Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David 1492-1504 [Paperback]

Anton Gill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 11, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0312314434 | ISBN-13: 978-0312314439 | Edition: 1st

At the turn of the 16th century, Italy was a turbulent territory made up of independent states, each at war with or intriguing against its neighbor. There were the proud, cultivated, and degenerate Sforzas in Milan, and in Rome, the corrupt Spanish family of the Borgia whose head, Rodrigo, ascended to St Peter's throne as Pope Alexander VI. In Florence, a golden age of culture and sophistication ended with the death of the greatest of the Medici family, Lorenzo the Magnificent, giving way to an era of uncertainty, cruelty, and religious fundamentalism.

In the midst of this turmoil, there existed the greatest concentration of artists that Europe has ever known. Influenced by the rediscovery of the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, artists and thinkers such as Botticelli and da Vinci threw off the shackles of the Middle Ages to produce one of the most creative periods in history - the Renaissance.

This is the story of twelve years when war, plague, famine, and chaos made their mark on a volatile Italy, and when a young, erratic genius, Michelangelo Buonarroti, made his first great statue - the David. It was to become a symbol not only of the independence and defiance of the city of Florence but also of the tortured soul who created it. This is a wonderful history of the artist, his times, and one of his most magnificent works.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is certainly nothing rushed about this excellent account of the world's greatest sculptor... Through Gill's sensitive and accessible reading of the David in particular we can perhaps feel a little closer to [Michelangelo]... It would be well-deserved if this book is as successful as those by [Dava] Sobel and [Ross] King - Gill is a perceptive and accessible critic"
- Sunday Herald

"A few pages into Anton Gill's new book and any readers who have never seen a Renaissance painting or sculpture will be packing their bags and heading for Italy. Not a page goes by without the excitement and drama of this period catching at your imagination... A compelling story that is well told."
- Country Living

"Gill's project may be ambitious, but his style and approach are aimed firmly at the general reader. In this he succeeds admirably and as an introduction to the Italian Renaissance Il Gigante could hardly be bettered."
- Daily Mail

From the Inside Flap

British Praise for Il Gigante:

"There is certainly nothing rushed about this excellent account of the world's greatest sculptor... Through Gill's sensitive and accessible reading of the David in particular we can perhaps feel a little closer to [Michelangelo]... It would be well-deserved if this book is as successful as those by [Dava] Sobel and [Ross] King - Gill is a perceptive and accessible critic" - Sunday Herald

"A few pages into Anton Gill's new book and any readers who have never seen a Renaissance painting or sculpture will be packing their bags and heading for Italy. Not a page goes by without the excitement and drama of this period catching at your imagination... A compelling story that is well told." - Country Living

"Gill's project may be ambitious, but his style and approach are aimed firmly at the general reader. In this he succeeds admirably and as an introduction to the Italian Renaissance Il Gigante could hardly be bettered." - Daily Mail

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (November 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312314434
• ISBN-13: 978-0312314439
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,026,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent., September 11, 2006

By 

John David Olsen (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David 1492--1504 (Hardcover)

I was on the east coast of the U.S., on Cape Cod, several years ago, making my way to Florence for a week. This was to be my first trip to Florence [though not to Italy]. I was trying to decide on a good book to read while in Florence, just as I happened by a local little bookstore on the street in which I was walking. As I glanced in the window, there was Anton Gill's "Il Gigante."

At that moment I had no doubt that this was the book for me to read on my Italian excursion.

I read Gill's book as I was walking the streets of Florence, able to sit in a square upon which Michelangelo once strode, visit the many churches in which he worked, and sit for an afternoon in the Acdemia where `David' now resides.

I found Anton gill's book to be full of fascinating details not only about Michelangelo, but about the creation of art in the early renaissance. Intermingled with stories about Michelangelo's `David' there are tales of politics and rivalries, patrons and intrigue. It was incredible to be able to read about the history of Michelangelo's commission's as I was viewing them with my own eyes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - and I would highly recommend reading it while in a café on the streets of Florence.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice cover poor contents, November 19, 2003

By 

R. Scholten (Den Haag Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David 1492--1504 (Hardcover)

This book tells us about almost everything but little about the David.
The author has selected info from various books and tells well known stories.
Very disappointing

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not really informative, February 4, 2011

By 

C. D. Olsen "toshirodragon" (Ogden, Ut United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David 1492-1504 (Paperback)

Anton Gil's style of writing is rather purple and full of dripping fanboyism. I was somewhat put off by his casual dismissal of women and changing attitudes towards their clothing and appearance in his rush to gush on Il Magnifico. His constant denigration of the Middle Ages and comparison of the Renaissance to the rising sun became tedious and annoying.

It takes Gil 75 pages to even get to the birth of Michelangelo: a good third of the book spent extolling the virtues of the Medicis. Sadly I think he fell into the pit of wanting to write about someone about whom there is not much extant information on. Consequently the book drifts into long tangents on other people and Cliffs Notes views of the politics of the time.

It's a good read and a page turner but is it history? I don't think so...