In this stimulating introduction to the artist's life and work, Anthony Hughes employs the latest evidence from research and restoration projects to take a fresh look at who Michelangelo was and what he has become. Setting Michelangelo firmly within the political and social world he inhabited, Hughes interprets his work not only as the expression of an individual sensibility but also as the results of often difficult transactions between artist and clients. He gives an enjoyable and historically informed account of the full range of Michelangelo's creative endeavours, in the process exploring the artist's relations with family and friends, his sexuality and his position in the sixteenth-century world.
| Introduction | 4 | |
| 1 | Citizens from a Noble Line: Early Life and Family Status | 9 |
| 2 | These Great Masters: Looking for New Patrons | 33 |
| 3 | Readiness and Triumph: Serving the Florentine Republic 1501-1505 | 63 |
| 4 | Strong, Violent and Difficult to Manage: Working for Pope Julius II | 103 |
| 5 | The Return of the Medici: Michelangelo's First Architecture | 145 |
| 6 | Many Things Shall be Done: The Chapel and Library at San Lorenzo | 173 |
| 7 | A Knight at Arms: The Resurrection of the Body | 229 |
| 8 | Julius Laid to Rest: The Tomb and the Last Paintings and Sculptures | 255 |
| 9 | How Much Blood Costs: The Final Years | 289 |
| 10 | The Unfinished Task: Making Sense of Michelangelo | 317 |
| Glossary | 332 | |
| Brief Biographies | 334 | |
| Key Dates | 337 | |
| Map | 341 | |
| Further Reading | 342 | |
| Index | 346 | |
| Acknowledgements | 350 |
Overview
In this stimulating introduction to the artist's life and work, ...