Miles J. Unger
Author of Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici
About the Author
Miles J. Unger is the author of four books: Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces, Machiavelli: A Biography, Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici, and The Watercolors of Winslow Homer. He has written for numerous national and regional newspapers and magazines, show more including The New York limes, The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, and ARTnews. show less
Image credit: Miles J. Unger
Works by Miles J. Unger
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Unger, Miles J.
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Florence, Italy
Boston, Massachusetts, USA - Occupations
- art historian
journalist
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Reviews
Michelangelo: A Life in Six Masterpieces by Miles J. Unger
Unger weaves the life story of Michelangelo Buonarroti through the perspective of 6 of his greatest works: the Pieta, David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Medici tombs, The Final Judgment, and the dome of St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. It was interesting to note that he had as many unfinished works as he had completed ones. The major explanation for this was the time needed to complete each piece and the changing circumstances of his patrons and commissions. He would have multiple contracts at one time; money would dry up, people went out of favor or died, political factions would change and Michelangelo would need to flee, or he would feel slighted or insulted and would stop work. The Pieta was completed when he was 21 and his last work, the Rondaninni Pieta, when he was 89. He was the beginning of the current view of the artist who creates for art's sake rather than strictly as the commissioner decides. He demanded autonomy over his work even if the work was paid for and a specific concept was contracted by a patron. Very interesting with lots of specifics on the descriptions and meanings for the works.… (more)
Unger's biography of Machiavelli is really well written, and in several ways I thought it was even better than his earlier biography of Lorenzo de' Medici. Though I really liked that one, I was still a bit reluctant about getting this book, since it would necessarily involve a discussion of political science as well as pure biography. Still, for the most part, Unger has done a great job here. There are some exceptions to this though, e.g. the chapter titled 'The Prince', where Unger yields to the temptation of offering his own take on Machiavelli’s most famous book, but not really in any systematic way. Here the writing gets a bit faltering and, to a degree, rambling. This is one of the longer chapters of the book (more than 30 pages) and since Unger isn't entirely in his element here, I actually found it quite tedious. It also breaks up the natural flow of the narrative, and almost seems to have been inserted into the book. It can actually well be skipped, as Unger makes plenty of references, usually providing quotes, to The Prince - as well as (of course) to the Discourses and Machiavelli’s other works, including his comedies - throughout the book, and generally this works out really well. However, at times, and as part of the discussion, Unger dismisses earlier philosophers in a way that shows more than merely a lack of appreciation, stating e.g. that "Plato, Aristotle (..) had dwelt in realms of abstract theory far from where men lived".. - Apart from this and a couple of other inaccuracies, and as well some typos (which are hopefully fixed in later editions; I read the hardcover, 2011 edition), this is a very engagingly written biography, which at times also skillfully succeeds in blending humour and seriousness in a way Machiavelli himself might well have approved of. It is clearly well researched, and Unger is an excellent guide to Renaissance Florence and the various other city-states of Italy and the power games of the time, involving not the least the consolidated European powers of France and Spain – and in the midst of this, Machiavelli himself, wryly observing it all and drawing his conclusions. Unger presents a vivid and compelling picture of the man and his times.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.… (more)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.… (more)
Unger does a nice job of weaving historical context with a study of Michelangelo's personality and the context of his major works. I was not very knowledgeable about the time period or about Michelangelo and so I found this informative and not difficult to read. I think for someone who already has a deep background in the subject a lot of this might be review. But, from what I can tell, Unger differentiates his views from those of other biographers, so there might be something new here as well.
This is probably as good a biography of Michelangelo as any I have read. I liked the way Unger used his "six masterpieces" to structure the narrative. M comes across as a grumpy genius. He accepted more commissions than he could complete. Once hired, he imposed his own vision on his art regardless of the desires of his patrons, including numerous popes. He had somewhat of an inferiority complex, coming from a less than wealthy family, and lacking a formal education. He insisted on artists such as himself as being coequal with the highest classes of society. Although famously known for some of his paintings, e.g., the Sistine Chapel, M regarded it as a lesser art form than sculpture. Never married, there is speculation he was gay, which in that time and place, while not unusual, was also sanctioned as criminal behavior. This book successfully intertwines history and art .… (more)
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nemoman | 3 other reviews | Sep 4, 2014 |
nemoman | 3 other reviews | Sep 4, 2014 | Lists
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- Works
- 5
- Members
- 651
- Popularity
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- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 9
- ISBNs
- 25
- Languages
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