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Title: Caravaggio by John T. Spike, Michelangelo Merisi Da Caravaggio, Michele K. Spike ISBN: 0-7892-0639-0 Publisher: Abbeville Press, Inc. Pub. Date: October, 2001 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $95.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: As Beautiful a Book as The Paintings Themselves
Comment: This is a truly magnificent art book, very large, very heavy, very complete. The paper on which the book is printed and on which the paintings are reproduced is very thick and very fine. The paintings themselves and most of Caravaggio's paintings are reproduced here -- mostly in bright, vivid color, many with additional close-up details -- are a delight and are awe-inspiring.
Caravaggio is one of the most magnificent of the Seventeenth Centruy Italian artists. His work is exquisite and sensuously beautiful. This is one of the most extensive catalogues of his work in book form I have ever seen. Michelangelo Merisi himself was something of a roguish, mysterious man, and his life proves to be almost as interesting as the paintings themselves. Spike here gives a fairly complete biography of Merisi who was called "Caravaggio" because he came from that small Italian town. After all, there was another Michelangelo already famous during Caravaggio's lifetime so another name was needed for him.
The text written by John spike is scholarly and straight forward, but there remain many unanswered questions about this strange artist. While the events of Caravaggio's life are vividly told, the text also explains and illuminates each painting through interesting alalyses. Spike tends to be factual and does not speculate much on the mysteries surrounding this dark figure. If you want to be as much entertained as educated on this artist, you might enjoy reading a "companion piece" of sorts: Peter Robb's "M, the Man Who Became Caravaggio". Robb's book is highly speculative, but a well-researched (and fun) boigraphy that porbes the dark side of Merisi's life that I found very convincing in its conclusions. (Not everyone does, however.)
One of the reasons I wanted to buy this admittedly expensive book was because it also contains a CD Rom with the "complete catalog" of all of Caravaggio's work. I was disappoined when I opened the CD Rom because I had expected to find all the paintings themselves in digital form, but there are none on the CD Rom except the cover painting from the book. The CD Rom is otherwise all-text which requires Acrobat Reader (provided with the CD ROM.) But I soon got over the disappointment because the book itself does such a good job of showing this magnificent artist's work so vividly, beautifully, and completely.
This is no ordinary art book. You will treasure it and be proud to show it to friends. It is a fine book produced with the most exquisite techniques of bookbinding. Simply Gorgeous!
Rating: 5
Summary: This is the one.
Comment: My library contains many various volumes on the subject of Caravaggio--fiction, biography, fictionalized biography and photo surverys of his works--but if I were allowed only one book on this most extradordinary painter and his life I'd take "Caravaggio" by John T. Spike. In this weighty large-format picture-book Mr. Spike has given us the most complete look at the artist and his works currently available, presented in graceful depth so as to engage any interested reader and art enthusiast regardless of the nature of his commitment. It's unusual to find such an authoritative colaboration of art historical expertise and first quality illustration as we have here, a book to read, study and savor.
Rating: 3
Summary: Poor pictures detract from this great work
Comment: I agree with the comments in the other reviews that this is an excellent book. It is a shame that many of the pictures are so poor in quality. As a Caravaggio fan, I get a lot of enjoyment even from just viewing the pictures.
Now all we need is a new Caravaggio book with the pictures from Catherine Puglisi's book and the text from John Spike's book.
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Title: Titian by Filippo Pedrocco ISBN: 0847823024 Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications Pub. Date: 01 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $100.00 |
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Title: Caravaggio by Catherine Puglisi ISBN: 0714839663 Publisher: Phaidon Press Pub. Date: 03 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Raphael by Pierluigi De Vecchi, Raphael ISBN: 0789207702 Publisher: Abbeville Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $125.00 |
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Title: M : The Man Who Became Caravaggio by Peter Robb ISBN: 0312274742 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 February, 2001 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
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Title: Caravaggio (Icon Editions) by Howard Hibbard ISBN: 0064301281 Publisher: Westview Press Pub. Date: 01 February, 1985 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
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