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By Irving Stone
I have consciously chosen only 3 biographies to read so far. All 3 have left an indelible impression on my mind and my outlook. But that is unimportant here, the big deal is that, this one in particular was recommended by my truly brilliant friend Anil. The irony is that Anil and I became friends when we found our common interest in the works of Leonardo da vinci. I call it irony because this book recommended by Anil is the extraordinary account of the life and times of the sculptor, poet, painter par extraordinaire Michelangelo Bounarotti, who was a rival of da Vinci. Thanks Anil, I see a bit of Michelangelo in you btw!
No doubt Michelangelo was a genius, but I feel without this account by Irving Stone, we wouldn't know what mettle the genius was made of. Its when you wake up with Michelangelo, go to the bottega and tire yourself out as the sculptor without sleep or food goes on for days concentrating on that one piece (that would go down to history), that you realize, not only has Michelangelo outdone himself but so has Irving Stone.
This book is about geniuses, about people who taught us to love beautiful things, about people who appreciated beauty so much that the proof of their foresight still remains with us after over 500 years. This book is graced by the amazing Lorenzo di Medici, the beautiful Florence and the greatest works of art.
What I will not forget are
1) The Nurturer: Lorenzo di Medici's foresight to nurture art and artists like one nurtures a garden, a true appreciator of art,
2) The Talent: Michelangelo's relentless search for reality and perfection. What makes an artist extraordinary? - he learns dissection of humans just to complete 'David', he thinks for days about how Mary would have felt when holding her grown up child after he has been just been crucified, before he does the 'Pieta' - while the rest of the artist still painted Jesus on a cross! It wasn't just a piece of art for him but the whole thought behind the art, a true thinker.
3) The Storyteller: Irving Stone's detailed yet very contemporary and easy story-telling which makes this book unforgettable and the characters far more realistic than we would have ever thought.
Read it, as these extraordinary men come together to bring you a bittersweet experience of the agony and ecstasy in a life well-lived.
(Inset: Michelangelo's Day and Night, so beautifully described in this book)
image courtesy: travel webshots
I have consciously chosen only 3 biographies to read so far. All 3 have left an indelible impression on my mind and my outlook. But that is unimportant here, the big deal is that, this one in particular was recommended by my truly brilliant friend Anil. The irony is that Anil and I became friends when we found our common interest in the works of Leonardo da vinci. I call it irony because this book recommended by Anil is the extraordinary account of the life and times of the sculptor, poet, painter par extraordinaire Michelangelo Bounarotti, who was a rival of da Vinci. Thanks Anil, I see a bit of Michelangelo in you btw!
No doubt Michelangelo was a genius, but I feel without this account by Irving Stone, we wouldn't know what mettle the genius was made of. Its when you wake up with Michelangelo, go to the bottega and tire yourself out as the sculptor without sleep or food goes on for days concentrating on that one piece (that would go down to history), that you realize, not only has Michelangelo outdone himself but so has Irving Stone.
This book is about geniuses, about people who taught us to love beautiful things, about people who appreciated beauty so much that the proof of their foresight still remains with us after over 500 years. This book is graced by the amazing Lorenzo di Medici, the beautiful Florence and the greatest works of art.
What I will not forget are
1) The Nurturer: Lorenzo di Medici's foresight to nurture art and artists like one nurtures a garden, a true appreciator of art,
2) The Talent: Michelangelo's relentless search for reality and perfection. What makes an artist extraordinary? - he learns dissection of humans just to complete 'David', he thinks for days about how Mary would have felt when holding her grown up child after he has been just been crucified, before he does the 'Pieta' - while the rest of the artist still painted Jesus on a cross! It wasn't just a piece of art for him but the whole thought behind the art, a true thinker.
3) The Storyteller: Irving Stone's detailed yet very contemporary and easy story-telling which makes this book unforgettable and the characters far more realistic than we would have ever thought.
Read it, as these extraordinary men come together to bring you a bittersweet experience of the agony and ecstasy in a life well-lived.
(Inset: Michelangelo's Day and Night, so beautifully described in this book)
image courtesy: travel webshots
