Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles

by Francine Prose Narrated by Ann Richardson

Overview

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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Racy, intensely imagined, and highly readable . . . Prose brings to Caravaggio a fresh and unflinching eye.” — New York Times Book Review

“Combines astute examination of his work with just a plain good yarn about a street tough who painted transcendent pictures.” — Entertainment Weekly

“Elegant . . . [Prose] fills out the intrigue of Caravaggio’s own life and writes terrifically about the paintings.” — Hartford Courant

“Tautly written and insightful.” — Seattle Times

“In this engaging and informative short biography . . . Prose vividly brings [Caravaggio’s] paintings to life.” — Los Angeles Times Book Review

“Matching gorgeous prose to gorgeous artworks, Prose responds to each image as a moment of theatrical revelation, sensual or spiritual.” — Boston Sunday Globe

“Everything a casual reader needs to know about flamboyant Baroque artist Caravaggio... Makes you want to go to the museum.” — U.S. News & World Report

“Prose’s concentrated interpretation... clearly and descriptively explicates the pioneering painter’s unique perception of the miraculous in everyday life.” — Booklist

“Fine biography—and a study of why revolutionary art can be reviled in its own time and revered in another.” — Kirkus Reviews

New York Times Book Review

Racy, intensely imagined, and highly readable . . . Prose brings to Caravaggio a fresh and unflinching eye.

Entertainment Weekly

Combines astute examination of his work with just a plain good yarn about a street tough who painted transcendent pictures.

Booklist

Prose’s concentrated interpretation... clearly and descriptively explicates the pioneering painter’s unique perception of the miraculous in everyday life.

Boston Sunday Globe

Matching gorgeous prose to gorgeous artworks, Prose responds to each image as a moment of theatrical revelation, sensual or spiritual.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

In this engaging and informative short biography . . . Prose vividly brings [Caravaggio’s] paintings to life.

U.S. News & World Report

Everything a casual reader needs to know about flamboyant Baroque artist Caravaggio... Makes you want to go to the museum.

Seattle Times

Tautly written and insightful.

Hartford Courant

Elegant . . . [Prose] fills out the intrigue of Caravaggio’s own life and writes terrifically about the paintings.

Booklist

Prose’s concentrated interpretation... clearly and descriptively explicates the pioneering painter’s unique perception of the miraculous in everyday life.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

In this engaging and informative short biography . . . Prose vividly brings [Caravaggio’s] paintings to life.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940178927892
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/11/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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