Book Description
Francine Prose's life of Caravaggio evokes the genius of this great artist through a brilliant reading of his paintings. Caravaggio defied the aesthetic conventions of his time; his use of ordinary people, realistically portrayed—street boys, prostitutes, the poor, the aged—was a profound and revolutionary innovation that left its mark on generations of artists. His insistence on painting from nature, on rendering the emotional truth of experience, whether religious or secular, makes him an artist who speaks across the centuries to our own time.
Born in 1571 near Milan, Michelangelo Merisi (da Caravaggio) moved to Rome when he was twenty-one years old. He became a brilliant and successful artist, protected by the influential Cardinal del Monte and other patrons. But he was also a man of the streets who couldn't seem to free himself from its brawls and vendettas. In 1606 he fled Rome, apparently after killing another man in a dispute. He spent his last years in exile, in Naples, Malta, and Sicily, at once celebrated for his art and tormented by his enemies. Through it all, he produced masterpieces of astonishing complexity and power. Eventually he received a pardon from the Pope, only to die, in mysterious circumstances, on the way back to Rome in 1610.
Francine Prose presents the brief but tumultuous life of one of the greatest of all painters with passion and acute sensitivity.
Customer Reviews:
H&J Bailey.......2007-05-13
We purchased "Caravaggio: Painter of miracles" in preparation for a tour to ITALY dedicated to the works of Caravaggio that we found in Rome, Naples and Florence. It was an excellent preparation.
Excellent sketch of Caravaggio's life, and overview of his opus. The author's clear and aggressive prose fits Caravaggio to a T. The text was easily read and exciting in it's coverage of things Caravaggio.
I recommend the book to any person interested in Caravaggio and I intend to pursue other works by the author Francine Prose.
The Sinner-Saint.......2007-02-28
Francine Prose's "Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles" is part of a series of short biographies called "Eminent Lives" in which famous authors write about great historical figures. The aim of the series is not be produce scholarly or definitive works; instead it is to offer the reader a gateway into the works and importance of the subject to inspire further exploration and thought.
Francine Prose is best-known as a novelist. She offers in this book an elegant short guide to the great Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1573 -- 1610). Caravaggio's story is one of the most romantic and tantalizing in art. He moved to Rome as a young man of 21 and established his reputation as a painter of importance, turning early in his career to paintings of religious themes. But Caravaggio's life was tumultuous, violent, and brutal. He was never without his dagger, even when he slept. He brawled and fought and consorted with the low life of Rome, and was forced to flee the city after killing a man in a dispute that involved a bet over a game of tennis. In exile, Caravaggio continued to live violently, to flee from place to place, and to paint masterpieces. Prose captures the tension between Caravaggio's tortured life and his artistry. She writes:
"The life of Caravaggio is the closes thing we have to the myth of the sinner-saint, the street tough, the martyr, the killer, the genius -- the myth that, in these jaded and secular times, we are almost ashamed to admit that we still long for, and need. .. Each time we see his paintings, we are reminded of why we still care so profoundly about this artist who continues to speak to us in his urgent, intimate language, audible centuries after the voices of his more civilized, presentable colleagues have fallen silent". (p. 13)
Prose did not get me very far into Caravaggio's life. She is much more successful in describing the paintings, which she does in good detail for a short book. The book includes 11 color plates of some of Caravaggio's masterpieces, from the beginning to the end of his career. Prose has helpful things to say in helping the reader to understand these works and the circumstances of their creation -- she helps the nonspecialist learn to look at and respond to a painting. I found her especially good in discussing Caravaggio's paintings of the "Calling of Saint Matthew" -- where she eloquently shows the artist depicting a conversion experience -- and its companion work, "The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew." Prose also discusses well many paintings that are not reproduced in the book. In order to get the most from these discussions, the reader will need to find these paintings in another source -- this book has as its goal, after all, encouraging further exploration of Caravaggio.
