The Life of Michelangelo, 2nd Edition

By Ascanio Condivi and Condivi Ascanio

Book Overview

Ascanio Condivi was a young pupil and assistant of Michelangelo's who gained the trust and confidence of the great artist. His biography of Michelangelo to a large extent is based on the artist's own words, tells the story of his life, his relationship with his patrons, his objectives as an artist, and his accomplishments, forming the basis of a biography that has been central to the study of Michelangelo for four centuries. The significance of Condivi's text was recognized early on. Within fifteen years of its publication in 1553, Vasari incorporated much of it to correct and revise his biography of Michelangelo in the second edition of his Lives of the Artists. But, although Vasari knew Michelangelo well, the sculptor never confided in him to the extent that he did in Condivi, making this the indispensable source for the life of Michelangelo.

First published in 1976, this translation is now available in paperback for the first time and includes a revised introduction based on new research, as well as an up-to-date bibliography and endnotes section.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0271018534
• ISBN13: 9780271018539
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 0.4" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

A Must Read

Biographies of Michelangelo have been written and rewritten by countless scholars up to this very day. If you want to get away from all the revisionist histories and psuedo-psychological mumbo-jumbo and read a bio written by someone who knew Michelangelo personally (Condivi was a student of the master's) then you simply must buy this book. It is on the short side, but no other biographer was this close to the man himself. Even Giorgio Vasari, the other contemporary Michelangelo biographer, rewrote large portions of his "Life of Michelangelo" to include details from Condivi's account. If you are at all interested in Michelangelo's life or art, this is the best place to start. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A Treasure

If you have an interest in the Renaissance and its great artists BUY this book. The author was a friend of the Master and the reader gets a true sense of the man and the times he lived in.

The Best Book I Ever Read

This was a wonderful book and even though it was translated it read smoothly and I woud recomend it to anyone

This is a must read for anyone interested in Michelangelo.

Condivi's account of the life of Michelangelo Buonarroti is a wonderful resource for fascinating stories on the artist as well as an incite into the artist himself. It is repetitious of Vasari's account of Michelangelo in the Lives of the Artists; consequently both sources complement each other well. It is important to realise that Condivi was an apprentice to Michelangelo and that he wrote this biography while Michelangelo was still alive. While the artist may have been looking over Condivi's shoulder while he wrote the text, it is still very useful - especially in placing the artist in the context of the time. The book shows the interaction between Michelangelo and his patrons - Lorenzo d' Medici, Pope Julius II, Soderini - and countless other fascinating people. After reading Michelangelo's letters, this should be one of the first sources cited to get a feel for the artist as, not only an artist, but a person.