Young Michelangelo

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500 years ago a 37 year old man completed a work that became the cornerstone of High Renaissance art: the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Young Michelangelo is the definitive account of the early years of one of history's greatest artists, probing the thinking, artistic evolution and yearnings of a young man thoroughly convinced of his own exceptional talent. John T. Spike brings to life this momentous age, taking in the bonfire of the vanities and the siege of Florence, and reveals the overwhelming influence that Michelangelo's charismatic personality had on his contemporaries, including the Medici, Machiavelli and Leonardo Da Vinci. AUTHOR: John T. Spike is a noted art historian, author and lecturer. He has directed the Biennial of Florence and in 2007 was named to the faculty of the Masters in Sacred Art History. In 2010 he was engaged by the Council of Europe as an expert in Cultural Heritage. John T. Spike is also the author of the critically acclaimed Caravaggio. He lives in Florence.

Reviews

'Spike crystallizes historical detail into vivid , memorable imagery... Alternating between accounts of the turbulent political atmosphere and details of Michelangelo's most private moments in the sculpture studio, Spike creates a rich narrative that promises more intrigue than the best adventure novel'Publishers Weekly

'Michelangelo is a difficult man to like, but impossible to resist. Spike captures his magnetism, his drive and the sheer scale of his ambition'Sarah Bakewell, Sunday Times

'No art historian has got closer to Michelangelo than John T. Spike'Sunday Telegraph

'Tense and agile as an early sculpture, Young Michelangelo is a compelling portrait of the artist as a young man in a dangerous time'Peter Robb, author of M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio

'A crisply thorough biography'Christopher Bray, Daily Express

Author Bio

John T. Spike is a noted art historian, author and lecturer, specialising in Italian Renaissance and Baroque art. He is also an important critic of contemporary art and has directed the Biennial of Florence. In 2007, Spike was named to the faculty of the Masters in Sacred Art History, organised by the European University of Rome and the Pontifical Athenaeum, 'Regina Apostolorum'. In 2010 Spike was engaged by the Council of Europe as an expert in Cultural Heritage. Spike is also the author of the critically acclaimed Caravaggio. He lives in Florence.