Caravaggio (Icon Editions) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Shirley G. Hibbard (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (March 5, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064301281
• ISBN-13: 978-0064301282
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #517,424 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for a Great Artist, June 26, 2001

By	M. A Newman (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Caravaggio is one of the greatest artists of the 17th century. In a very brief period of time he managed to exert a influence over all of European painting.

Caravaggio was the original bad boy of the art world. He was willing to use well known prostitutes as models when portraying the Virgin Mary or to show saints with dirty feet. This offended authorities in Baroque Rome and Caravaggio was often a trial to his patrons. During the majority of his active career he was on the lam fleeing from a murder charge. He burst on the Roman art scene during the height of its influence and spent his last days in Malta in the company of the knights.

Although Caravaggio's influence was immense immediately after his death where his masterful use of light and shadow was immitated by countless lesser artists. For a number of years Caravaggio's reputation declined. Raphael's influence dominated academic art and Caravaggio's relatively harsh realism was in disfavor. It was only in the 1950's when a major evaluation occurred.

This book by Howard Hibbard is probably the first of these modern reevaluations of Caravaggio and it is still one of the best. Professor Hibbard is one of the country's leading art historians and he brings considerable scholarship to his study of Caravaggio's work. Although there are plenty of other books on Caravaggio, I think that this book is still the best of lot in terms of understanding Caravaggio's art (his life was sufficiently messy and his sexuality ambiguous to spur the mills of contemporary scholarship for many years). Professor Hibbard's writing is sufficiently free from academic claptrap to make it an invaluable guide to both the specialist and the novice.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Caravaggio handbook., May 13, 1997

By A Customer

Hibbard unfolds Caravaggio's life, style and works with a firm grip , avoiding what normally bores the uninitiated but retaining an interesting approach for those who are well versed in the works of this 16th century genius. He avoids a biased approach which very often taints the ever increasing number of Caravaggio critics. Though new material has since been published, this book still retains the requisites of a must -to -read

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transcends the usual assigned texts, October 29, 2001

By	Amanda J. Mitchell (Salt Lake City, Utah United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In one of my last classes for my degree, this book was the required text. I am awed by Caravaggio's work anyway, but combine that with Howard Hibbert's insightful text and you have an amazing book. I would definitely recommend this text for anyone interested in this fantastic artist.