No. 439: Michelangelo

Episode No. 439 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features author and art historian William E. Wallace and curator Julian Brooks.

Wallace is the author of “Michelangelo, God’s Architect: The Story of His Final Years and Greatest Masterpiece.” The book offers a rich and lively biographical examination of the last two decades of Michelangelo’s life, a period when he became the architect of St. Peter’s Basilica and other buildings, even as he continued to sculpt and draw.

Wallace is a professor of art history at Washington University in St. Louis. He is the author or editor of seven books on Michelangelo. “Michelangelo, God’s Architect” was published by Princeton University Press. Amazon offers it for $21, $16 on Kindle.

Along with Emily J. Peters, Julian Brooks is the co-curator of “Michelangelo: Mind of the Master” at the J. Paul Getty Museum. (The Getty is temporarily closed due to the COVAD-19 pandemic.) The exhibition features 28 drawings, many on sheets that feature sketches on both sides of the paper. It is scheduled to be at the Getty through June 7. The Cleveland Museum of Art, which debuted the exhibition, has produced an accompanying catalogue which is distributed by Yale University Press. Amazon offers it for $29.

Air date: April 2, 2020.

Michelangelo, Tomb of Julius II, 1545.

Villia Giulia, Rome

Michelangelo, The Florentine Pietà, 1547-55.

Michelangelo, Rondanini Pietà, 1564.

Michelangelo, Section through the dome of St. Peter’s with alternative designs for the lantern, 1547-49.

Michelangelo, Study of a mourning woman, ca 1500-1505.

Giulio Clovio, Farnese Hours, 1546.

Michelangelo, Study of a striding male nude, 1504 or 1506.

Michelangelo, Male nude, turning to the right; studies of anatomical details, 1504 or 1506.

Michelangelo, Seated male nude, 1511.

Michelangelo, Ignudi, detail from the Sistine Ceiling, 1508-12.

Michelangelo, Male head in profile, studies of limbs, 1511.

Michelangelo, Study of the back and left arm of a male nude, 1523-24.

Michelangelo, Studies of a left leg and four studies of a knee, 1523-24.

Michelangelo, Study of a leg, 1524.

Da Niele da Volterra, Portrait of Michelangelo, 1550-51.

2 thoughts on “No. 439: Michelangelo”

Thank you for this life enriching podcast. I have loved Michelangelo’s work since 1984 when I first visited Florence as a student, I have seen many of the places and works mentioned in the podcast, and have learned such a lot today. The images provided helped me enormously to appreciate the quality of the publication. I didn’t view them until afterwards which may have been a mistake. Today has been a special day for me, I teach art to teenagers , online at the moment. I can’t wait to share what I have learned with my students past and present. Mr Tyler Green, as always enriches the dialogue with subtlety and with true joy for his work. What an accomplishment, I mean you and your show Tyler, not St Peter’s in Rome, but that is pretty good too!
I assume you’ve been to Florence and Rome, but if not please get yourself there as soon as the virus allows. Stay safe and thank you for a very special day!
P.S. I life and work in Cyprus and listen every week.

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