Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King.
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DESCRIPTION: Softcover: 373 pages. Publisher: Penguin Books; (2003). Size: 9¼ x 6½ x 1 inch; 1¼ pounds. In 1508, despite strong advice to the contrary, the powerful Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine Chapel. With little experience as a painter (though famed for his sculpture David), Michelangeo was reluctant to begin the massive project. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling recounts the four extraordinary years Michelangelo spent laboring over the vast ceiling while the power politics and personal rivalries that abounded in Rome swirled around him. Battling against ill health, financial difficulties, domestic problems, the pope's impatience, and a bitter rivalry with the brilliant young painter Raphael, Michelangelo created scenes so beautiful that they are considered to be among the greatest masterpieces of all time. A panorama of illustrious figures converged around the creation of this magnificent work, from the great Dutch scholar Erasmus to the young Martin Luther. Ross King skillfully weaves them through his compelling historical narrative, offering uncommon insight into the intersection of art and history.
CONDITION: LIKE NEW. New (albeit faintly "shopworn" oversized softcover. Penguin Books (2003) 384 pages. Unblemished except for very mild edge and corner shelfwear to the covers. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Shelfwear is principally in the form of faint "crinkling" to the cover spine head and heel, as well as the cover "tips" (the four open corners of the covers, top and bottom, front and back). The "crinkling" to the bottom open corner ("tip") of the front cover takes the form of a inch corner crease 1/2 inch wide, 1 1/2 inches long. If you scrutinize the book very intently you can also discern a few faint spots and smudges ("shelf soiling") to the bottom surface of the closed page edges, where the book rests in the shelf (visible of course only when book is closed, not to individual pages, only to the mass of closed page edges, sometimes referred to as the "page block"). Condition is consistent with otherwise "new" oversized stock from an open-shelf book store (such as Barnes & Noble, or B. Dalton for instance) wherein so otherwise "new" books often have become blemished and/or show mild cosmetic blemishes, i.e. a little handling/shelf wear, merely from the ordeal of being shelved and re-shelved. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! Meticulous and accurate descriptions! Selling rare and out-of-print ancient history books on-line since 1997. We accept returns for any reason within 30 days! #1853.2e.
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PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
REVIEW: King tells how Michelangelo Buonarroti, known as a sculptor not as a painter, spent four years painting the ceiling of the newly restored Sistine Chapel for Pope Julius II while power politics and personal rivalries swirled around him. He was 33 when he was summoned back to Rome, from which he had fled vowing never to return.
REVIEW: A legend-busting, richly detailed account of the four-year making of the Sistine Chapel frescos. When Pope Julius II wasn’t riding off to subdue some unfortunate neighbor during the endless Papal Wars, he was hounding poor Michelangelo. "When will you have this chapel finished?", and of course make good on his three-thousand-ducat commission and reveal to an expectant world the mysteries of the Creation. If you’ve put those impatient words in the mouth of Rex Harrison, who brought Julius to the screen in “The Agony and the Ecstasy”, you’ll know that poor Michelangelo worked alone, racked by the demons of poverty and artistic insecurity, to say nothing of the Inquisition.
Not so, writes King. It’s not that the pope was a patient or gentle man. From time to time he gave Michelangelo a good clout, and he once threatened to throw the recalcitrant artist off his scaffolding. But Michelangelo was being paid very well for his work and had a squadron of skilled craftsmen at his disposal, and it was they, not he, who spent years on their backs staring up at the ceiling, paintbrush in hand, while Michelangelo was ducking off to check on other commissions in Florence and Bologna. King supplies a richly nuanced view of Michelangelo and company’s day-to-day life in the Sistine Chapel, placing it in the context of the overall Renaissance, a time of plenty of bloodshed and intrigue, but also of extraordinary artistic accomplishment thanks to the likes of Julius, Cesare Borgia, and other noteworthy hotheads.
Disputing the now accepted view that Michelangelo was gay (there is no good evidence, King argues, that he had much of any kind of sex life), King examines Michelangelo’s considerable virtues and quirks, one of which, his understandable desire not to show a work until it was done, was to get him into much trouble with his eminent patron. Readers looking for the lite version of this tale may still want to fire up the VCR and watch Charlton Heston chew the scenery. Those seeking a richer understanding of Renaissance art-making will find this a pleasure.