Prose finds Caravaggio's greatness lies in his honesty, directness, and naturalism. She stresses how is works communicate directly with the viewer. Prose also emphasizes how Caravaggio used common people and places and the tough street life with which he was familiar in his paintings, including the use of rough laborers, common dwellings, gypsies, and prostitutes. Caravaggio's work combined elements of violence and low life with deep spirituality as he explored the mysteries of faith, conversion experiences,loneliness, and martyrdom. Caravaggio's brilliance as a painter, and the highly modern tension his work suggests between the spiritual and the mundane, are reasons why many people will continue to be fascinated by his work.
Prose's book doesn't capture fully the reasons why Caravaggio's work continues to live and to move people. But her book will encourage reflection upon and further exploration of the work of this great and troubled artist.
Robin Friedman
A brief life with no new insights.......2006-12-08
Francine Prose writes well and with a light ironic touch but this slim volume adds little to what we already know about Caravaggio. At a little over 100 pages and with only a handful of color illustrations the book amounts to little more than an extended essay of Ms. Prose's reactions to Caravaggio's major works. There are very many better books showing the paintings and Prose doesn't go into the camera obscura technique that Caravaggio undoubtedly used, giving his paintings an almost photo-realistic representation of his subjects.
That Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a brawler with a passion for picking fights worthy of "Fight Club" who combined erratic behavior with some sublime paintings is hardly an insight. A much better treatment of the life and psychology of the artist appears in Peter Robb's 1998 "M: The Man who Became Caravaggio" which curiously is unreferenced by Prose.
Although Prose notes that Caravaggio broke away from the stylized poses and unearthly lighting of the mannerists, I don't think she clearly explains his genius.
A good book............2006-11-03
This was a good book because it made me curious about Caravaggio. I subsequently bought another book that was a much more thorough biography of Caravaggio.
Great overview for the non Art professional.......2006-06-10
A great little book that covers what is known about a true bad boy of art, a tormented genius that challenged the accepted art of his time and changed the direction of painting, not something lightly done in those times. For this he was applauded, sought out, paid very well; he respond with bad judgment and madness. This book hits all the highlights and story points a non-art professional would want with being bogged down in too much 'art philosophy' that books on artists sometime drop into making it hard for an amateur to wade through. This is an excellent intro to Caravaggio. You should read this and then follow it up with The Lost Painting: A Quest For A Caravaggio Masterpiece, the amazing and true story of how one of Caravaggio's lost paintings was found in the 1990s.
Average customer rating:
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Caravaggio: Painter Of Miracles (Eminent Lives series)
Francine Prose
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Classical
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0060833785 |
Customer Reviews:
Love it! One of the Best out there!.......2007-07-11
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS BOOK! ^^ It's one of the best books out there on this subject. Though some pages are downright creepy, the book is great over all if you like to draw this or like to use it in anyway. ^^ I recommend it for fans of Ghosts to Warewolves to Demons to Ogress to... just about anything! I own it and love it a lot!
Awesome Resource.......2007-06-03
I love this book... too bad I lent it to my friend and she moved now I have to get her to post it back to me... >.<
Anyway, this is a great resource, one of my favourite out of the How to Draw Manga series.
I also highly recommend Digital Manga Techniques by Hayden Scott-Baron
And the related book
The Complete Guide To... Anime Techniques by Chi Hang Li, Chris Patmore, and Hayden Scott-Baron
Both of which I got at Basement Books in Sydney for $19.95 AUD
Really Cool!.......2006-07-05
If you are creating fantasy or horror comics, this book will be a humungous help. It shows you how to draw some classic monsters and other monsters in different parts of the world. It shows you how to draw zombies, priests, magicians, holy artifacts, creepy crawlies, blood and gore etc, not half naked cat women.
contents not as cover depicts.......2005-10-06
By the look of the cover you'd expect to be drawing vampire queens or ghoulish gilrs but instead it tells you how to turn a paper lantern in a ghost. Though there were some minimal drawing tips, anyone who's picked up a pencil before whouldn't consider them helpful. Good for the absolute novice only.
