Art History tutor, Stewart Roberts (Stu) has continued his Art History recommendations and has a few more suggestions for our students. Today’s books are all about the incredible artist Caravaggio. If you are new to Art History, the Italian painter is definitely one to research online. We hope you enjoy reading our recommended books below.
…Transfixing subjects in bright shafts of light and darkening shadows…..Caravaggio vividly expressed crucial moments and scenes, often featuring violent struggles, torture, and death. He worked rapidly with live models, preferring to forgo drawings and work directly onto the canvas….
Wikipedia Caravaggio
Artwork examined in the course: Judith and Holofernes/Supper at Emmaus
M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio (2000) – Peter Robb – Buy From Amazon
No artist captured the dark, violent spirit of the late sixteenth century better than Caravaggio, variously known as Marisi, Moriggia, Merigi, and sometimes, simply M.
Reviewer Hilary Spurling (New York Times) ― describes this as “…part biography, part costume drama, part art-history manual”
Amazon Review – “For all real lovers of Caravaggio this is a great book. A read many books about this great painter and this is one of the books you will not regret buying”
I don’t often read graphic novels but I know that some people enjoy them so…
Caravaggio: A Light Before the Darkness – Ken Mora Illustrated by Cyrus Mesarcia – Buy From Amazon
The artist known as Caravaggio must flee Milan to escape a vendetta and protect his lover from The Inquisition. In Rome, he begins his meteoric rise as The Church’s saviour, spurring the faithful to return to the pews at the time of The Counter-Reformation.
Then his arrogance forces him to flee Rome on a journey for penitence fraught with peril, intrigue, and murder.
Amazon ‘Peachments Caravaggio is a gripping story of one mans determination to grapple with the truth as he journeys through Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily, encounters lovers and enemies, endures madness, exile, and imprisonment, and faces a final showdown with the Vatican Secret Service. His account is poignant and spirited. It is an adventurous and thoroughly enthralling insight into the mind of a creative genius and the violent world that inspired his paintings.’
Caravaggio: Christopher Peachment
Buy From Amazon
This novel is a gripping story of one man’s determination to grapple with the truth as he journeys through Rome, Naples, Malta, and Sicily, encounters lovers and enemies, endures madness, exile, and imprisonment, and faces a final showdown with the Vatican Secret Service.
A poignant, spirited and adventurous insight into the mind of a creative genius and the violent world that inspired his paintings.
if you are interested in reading more about this book, visit our link above to find out more and read reviews on Amazon. If you have read this book – or any of the others in our recommended reading list, let us know what you think in the comments section below!
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