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