![]() ![]() Michelangelo Buonarroti, Pietà, 1498-1500. I’m no expert on Michelangelo, but I was aware of the major events and enjoyed sparks of recognition at key moments, like the creation of his great Pietà. It was refreshing, in a way, to not be able to question how the “plot” unfolds. While I’m sure he elected to highlight certain events over others, I don’t get much sense of him manipulating the source material for dramatic effect. That’s because Stone got to interpret and portray the story of Michelangelo’s life, but he didn’t create the actual story itself. The Agony and the Ecstasy is a fascinating dichotomy in the sense that it reads like a fictional novel, except when it doesn’t. The book particularly shines when it explores the intention and emotion behind his artworks. As I worked my way through the book, this towering, near-mythic figure really starting coming to life for me. ![]() Stone did a spectacular job of fleshing out Michelangelo’s inner life, making him into somebody I could actually relate. Along the way, readers really get to know Michelangelo – or at least a version of him – see him grow and change, and get an idea of what made him tick. The novel starts when thirteen-year-old Michelangelo becomes an apprentice to Florentine painter Domenico Ghirlandaio and continues through his death at age eighty-eight. Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Creation of Adam (detail of the Sistine ceiling), 1508-1512. Engaging and intelligent without being aggressively highbrow, it flows nicely and is organized into manageable sections. The book is over 650 pages, but it’s pretty easy to read. I’m glad that people kept pushing me towards this novel until I couldn’t resist anymore I enjoyed it greatly and recommend it highly. Several people have recommended this book to me, including one blog reader who asked for my thoughts on it. Irving Stone’s The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1961 biographical novel about Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). Learn About Art from the Comfort of Your Home.Be the Critic: How to Evaluate Museum Exhibitions.Part Two: Where and When Did Gargoyles Come From?. ![]()
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