REVIEW: King's historical account of the four years Michelangelo Buonarroti spent frescoing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome is splendid, thorough and detailed. But its larger appeal lies in the way King (author of “Brunelleschi's Dome”) brings out the story's human elements. Listeners learn of Michelangelo's bitter disappointment when a project he was eagerly looking forward to (the construction of the Pope's tomb) was cancelled and that he had little experience with the art of fresco and was reluctant to take on the Sistine Chapel. King explains the craft of frescoing with involving details. For example, fresco dries quickly, so the artist could work only in small sections. If a mistake was found after the paint dried, the whole day's work had to be chipped away and redone. Listeners also learn of Michelangelo's financial woes and family problems and the political upheavals of the time.
REVIEW: This amazing book transports the listener back to Italy in the early 16th century. King is able to describe the intricacies of fresco painting while also portraying the day-to-day life of that era. Descriptions of the court intrigues of Pope Julius II are interwoven with the struggles Michelangelo faced when Julius ordered him to paint, in fresco, the 12,000 square foot ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The author's research and writing skills bring the many characters vividly to life. King has certainly captured the spirit of the time, as well as the life of a very gifted and somewhat eccentric artist. Highly recommended for all.
REVIEW: Scrupulously researched, written with wit and panache, Ross King’s “Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling” is a sublime peek into a remarkable era. Ultimately, what King has made is a book in which the fresco itself is at the center of the action. It is an intricately detailed history of the making of one of the signal masterpieces of Western civilization. This is without a doubt the definitive work on this topic. It is a cornucopia of intriguing information.
REVIEW: Ross King expertly wipes away such smudges from the story of this great painting, only to uncover a truth even more exciting and improbable. A stirring portrait of a delicate and demanding art, and how again great odds, the world’s greatest artist taught himself how to do it. Now that art lovers can see the painting as it was originally conceived, this fabulous and eminently readable history will help them appreciate that it was no immaculate conception. If you have ever stared up at his great work, or even looked at a photograph of it, and wondered how on earth a single man could have made it, Ross King’s “Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling” has all the answers.
REVIEW: Fascinating! A penetrating look at the moody genius of Michelangelo. This engrossing study is a clear picture of both technique and the day-to-day routine in the Sistine Chapel. While Ross King never turns the painting of the ceiling into a mere job, he demystifies the achievement, and in the process increases our respect and awe along with out understanding. “Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling” is a lovely book, a masterpiece in its own right. The book is knowing yet accessible from start to finish. In the end, King succeeds in explaining just how the Sistine Chapel, in whole and in its many parts came to be.
REVIEW: I enjoy reading biographies and Mr. King is one of the better writers when documenting those periods of European History he chooses. He wrote a wonderful book about Brunelleschi, and now offers readers and even more ambitious work on Michelangelo and Pope Julius II. Many writers seem to often stray, and are too sweeping and inclusive of other persons and events that also took place during the time they are documenting. Mr. King gives enough information to keep his subjects and their pursuits in context without diluting the premise of his books.
The painting of the Sistine Chapel may seem like too well worn a subject for another book but the author dispels so many misconceptions about the events that were involved in this creation that his clarifications are worth the read on their own. The book also includes magnificent color plates and numerous black and white drawings that make the book all the more interesting. But the images add to the book, they do not act as a crutch for an author lacking information.
Did Michelangelo paint while lying on his back, the book answers that question by sharing a letter and diagram of Michelangelo that he penned himself sharing the manner by which he worked? Were the frescoed ceiling and vaults designed and painted by Michelangelo on his own, how long did the work really take, and how close did the work come to be handed over to another artist before its completion?
The author also demonstrates the influence and politics that were a daily part of working for The Vatican and this particular Pope. Mr. King will share the discovery and rapid rise of the artist Raphael who was painting at The Vatican simultaneously with Michelangelo. Bramante who was to initiate the rebuilding of St. Peter's Cathedral was also always present, in the shadows or in front, scheming or openly attempting to influence who would gain specific commissions for the Pope. And there is also the famous/infamous Savonarola who held great influence with the artist who painted the 12,000 square foot ceiling at a time when approving of the doomed holy man could mean death to those who shared his thoughts.
I have no way of knowing which person or architectural marvel Mr. King will turn to next. He explores several fascinating people in this work that would fill several additional books. I only hope that he continues to produce these eminently readable and enjoyable studies of History and her participants.