Awesome Refrence.......2005-09-17
I have been drawing manga for almost 10 years and I had six other How to Draw Manga books given to me for Chirstmas. I use the books as refrences and for tips to improve my art. I'd always wanted this one but the bookstores in the area didn't have this available. So I was thrilled when I saw it on Amazon.com. When the book came in was exstatic. This book is very indepth and a great refrence book for anyone looking to learn how to draw zombies and witches and monsters and the like. It's a must have for any aspiring manga artist. And I highly recommend the series in general.
Book Description
Manga occult and horror are just under the radar of American pop culture--until you visit the graphic novels section of any bookstore. That’s when you enter a strange, mysterious universe of elegant occult and horror stories, packed with amazing artwork from the best illustrators Japan has to offer. Subtle and compelling, Japanese occult and horror manga melds the two genres into one, so that glamorous occult-world vampires may mingle in the horror-world of beasts, and dark angels might visit a cave filled with monsters to reveal a deadly secret. Manga Mania: Occult and Horror is the first American tutorial on this most alluring and complex genre. With his popular step-by-by step drawings and clear text, best-selling author Christopher Hart shows exactly how to draw wizards, demon children, vampires, card readers, dragon worshipers, and many more denizens of the hidden places between darkness and light.
Average customer rating:
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The Self-Made Mad
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Business
| Business & Professional
| Cats, Dogs & Animals
| Comedy
| Computers & Internet
| Cooking
| Doctors & Medicine
| Essays
| General
| Hunting & Fishing
| Jokes & Riddles
| Lawyers & Criminals
| Limericks & Humorous Verse
| Love, Sex & Marriage
| Parenting & Families
| Parodies
| Political
| Puns & Wordplay
| Religion
| Rural Life
| Satire, Classic
| Satire, General
| Science & Scientists
| Self-Help & Psychology
| Sports
| Theories of Humor
| Urban Legends
ASIN: 0446325961 |
Average customer rating:
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The Self-Made Mad
Manufacturer: A Signet Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover Comic
ASIN: B000FCJA7C |
Average customer rating:
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The Self-Made Mad
William M. Gaines
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0451056639 |
Average customer rating:
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The Self-Made Mad
EDITORS OF MAD MAGAZINE
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0446769630 |
Average customer rating:
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The Self-Made Mad
MAD Magazine
Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Comic Strips
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Novels
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0446354368 |
Customer Reviews:
entertaining and surprisingly poignant.......2007-09-13
Very interesting book on the code of manners of Victorian behavior. Although sometimes offensive (i.e. sexist because of its time), surprisingly human behavior hasn't changed all that much and some of these suggestions should apply today. Short, highly entertaining little book. Great for those just starting to learn about the Victorian culture. Grade: A-
A Good Book about American Victorian Etiquette!.......2006-06-05
This book is about life in the Victorian World when the British Empire never slept or the sun never set on it. America in the Victorian World was still a colony and indeed wanting to become it's own in identity. The book plays an important role in explaining that the rules and manner system of America was very similar to the British at least in the old families of Boston and Philadelphia.
Loved It!.......2005-12-28
My only problem with this little handy book is that it was too small. I found it very useful and would recommend it to people who are writing historical fiction or are interested in the time.
Entertaining look at the past.......2005-10-30
I bought this book several years ago and enjoyed it immensely.
If you are interested in manners and social graces of the past, this book gives you a glimpse and will make you laugh at the same time.
I was lied to!!!.......2005-09-19
This is a handbook on American Victorian etiquette. That's all well and good, except for one problem: there is no such thing. I bought this book rightly assuming it covered social etiquette in BRITAIN between the years of 1837-1901, the span of Queen Victoria's reign. And I never stopped to think that this handbook was about anything else, since, of course, VICTORIAN CULTURE refers to a culture that existed UNDER THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA. And the last time I checked, America was never under Queen Victoria's rule. Besides, what years qualify as the "American Victorian" era? Is it the era of American presidencies spanning from the beginning of Martin Van Buren's to the end of William McKinley's? They neatly fall within the 1837-1901 span. But what in blazes does this have to do with Queen Victoria?
