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Audio Book: Michelangelo & The Pope's Ceiling
Written by Ross King; Read by Alan Sklar (Audio Partners)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz
One need not look to far for a history of art created under duress. A few moments of Let It Be is all that is necessary to recognize the strife that accompanied the Fab Four while creating some of the most beloved rock music of all time - watch The Battle Over Citizen Kane and recognize that what is arguably the greatest motion picture ever, was constructed in spite of the media empire that funded it. Neither Yoko Ono nor William Randolph Hearst could stand in the way of these geniuses and the same can be said of Pope Julius II and Michelangelo.
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, over 12,000 square feet taking over four and half strenuous years in its renovation, should have been a feather in the Florentine artist's cap; sadly, it was something more disappointing. Ross King's Michelangelo & The Pope's Ceiling is a work, part historical account, part biography, part technical manual and part art criticism all converging into a single wonderful book. The battle between two strong personalities, one the pugnacious, sinisterly Pope Julius II and the other dour and temperamental Michelangelo is one for the ages. King, also the author of the revered Bruneleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, touches on rich details that would elude the casual observer, from the fact that Michelangelo didn't work to alone to Pope Julius' pitting his commissioned artist against painter Raphael who worked nearby.
Michelangelo & The Pope's Ceiling is thoroughly informative and accessible on every level - from the casual reader/listener to the expert, well informed on the subject. The Audio Partner's edition is splendid - maybe more so than the book, broken up into accessible chunks for listeners to digest. Reader Alan Sklar, a wonderful voice performer perfect for the subject of art and painting, brings the book and all it's potentially onerous details to life. King's work lifts off the page; the words waft upwards, as they should, adding another chapter to the conflicted history of the artistic process under pressure.
© 2003 - Erick Mertz