Renaissance secrets : a lifetime working with wall paintings by Michelangelo, Raphael, and others at the Vatican / Maurizio De Luca ; translated from Italian by Jason Cardone.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Luca, Maurizio (Art restorer), author.

Contributor:

Cardone, Jason, translator.

Getty Conservation Institute, issuing body.

Standardized Title:

Verità nascoste sui muri dei maestri. English

Language:

English

Italian

Subjects (All):

Mural painting and decoration, Italian--Vatican City--15th century.

Mural painting and decoration, Italian.

Mural painting and decoration, Italian--Vatican City--16th century.

Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance--Vatican City.

Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance.

Physical Description:

xvi, 140 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 28 cm

Place of Publication:

Los Angeles : Getty Conservation Institute, [2023]

Summary:

"In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the greatest artists of Renaissance Italy were summoned to Rome, where they decorated the walls and ceilings of the Vatican. Here they adorned the holy chapels and the private chambers of the popes with paintings recounting biblical narratives and classical themes, all brought to life in astonishing detail. Maurizio De Luca spent his forty-year career in the Vatican Museum, including fifteen years as head restorer of the paintings restoration laboratory. In this sumptuously illustrated book, he offers readers a view from the scaffolding--a stunningly intimate perspective that illuminates the distinctive expressive choices of Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and other illustrious figures, thereby demonstrating how the conservation process enriches our understanding of these iconic artists."--back cover.

"In this copiously illustrated book, the author recounts his career-long experience conserving and restoring the iconic wall paintings at the Vatican"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword / Timothy P. Whalen

Preface

Chapter one: The Fifteenth-century universe of the Sistine Chapel. The craft of pictorial art ; The walls teach ; Pietro Perugino, manager Ante Litteram ; Botticelli's talcum power ; Painters' pranks ; Cosimo Rosselli: All that glitters... ; Portrait of the artist ; Specialists on loan

Chapter two: Pintoricchio, poet of the Borgia epic. A rich and showy style ; The enigma of an unusual technique ; Free to use any color they like ; Pop art inventions ; The artist's notes ; The big story and the small story

Chapter three: Raphael in the Pope's apartments. Trial and error ; Mysteries of the Cartone ; Wall "Archives and documents" ; Michelangelo bursts onto the scene ; Places, everyone! ; The maximum result with the minimum of colors ; Brushstrokes evoking innovation ; Mastering and managing light ; "Where is Raphael?" ; A wounded angel

Chapter four: The last brushstrokes of Michelangelo. "A fresco is not an art for an old man" ; Time: A true tyrant ; Surprises and discoveries during the conservation and restoration ; Michelangelo takes the stage ; A theological treatise in color.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781606067994

1606067990

OCLC:

1336012227