Michelangelo : The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture [Hardcover]

William E. Wallace (Author), Michelangelo Buonarroti (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1998

With an engaging text by renowned Michelangelo scholar William E. Wallace, Michelangelo: The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture brings together in one exquisite volume the powerful sculptures, the awe-inspiring paintings, and the classical architectural works of one of the greatest artists of all time. Including everything from his sculptures Pietàs and David to his beautiful paintings of the Sistine Chapel and the Doni Tondo, the book provides an opportunity to view Michelangelo’s work as never before, and to more fully understand the artist who, through his work, spoke of his life and times. The frescoes are specially printed on onion skin paper to recreate the actual appearance of light reflecting off of the plaster walls. The stunning black-and-white photography of the sculptures is printed in four colors to bring out the rich details of the marble.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A visual and literary treasure that brings Michelangelo, the artist, and his remarkable body of work—including sculptures, paintings, and architecture—to life. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

William E. Wallace is associate professor of art history at Washington University in St. Louis, and is an internationally recognized authority on Michelangelo and his contemporaries. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 268 pages
• Publisher: Beaux Arts Editions; Reprint edition (November 1998)
• ISBN-10: 0883633310
• ISBN-13: 978-0883633311
• Product Dimensions: 14.4 x 11.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,032,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visually delightful, December 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Michelangelo: The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture (Hardcover)

The strength of this book is the excellent photographs, showing each work from a variety of angles so you can really appreciate the complexity of the sculpture. The commentaries are well written and straightforward. Having read the previous review, I read the Anthony Hughes book too and found its commentaries more complex--well, anyway,more opionated!--but its tiny pictures can't compare to the splendors in this book. Short of a trip to Italy, it was the next best thing!

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Visual Excursion through a Genius' Life and Works, November 6, 2003

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Michelangelo : The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture (Hardcover)

MICHELANGELO: THE COMPLETE SCULPTURE, PAINTING, ARCHITECTURE is one of those books that would be a generous addition to any art/art history lover's library. This very large scaled volume is meant to be about the visual and not the stuffy, thesis-driven, dry tome words of biography. William Wallace has excellent credentials as a writer and his style of writing is warm, thoughtful, insightful, and informative. He has elected to begin his book with an abbreviated biography, knowing that most people know the general facts about Michelangelo's life, and then presents the artists' output in sections of scultpure, painting, and architecture. It is said that Michelangelo never considered himself a painter, despite his glory in the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. It is his sculpture for which he wished to be known and surely there are few extant examples of heroic sculpture that are in his rarefied league. The reproductions of the frescoes are color correct and the sculptures are captured with excellent photographic drama. For those who wish to know more about the writings and sonnets of Michelangelo as well as the contorversies that colored his life, then look elsewhere among the many books available. But for sheer joy of turning page after beautiful page that document Michelangelo's genius, then look no further. A perfect gift for yourself and for those who care about art.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous book!, December 15, 2002

By 

Brian D., Hodges (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Michelangelo : The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture (Hardcover)

This book is fantastic! I have a collection of Michelangelo books and this is easily one of my favorites. The reproductions are absolutely stunning, with special mention to some of the Sistine Chapel frescoes reproduced on transparent paper--nice touch.

William Wallace (no, not the Braveheart guy...) does an admirable job with each piece of Michelangelo's works.

Highly recommended.