Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-254) and index.
Contents:
Introduction -- The artist in search of an audience -- The heroic body -- visions of majesty: projects for Pope Julius -- Power and illusion: commissions for the Medici -- Painting the visionary experience: frescoes for Pope Paul III -- Love, desire and politics: works for private viewers -- Vision and space: Michelangelo's Roman architecture -- Last works -- Conclusion.
Summary:
Today Michelangelo's painting and sculpture is seen most often in museums, while his architectural designs have been left incomplete or modified by others so that some are barely recognizable. But his art was made to be viewed in churches, homes and political settings, by people who brought their own needs and expectations to his work. Paintings and sculptures were rarely seen in isolation; instead they were seen as part of rituals and ceremonies. Viewers of Michelangelo's time would experience the work under specific lighting conditions and from particular positions. They would move through spaces and past sculpture, and they might make comparisons to other objects nearby. In this engaging book, Bernadine Barnes brings together new research to show how Michelangelo's art was seen in its own time. The original setting is reconstructed for works that have been moved, modified or left incomplete. Michelangelo's consideration of his audience changed throughout his career: sometimes he produced work for conventional religious settings, and at other times he was given unprecedented freedom by open-minded patrons.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.