The Agony And The Ecstasy
(John Irving)
The Agony and the Ecstasy is the historical fiction based on the life story of the great Italian renaissance artist Michelangelo. It describes Michelangelo'sdetermination to become an artist from an early age, apprenticingunder the frescopainter Ghirlandaio and the sculptor Bertoldo di Giovanni. His passion for marble sculpture is seen in his ecstasy when he is sculpturing marble blocks and his agony when he is unable to get his hands on a marble block. The book describes his famous marble sculptures, Madonna of the Stairs, the Pieta and David, trying to gain an insight into what Michelangelo desired to express in those sculptures.
Besides being a great sculpturer, Michelangelo was also a revolutionary painter. We follow him as he dissects corpses in the middle of the night in order to gain a greater understanding of anatomy. We see how he uses his knowledge of anatomy to sculpture David and paint the frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His agony lying for hours on his back painting the ceiling, paint dripping onto his beard and into his eyes are described in detail. We follow Michelangelo to Rome, as he earns commissions by famous Popes to paint chapels and sculpture tombs.
Michelangelo was a solitary man, enjoying his own company creating great works of art. We see how he fell in love three times with beautiful ladies. We also glimpse into his character and private life. He was generous with his family, giving his father and brothers all his money, leaving little for himself. He was very ambitious as an artist, wanting to hear others say that only he is the best artist. Michelangelo was very jealous of Leonardo da Vinci's success, and often quarelled with him when they met in public. He was also jealous of Raphael because Raphael was as successful as Michelangelo during that time.
The Agony and the Ecstasy is an enjoyable work of fiction that will inspire you to learn more about art and sculpture.
Resumos Relacionados
- The Agony And The Ecstasy
- The Agony And The Ecstacy
- The Agony And The Ecstacy
- A Agonia E O Êxtase
- Leonardo Da Vinci
|
|
