paintings and sculptures viewed in quiet isolation—as we might today in the stark halls of a museum. Instead, they were an integral part of ritual and ceremonies, and viewers would have experienced them under specific lighting conditions and from particular vantages; they would have moved through spaces in particular ways and been compelled to relate various works with others nearby. Reconstructing some of the settings in which Michelangelo’s works appeared, Barnes reassembles these experiences for the modern viewer. Moving throughout his career, she considers how his audience changed, and how this led him to produce works for different purposes, sometimes for conventional religious settings, but sometimes for more open-minded patrons. She also shows how the development of print and art criticism changed the nature of the viewing public, further altering the dynamics between artist and audience.
Historically attuned, this book encourages today’s viewers to take a fresh look at this iconic artist, seeing his work as they were truly meant to be seen.
- GenresArt
240 pages, Hardcover
Published June 15, 2017
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14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 30, 2019
If all of Michelangelo’s works were held in one museum, this would be an expert-led tour through his greatest. It specifically examines Michelangelo’s design decisions based on how his viewer would see the work, (structure, environment, audience, tricks of the eye and perspective, etc.). Hard to tell if this is a book for renaissance buffs or lay people, and I thought the lens could have been a tad more defined, but overall this was a neat exploration!
February 9, 2026
All art is a time capsule that delivers the past to present viewers, often without the historical context in which it was created. This can lead to misinterpretation by newer audiences who impose their values, opinions, and views on an older work, distorting its meaning through this modern lens. Does this present perspective inhibit our ability to truly appreciate and understand the meaning behind these works?
Author and Professor of Renaissance Art History, Bernadine Barnes, presents an intriguing hypothesis in her book, Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time: “Did people who lived in the fifteenth and sixteenth century see differently from ourselves?” (7). If we had lived in the time of the great Renaissance masters, would our perceptions of their works differ from what we think today?
I’m a huge fan of Michelangelo. He’s my favorite Renaissance artist and my second-favorite Ninja Turtle. Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time delves into the former’s portfolio, seeking documentation that gives modern readers a glimpse into how Michelangelo’s works were perceived by those who witnessed them when they were new. The book spans Michelangelo’s entire artistic timeline, from his days as an apprentice to his final days when he passed at 89.
One perspective on these artists that many today may hold is that they created these amazing works out of love for their art. Quite the contrary. Pretty much every piece was commissioned by someone for political, religious, commercial, or private consumption, and the most famous works that are known worldwide aren’t even where they were originally intended to be once completed.
I was amazed by how many projects were started and either never completed, scrapped, or took centuries to complete, with so many changes that the original intent was also altered by the project’s completion. Many of Michelangelo’s sculptures never reached their intended locations, which helps explain why some of their proportions are as they are.
Bernadine Barnes brings us into the past to explore how each of Michelangelo’s amazing works came into existence, exploring his drawings, sculptures, frescoes, paintings, and architecture through the lens of those who lived in Renaissance Rome and Florence. It’s a deep dive that immerses the modern reader in the day-to-day world of an artist of Michelangelo’s caliber.
Using information from personal correspondence and biographers of the time, Barnes provides the necessary context for how these works were perceived, both positively and negatively, by those who witnessed them in their original presentation. Michelangelo had his critics, especially regarding his use of nudity in his works (which was often covered by loincloths during and after his lifetime). His interpretations of various Biblical events were also scrutinized and criticized for either artistic license or misinterpretation.
Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time is an in-depth and engaging read for anyone who loves art, the works of Michelangelo and his fellow Renaissance-era artists, or those seeking deeper meaning in these amazing, awe-inspiring pieces. In her conclusion, Bernadine Barnes writes: “Through Michelangelo’s long career he created works that engaged many types of viewers. He respected specific settings and adjusted his works so that they could be seen well under particular conditions. He thought about the distortions and tricks of human vision, and he created works that tried to capture visions of the divine” (220).
I highly recommend Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time by Bernadine Barnes.
Author and Professor of Renaissance Art History, Bernadine Barnes, presents an intriguing hypothesis in her book, Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time: “Did people who lived in the fifteenth and sixteenth century see differently from ourselves?” (7). If we had lived in the time of the great Renaissance masters, would our perceptions of their works differ from what we think today?
I’m a huge fan of Michelangelo. He’s my favorite Renaissance artist and my second-favorite Ninja Turtle. Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time delves into the former’s portfolio, seeking documentation that gives modern readers a glimpse into how Michelangelo’s works were perceived by those who witnessed them when they were new. The book spans Michelangelo’s entire artistic timeline, from his days as an apprentice to his final days when he passed at 89.
