Michelangelo: Paintings, Sculpture, Architecture

by Ludwig Goldscheider, Michelangelo Buonarroti

This splendid work was first published in 1953 and remains a classic of the literature on Michalangelo. It continues to be the only volume that contains illustrations of all the master's work excluding his drawings (the recently ascribed head from the Rondanini Pieta, now in a public collection in Italy, is also omitted). Michelangelo is designed to serve both the student and the art lover; the fine quality of the reproductions and the beauty of the details emphatically prove Michelangelo's genius, while the text surveys the opinions of the leading Michelangelo scholars and provides a commentary with bibiographical notes. In all respects this volume is an indispensable and standard work on one of the greatest masters of all time.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Coffee Table Books, Art History, Italy, Art and Photography

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

Reviews

[David]

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

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

3.5*

[KarenMLISt]

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

[William Guerrant]

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

[Hechen Bao]

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

[Theresia]

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

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

[May Spangler]

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

[Lanita]

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

[Chris Rau]

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

[KeeOfTheArchives]

Read

[Kimberly]

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