It's dumb enough to use the term Victorian in reference to American architecture and furniture; when I open a book filled with Victorian stories and I see tales by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and Willa Cather (wonderful writers, but that's not the point), I have to shake my head in exasperation. But this is where I draw the line: I blew 10 bucks (or whatever it cost) because I WAS LIED TO. Yes, I was scammed by the title.
So I suggest to the writer and the publisher to specify "American Victorian Etiquette" in future printings. Sure, there is no such thing, but at least people will know what they are buying.
Book Description
An illustrated collection of amusing, authentic Victorian manners. Pick up the correct fork and dig into this delicious collection of Victorian society's weird, crazy and strange rules concerning dinner parties, teas, luncheons, social calls, overnight visits and more! Copiously illustrated with authentic line drawings by noted artists from the Victorian period.
Average customer rating:
- Imparative for lovers of the so called "free jazz"
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As serious as your life: The story of the new jazz
Valerie Wilmer
Manufacturer: L. Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0882081136 |
Customer Reviews:
Imparative for lovers of the so called "free jazz".......1998-03-09
This is absolutely the best piece of literature written about this music. It moves well beyond just another "documentary" piece, and gets inside the lives of the great musicians that create this music. This book is definately As Serious As Your Life!!!
Product Description
A comprehensive guide to getting the best possible education for your child. How to get your preschooler ready to get the most out of school. How to test to see if your child meets national norms in reading, math, and writing. How to spot emotional and social problems early. How to help your child at home and how to get the school to help.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Detroiter, published by Thomson Gale on March 1, 2007. The length of the article is 521 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Q: what did you learn in school that has been helpful to you in business today?(People on the street)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication:
Detroiter (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 98
Issue: 2
Page: 70(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
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What Did You Learn at the Museum Today? Second Study
Manufacturer: University of Leicester Institute of Lifelong Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Museum Studies & Museology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1898489386 |
Average customer rating:
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What did you learn today?
Tina Singer Ames
Manufacturer: Sheridan Printing Co.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
ASIN: B0006RNTG4 |
Average customer rating:
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What Did You Learn Today?: Creating an education revolution
Mark Latham
Manufacturer: Allen & Unwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Popular Culture
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Social Theory
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Distance Learning
| Technology & Distance Learning
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
School Management
| Education Theory
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1865084786 |
Book Description
The author explains why nothing matters more to Australia's future than the education of its people. He shows why education has become the best economic policy as well as the best social program. He points out that debate about education needs to move past the barren struggle between markets and states, 'progressives' and 'traditionalists'. He shows how to become a learning society and spread the benefits of education to every section of the community and identifies new approaches and working models in use in the US, UK, Singapore and Scandinavia.
Average customer rating:
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A History of Work in Britain 1880-1950
Arthur J. McIvor
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Workplace
| Organizational Behavior
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Labor & Industrial Relations
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
19th Century
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 033359617X |
Book Description
This book discusses the extent to which work was transformed in Britain between 1880-1950. Chapters explore: the historiography and theorizing of work; the changing labor force; the debates on deskilling, and work intensification; employers and the management of labor, work conditions, and occupational health, the role of the state in the workplace; women, gender relations, and inequalities at work; trade unions, work and politics. The book emphasizes the diversity of work experience, the uneven pace of change and the weaknesses in Marxist theories of the changing nature of work. Workers emerge as both victims and active players, capable of regulating work conditions, relationships, and the labor process, with the trade unions increasingly playing a vital, protective role.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Albion, published by North American Conference on British Studies on September 22, 2002. The length of the article is 834 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: A History of Work in Britain, 1880-1950. .(Book Review)
Author: Peter Weiler
Publication:
Albion (Refereed)
Date: September 22, 2002
Publisher: North American Conference on British Studies
Volume: 34
Issue: 3
Page: 530(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece
Caravaggio
Beethoven: The Universal Composer (Eminent Lives)
Caravaggio
M : The Man Who Became Caravaggio
