Genre 5 - Biography - Michelangelo

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stanley, Diane. 2000. MICHELANGELO. New York, NY: Harper Collins, Inc. ISBN 0688150861

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A biography of the Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet, well known for his work on the Sistine Chapel in Rome's St. Peter's Cathedral.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Stanley’s attention detail is evident from the beginning of the story. The author’s note and bibliography are further evidence of her research. Students will enjoy reading about Michelangelo cutting up bodies to study anatomy and seeing the morgue picture. The history of the famous Medici family is intriguing and Stanley presents it in a captivating manner.
The book’s design is eye catching. Stanley uses computer images of Michelangelo’s sculptures to integrate them into her sketches. The technique will provoke conversations because students will be excited to find out that these are the actual sculptures.
The book is organized chronologically as it follows Michelangelo’s life. Stanley does an excellent job portraying Michelangelo’s ego as he becomes famous. Incorporating direct quotes like, “Painting and sculpture have ruined me…It would have been better if in my youth I had hired myself out to make sulfur matches!” makes the book feel personal. Information on the Sistine Chapel is also very interesting because it dispels the myth of Michelangelo painting lying down. Stanley’s presentation will allow readers to understand much more about a complex man.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in BOOKLIST: “Stanley continues her series of outstanding biographies, but this time she puts a new twist on some venerable art by using computer images. One of the most pleasing things about Stanley's books is the way her sturdy texts stand up to her strong artwork. That's particularly evident here, as she tells the story of Michelangelo's turbulent life in a style that is so readable, and occasionally so colloquial, that even children not readily interested in the subject will be drawn in. Readers will be intrigued to learn, for instance, that Michelangelo's art was not shaped by his own creative desires but by the popes and patrons who demanded the tombs, sculptures, and decorations that Michelangelo created.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “As Michelangelo breathed life into stone, Stanley chisels three-dimensionality out of documents. Her bibliography lists original material as well as respected scholarship; from these sources she has crafted a picture-book biography that is as readable as it is useful. She approaches her subject chronologically, from the artist's early childhood with a wet nurse in a household of stonecutters through his long history of papal commissions to his deathbed musings. In addition to the direct (although uncited) quotes and delineation of his life's journey and major works, she provides an unobtrusive explanation of the style, technique, and meaning of Michelangelo's sculptures, architecture, and paintings. She includes an iconography of the Sistine Chapel, shown in all its restored glory.”

5. CONNECTIONS
· Research famous art pieces made by Michelangelo.
· Read other biographies by Diane Stanley and make some comparisons.

· Make a timeline incorporating important events in Michelangelo’s life.