Review Of "Michelangelo: The Artist, The Man, And His Times" By W. E. Wallace

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

5-1-2010

Published In

Choice

Abstract

Wallace (Washington Univ., St. Louis) offers a biography of Michelangelo that is somewhat partial; it is Michelangelo as revealed in surviving documents. An accomplished art historian and Michelangelo scholar, Wallace might have rounded out his portrait of the artist with abundant deductions drawn from the wealth of scholarly and artistic resources he has mastered. However, he did not; overreacting to the long line of fictionalized lives of the artist--both old and new--Wallace tried apparently to restrain himself. Within this limited scope, the book succeeds, incorporating reams of writings--letters, poems, notes, and financial and legal records--that reveal the artist's struggles with his daily life and work. Wallace is especially informative on the master's complex relationships with his family and his papal patrons; readers also learn of his astute supervisory skills at the quarry and in his business dealings. The book is sober but reads well and serves a general readership. Scholars await a comprehensive biography from this author later in his career. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.

Comments

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