REVIEW: "Michelangelo and The Pope's Ceiling" tells the stories of the creation of Michelangelo's magnus opus and of the world in which he worked. It is a combination of biography, technical manual and social and art history. The biography tells us of Michelangelo's life. We meet his family and gain a insight into his training, his financial standing and his artistic history. I was surprised to learn that he was, primarily, a sculptor who was hired to build the tomb of Pope Julius II before being diverted into the ceiling project. The popular image of Michelangelo laying on his back while painting the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is repeatedly dismissed.
The technical manual introduces the reader to the techniques employed in the creation of a fresco. The explanations of the then existing practices relating to the drawing of the sketches on paper for transfer to the wet plaster and the array and qualities of the pigments available make fascinating reading. The author brings the reader into the team of artists and assistants who made this work happen. The growth of the picture across the ceiling is shown not only as expansion from side to side, but also as the growth of an artist who adjusted his techniques as he viewed his work from the perspective of its admirers.
The social history places Michelangelo's work in the world of his patron, Pope Julius II. Julius was an amazing character, a warrior Pope who left his mark, not in the sanctity of his Church but in the magnificence of its churches. The art history walks the reader across the scenes of the ceiling. I have never been to Rome, but after reading this book it seems that one could spend weeks trying to take the whole ceiling in. The author also places this work in its artistic context, both in how it advanced what went before and how it became the standard for so much which followed. Even for one with my minimal familiarity with Renaissance history and art, this book is fascinating. I think that you will enjoy it also.
REVIEW: I'd seen this book and “Brunelleschi’s Dome” in bookstores for quite a while. I just couldn't bring myself to purchase either for a very silly reason. The author's name, Ross King, just didn't sound very authoritative to me, for some reason. More a name for a movie actor than a Renaissance biographer. As it turns out, that was a baseless bias. King definitely knows his stuff, as the book's bulging bibliography will attest to. Purists may be put off by the fact that this book is so entertaining, that it can't possibly be serious scholarship. I say let them stick to Jacob Burckhardt, I'll take Ross King, any day.
This is a masterly book, and King is an excellent story teller, marshalling his facts and arraying them in taut, controlled prose. His is an excellent overview of the full panoply of figures and events that made late fourteenth and early fifteenth century Italy such an extraordinary place and era. Michelangelo lived in a time that teemed with larger than life figures. The Borgias were still wielding influence in Florence and Rome. Amongst Michelangelo's contemporaries that put in an appearance in the book are the firebrand priest, Girolamo Savonarola, Martin Luther, Machiavelli, and two of the other greatest artists of the Rennaissance, Leonardo and Raphael.
The rivalry between Michelangelo and Raphael is one of the keynotes of the book. Raphael and his team of artisans were frescoing the pope's private rooms in the Vatican at the same time Michelangelo was frescoing the massive vault of the Sistine Chapel. Raphael is depicted as an expansive, open-minded, hedonist, good looking and attractive to all. Michelangelo is a "jug-eared, flat-nosed, and rather squat, somewhat miserly loner, who also happened to possess an unparalleled artistic genius.
King is particularly adept at conveying exactly how delicate and painstaking the art frescoing actually was. The artist would have only a brief window of time to apply the precious pigments before the plaster dried. Michelangelo started the project knowing very little about the involved techniques necessary to perform under such a timetable. As the months and years went by, he became so adept that he could paint ever larger sections at breakneck speed. He had to learn his craft on the fly, however, under incredibly difficult conditions.
King dispels a couple myths that have come down to us, primarily via Irving Stone and from the movie version of his novel, “The Agony and the Ecstasy”. It is highly unlikely that Michelangelo had to paint any sections of the ceiling on his back. He did however, have to assume some rather uncomfortable craning postures for hours at a time. It's also evident that the artist didn't work alone on the project. He would hire assistants as the need arose. He definitely didn't mix his own pigments, for instance, a time consuming, exact and laborious task in itself.
This in no way diminishes just how Herculean an effort he exerted, however. The sheer physical toll the painting exacted on his body was quite real. His spirit was drained by the enterprise. It was, after all, not a project he was eager to pursue. Had it not been for the overbearing will of Julius II, he would have turned the opportunity down and concentrated instead on sculpture, his first love. This is a book I recommend without reservation and it goes to the top of my current list of reading suggestions. It's relatively brief at just over 200 pages. However it will keep anyone with even the slightest appreciation of art and of genius riveted.
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