Michelangelo and the Viewer in His Time

Description

In this engaging book ,Bernadine Barnes brings together new research to show how Michelangelo's art was seen in its own time. 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 book encourages today's viewers to take a fresh look at Michelangelo's work.

Bernadine Barnes is Professor of Renaissance Art History at Wake Forest University, North Carolina. Her previous publications include Michelangelo's Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response (1998) and Michelangelo in Print (2010).

How did individuals and society at large respond to Michelangelo s art? This is the central question explored in Barnes s refreshingly original examination of Michelangelo s life, works, and varied audiences. Barnes leaves aside the heroic but fictionalized story of Michelangelo the lone genius to focus on the private individuals and viewing public who were highly attentive to how the artist s creations were seen and displayed, praised and criticized. --William E. Wallace, Washington University"