cover image First Impressions: Michelangelo

First Impressions: Michelangelo

Richard McLanathan. ABRAMS, $19.95 (92pp) ISBN 978-0-8109-3634-8

As with his Leonardo da Vinci, an earlier volume in this distinguished series of artist biographies, McLanathan uses the complex politics of Renaissance Italy's as a focal point for an account of Michelangelo. An abundance of fine reproductions conveys the grandeur of the extraordinary artist's sculpture, painting and architectural designs, while contemporaneous illustrations and modern photographs bring Florence and Rome to life. Masterpieces like the Pieta , David and the Sistine Chapel receive gratifyingly close study in the text, which, with its dense mix of politics, personalities and art history, requires greater concentration than the usual art book narrative. The author's emphasis on ``destiny,'' and the relative lack of colorful details about Michelangelo's personal life and habits, have a slightly distancing effect, but ultimately the artist's towering achievements (and the battles that preceded them) have an awe-inspiring impact. An index and list of illustrations are included. Ages 10-up. (Apr.) The Valley of a Thousand Hills , in South Africa, provides the setting for The Dove (Greenwillow).