Caravaggio (Basic Art Series 2.0)

Michelangelo Merisi (1571-1610) was in a class of his own, "Every one of his works raised a scandal." "De Caravaggio" was tagged on to his name because that was the village where he was born. He was almost forgotten, given that he only signed one of his paintings that we know of. The rest are attributed by historical records and examination of style, brushstrokes, etc. In this book, Gilles Lambert gives us an overview of Caravaggio's works and a run-down of his short and highly eventful life. I was looking for a book without "art speak", an art book for the layman which would really give me a flavor of the artist. This is the 3rd book in the Taschen Art 2.0 series I've purchased, and, once again, I am pleased. This is not a complete collection of Caravaggio's paintings, but it still gives us a lot. I counted 25 full-page photos of his paintings (including details), 10 photos smaller than full-page and 18 photos that spread over one page. There's also another 22 photos of art by others (for comparison purposes), illustrations etc. When thinking of my favorite artists, Caravaggio is not among them. But, that said, he had an amazing style. His "The Vocation of Saint Matthew" is astounding. Here is a man who is stoically resisting the call to ministry. You can feel his tension, his reluctance, his seeming foreknowledge that this will be the end of him. My favorite painting, I think, is "Daniel With the Head of Goliath". Look at David's expression. This is a lad who has killed someone for the first time, and he's not particularly feeling like a hero about it. Caravaggio modeled the face of Goliath on his own. Perhaps deliberate, that, because at the time Caravaggio was exiled, and trying to paint his way back into Rome's good graces. For a visual presentation of Caravaggio's life, I highly recommend Simon Schama's Power of Art which has a very interesting episode about Caravaggio. Nicely done, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Happy Reader

If you have a person in your life that loves art or you are that person, then this is for you these not only would look so cute in your home as decor but they are beautiful inside to look at and learn from. I have gotten this for my son as a gift and I am sure that he will love it. These would definitely make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone. These are the books are not too bad on the price as well.

Beautifully rendered images. The text is good, with good detail at the level of this overview text. Not much is actually known about Caravaggio, but the scholarship of the writing does a good job giving an overview of what is known. One quirk is that the text citing and image is often far removed from where that painting actually appears. It's a bit of inconvenience when reading, but probably some editorial decisions about organizing were in play. It's not a book for art scholars, more an introduction for the lay audience interested in art. Caravaggio was such an important and influential artist as well as an interesting character, that this is a definite recommend for anyone with even a passing interesting in painting and/or art history. You can easily read through it in one siting.

It's a good compliment to the book "A Life Sacred and Profane-Caravagio." Most of the pictures are from the book with extra knowledge about his life and paintings. The large colored photos of his paintings give better details of his work.I gave it four stars because I thought the book would have some of his other paintings.But the photos in the book are very good for the price.

Beautiful book with some incredible imagery by the father of modern art.

Lovely, dramatic renderings and a full script of the artist's life and times to accompany.

appreciate the brilliance of this artist

Best book

rico.

Amazing print of the paintings made hy caravaggio. I study old master paintings a lot and was looking forward to buying this book. It's a great one.

Buen producto, me encantó

Taschen siempre cumple en libros de arte, inmejorable excepto la calidad del encuadernado que podría mejorar

Fascinating read, great print quality.