Publication
Penguin UK (2011), Edition: 1st Edition, 544 pages
Original publication date
2011
Collections
Awards
Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (Shortlist — 2011)
Marsh Biography Award (Shortlist — 2011)
Description
A British art critic and historian describes the painter's artistic achievements and volatile life during the Counter-Reformation in Italy which included public brawls, murder, sexual escapades, and imprisonment in Malta.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
I picked this up on the strength of the reviews, I knew nothing about Caravaggio or his art. A famous name well worth the time to learn more about. The artwork is available on Wikipedia where most of the paintings have individual articles and zoomable HD images. It is asking too much of a publisher
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to provide quality color art plates inside a biography. The B&W images are sufficient to remind the reader which painting is being discussed but not when seeing a painting for the first time - one can't be too lazy about looking them up in color high resolution to get the full effect. Indeed, prior to the Internet, the Caravaggio experience was limited to expensive art books and trips to museums. Books like this in conjunction with visuals on the Internet make for a greater than sum. Show Less
LibraryThing member jcbrunner
A highly enjoyable biography about Michelangelo Merisi called Caravaggio who lived in an age where painters. writers and composers were of the same social class as prostitutes and servants. It also looks like that he owed the start of his career more to a cardinal's interest in him as a boy toy
His cinematic, dramatic art is mirrored in his equally dramatic and violent short life whose scenes merited their own Caravaggio paintings. How would he depict his imprisonment in a cell of the Knights of Malta? Or mortally wounding his opponent in the groin in Rome? Graham-Dixon brings both the stories and discussions of his paintings to the table. Recommended.
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than his art. Andrew Graham-Dixon makes a good case that Caravaggio's violent life was partly due to his involvement in prostitution and acting as a pimp, dueling with competitors in the streets of Rome.His cinematic, dramatic art is mirrored in his equally dramatic and violent short life whose scenes merited their own Caravaggio paintings. How would he depict his imprisonment in a cell of the Knights of Malta? Or mortally wounding his opponent in the groin in Rome? Graham-Dixon brings both the stories and discussions of his paintings to the table. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member michaelbartley
Mr. Graham-Dixon wrote a very good bio on this powerful artist. Caravaggio had a very volatable personality, to say. His work was and is so powerful that it grabs the viewer. caravaggio was known to grab, hit people. He was the bad boy of his era. What I found interesting was learning of his
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partons. This book is also an excellent read of the social and intellectual history. Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksCooksLooks
This is my first book from Audible and while I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it - Mr. Ballerini has a magical voice - I think perhaps art books are best left to the coffee table. I missed the ability to see the paintings so vividly described as I was hearing those words. This is no fault of the
That being written I must say that I found the audiobook to be very interesting if a little one dimensional. There is not much left to history about Caravaggio and I'm not sure that anything earth shattering was presented here. It's also been a very long time since I was studying art history and I must admit my passion was for artists of a slightly earlier period in history. But Caravaggio left a legacy that cannot be ignored in the greater post-Renaissance art world and Mr. Graham-Dixon's book helps to elucidate some of the more hidden aspects of his life - although much of what he has given is conjecture as much must be given the dearth of research material left to history.
It was a delight, though to sit and trim beans while listening to that musical, magical voice of Mr. Ballerini and he took me through the ups and mostly downs of the life of this powerful artist.
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author's or the narrator's at all; I think it's a failure of decision making. Mine to take an audiobook of such a topic and whomever decided to make an audiobook of this work. For I think that the experience of truly appreciating all that is an artist such as Caravaggio is lessened by not seeing what he created.That being written I must say that I found the audiobook to be very interesting if a little one dimensional. There is not much left to history about Caravaggio and I'm not sure that anything earth shattering was presented here. It's also been a very long time since I was studying art history and I must admit my passion was for artists of a slightly earlier period in history. But Caravaggio left a legacy that cannot be ignored in the greater post-Renaissance art world and Mr. Graham-Dixon's book helps to elucidate some of the more hidden aspects of his life - although much of what he has given is conjecture as much must be given the dearth of research material left to history.
It was a delight, though to sit and trim beans while listening to that musical, magical voice of Mr. Ballerini and he took me through the ups and mostly downs of the life of this powerful artist.
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LibraryThing member rmagahiz
Biography as a sort of detective work, piecing together hints and scraps from 400 years' distance of one of the most unconventional and influential of the Italian Old Masters. He gives a convincing account of a man who lived on the edge of decent society while yearning for accolades from the
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aristocracy. Some of the guesswork needed is frustrating, and the reader has to spend a considerable amount of time straining to see the details described in the little reproductions of all the paintings, but I thought it was worth the effort to stick with this. Show Less
LibraryThing member Y2Ash
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane was an impressive comprehensive guide on not only Caravaggio's life but all that happened around him. Such as the Catholic Reformation and key players involved during that time.
If I was in my Art History class, I would have love if my professor would have
If I was in my Art History class, I would have love if my professor would have
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spent about a month on Caravaggio using this book. However, because I am not in Art History and was not require to read this book, I appreciated it more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Y2Ash
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane was an impressive comprehensive guide on not only Caravaggio's life but all that happened around him. Such as the Catholic Reformation and key players involved during that time.
If I was in my Art History class, I would have love if my professor would have
If I was in my Art History class, I would have love if my professor would have
Show More
spent about a month on Caravaggio using this book. However, because I am not in Art History and was not require to read this book, I appreciated it more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Y2Ash
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane was an impressive comprehensive guide on not only Caravaggio's life but all that happened around him. Such as the Catholic Reformation and key players involved during that time.
If I was in my Art History class, I would have love if my professor would have
If I was in my Art History class, I would have love if my professor would have
Show More
spent about a month on Caravaggio using this book. However, because I am not in Art History and was not require to read this book, I appreciated it more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Pferdina
A very enjoyable read. I knew nothing about Caravaggio and nearly nothing about art in the early seventeenth century and I think I learned a ton about both from this book. There are many color plates of the art, unfortunately sometimes they are so dark I couldn't make out the details discussed in
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the text. There was enough for me to get the idea, though. Show Less
LibraryThing member Huba.Library
The absolute most definitive work to-date. Beautifully written.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0241954649 / 9780241954645
Physical description
544 p.; 5 inches
Pages
544