One perspective on these artists that many today may hold is that they created these amazing works out of love for their art. Quite the contrary. Pretty much every piece was commissioned by someone for political, religious, commercial, or private consumption, and the most famous works that are known worldwide aren’t even where they were originally intended to be once completed.
I was amazed by how many projects were started and either never completed, scrapped, or took centuries to complete, with so many changes that the original intent was also altered by the project’s completion. Many of Michelangelo’s sculptures never reached their intended locations, which helps explain why some of their proportions are as they are.
Bernadine Barnes brings us into the past to explore how each of Michelangelo’s amazing works came into existence, exploring his drawings, sculptures, frescoes, paintings, and architecture through the lens of those who lived in Renaissance Rome and Florence. It’s a deep dive that immerses the modern reader in the day-to-day world of an artist of Michelangelo’s caliber.
Using information from personal correspondence and biographers of the time, Barnes provides the necessary context for how these works were perceived, both positively and negatively, by those who witnessed them in their original presentation. Michelangelo had his critics, especially regarding his use of nudity in his works (which was often covered by loincloths during and after his lifetime). His interpretations of various Biblical events were also scrutinized and criticized for either artistic license or misinterpretation.
Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time is an in-depth and engaging read for anyone who loves art, the works of Michelangelo and his fellow Renaissance-era artists, or those seeking deeper meaning in these amazing, awe-inspiring pieces. In her conclusion, Bernadine Barnes writes: “Through Michelangelo’s long career he created works that engaged many types of viewers. He respected specific settings and adjusted his works so that they could be seen well under particular conditions. He thought about the distortions and tricks of human vision, and he created works that tried to capture visions of the divine” (220).
I highly recommend Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time by Bernadine Barnes.
November 26, 2017
This book doesn't give a clear, complete biographical account on Michelangelo's life. Mainly, because that was not what the author strived to do. Rather, with this book she hoped to give some different views, and an addition to what we know about his live and work.
However, for someone like me, who's already read some biographical books about Michelanglo, Barnes' 'Michelangelo, and the viewer of his time' didn't seem to offer many, if any, new perspectives at all. Furthermore, she sometimes loses herself in iconographical explanations, not really chosing one, simply stating them all, and finishing with; '... whatever it may be...', thus abandoning any explanation in the end.
Another thing which quite bothered me, was her returning to the old - already refuted - assumption that Michelangelo's relationship with Tommaso de' Cavalieri was "homosexual". When reading letters from that period by any two random male friends you will discover that they will be filled with compliments, just like Tommaso's and Michelangelo's. It was a different time, where people spoke to one another in a vastly different manner. The only thing we can honestly discern from their letters is mutual respect and admiration for one another, nothing else. Furthermore, Michelangelo lived a celibate life, putting love and passion into his work and friendships. He actually taught his students not to let women and love distract them from their work, and living by this philosophy himself for 89 years. Whether Michelangelo ever had romantic feelings for a man (or a woman) cannot be proven, not from his work, nor from his letters.
Other than that, as an art historian, I know how incredibly difficult it is to write something fundamentally new and innovative, especially about an artist about whom a lot has already been written. So I applaud her at having written a book about Michelangelo at all.
However, for someone like me, who's already read some biographical books about Michelanglo, Barnes' 'Michelangelo, and the viewer of his time' didn't seem to offer many, if any, new perspectives at all. Furthermore, she sometimes loses herself in iconographical explanations, not really chosing one, simply stating them all, and finishing with; '... whatever it may be...', thus abandoning any explanation in the end.
Another thing which quite bothered me, was her returning to the old - already refuted - assumption that Michelangelo's relationship with Tommaso de' Cavalieri was "homosexual". When reading letters from that period by any two random male friends you will discover that they will be filled with compliments, just like Tommaso's and Michelangelo's. It was a different time, where people spoke to one another in a vastly different manner. The only thing we can honestly discern from their letters is mutual respect and admiration for one another, nothing else. Furthermore, Michelangelo lived a celibate life, putting love and passion into his work and friendships. He actually taught his students not to let women and love distract them from their work, and living by this philosophy himself for 89 years. Whether Michelangelo ever had romantic feelings for a man (or a woman) cannot be proven, not from his work, nor from his letters.
Other than that, as an art historian, I know how incredibly difficult it is to write something fundamentally new and innovative, especially about an artist about whom a lot has already been written. So I applaud her at having written a book about Michelangelo at all.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews