Michelangelo (Revised Edition) (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

I bought all of the books in this series for our homeschool art curriculum. They are easy to read and a fun supplement that can lead to a nice trip to the Smithsonian Gallery of Art.

I read this to my pre-k and she loved it. We read this AFTER we saw David in Florence. I wish we had read it before as it would have built up the excitement of seeing the statue, but no matter, it was fun for her to learn about how Michelangelo grew up to become one of the most famous artists in the world. It also made us both appreciate his works of art. There was just enough text to tell his story, but short enough to not lose a child's attention. We are reading the others in the series.

"One of the things that made Michelangelo such a great artist was his ability to give a special energy and strength to the people he painted and sculpted," p.29The young reader will learn about Michelangelo's beginnings in a city near Florence, the brief time he spent as a baby with a family of stonecutters, his years of study at the workshop of Ghirlandaio, his years under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici and his years working for Pope Julius II. Michelangelo did things on a grand scale. His "David" of Goliath fame is 16 ft., 10 in. in height and took 2.5 years to complete. His "Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel" is 5800 sq. ft. in area and took 4 years to complete. The young when doing an art piece are frequently never able to complete it within the allotted time, regardless of the length of the allotted time. It seems there is a reluctance on the young's part to feel it is complete, because it seems there is always some additional work required. They share Michelangelo's art ethic and will appreciate his dedication. My favorite sculpture in the book is Michelangelo's "Pieta," sculpted in 1498-1499. There is both an expressed fragility to Jesus' body and an overwhelming gentle strength in Mary's holding of him. It gives testimony to Michelangelo's complete oneness with the roughness and hardness of marble. The marble was putty in his hands.Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His portrayal of Pope Julius II in the Sistine Chapel offering unsolicited comments on Michelangelo's work jokingly brings to the fore the conflict that existed between the two. The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original. This is the 11th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. He also has a similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustration ties back to the subject. "Mike found it easy to relate to Michelangelo's painting the Sistine Chapel ...". The price of the book is well worth paying. The book contains the following: Michelangelo's sculptures (5), chapel ceiling fresco (1), chapel wall fresco (1), marble relief (1), dome from building plan (1), and sculptures unfinished (2), Venezia's illustrations (7), Others' sculptures (2), frescoes (2) and gilt bronze panel (1).