Five hundred years ago the legendary Renaissance genius, Michelangelo (1475-1564), put the first brushstroke to his most ambitious creation. As he started work on his vast fresco cycle for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in the autumn of 1508, he began putting into pictures the awe-inspiring legends recounted in the Book of Genesis. But for the viewer looking up into Michelangelo's painted sky, with its visions of an elemental universe, this was to be just the first of a series of unprecedentedly original images. These depictions of swooping, gesticulating, flying, muscular figures reach their climax in The Creation of Adam - a depiction of the very origins of Man that has been rightly celebrated, for centuries, as the quintessential masterpiece of the Renaissance. Yet the painting of the Sistine Chapel, for all its magnificence, came at a considerable human cost. It would take Michelangelo four years of long and bitter toil to complete his masterpiece, goaded all the while by his volatile, impatient patron, Julius II - known as the "Warrior Pope", in allusion both to his military conquests and aggressive temperament. The two men came to blows on more than one occasion, the artist harbouring a lifelong grudge over the abuse of what his friend and biographer Giorgio Vasari called his "divine genius", not to mention the damage the labours caused to his eyes, neck and back. In his new study of Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel, Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the fascinating human story behind its creation. He analyses its many layers of meaning and teases out the multitude of ambiguities that lurk within its imagery of timeless magnificence. This is a retelling of the story of the Sistine Chapel for modern times, and an essential companion guide for one of the artistic wonders of the world.

A comprehensive study of Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel creations describes its recent restoration, features a double gatefold that illustrates the entire ceiling, and includes a history of the artist and the chapel.

Recounts Michelangelo's creation of his masterpiece, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, from his commission from Pope Julius II, through the artist's four years of work, to the final acclaim at the paintings' 1512 unveiling.

'An scholarly exposition of the symbolism of the renowned fresco cycle, illustrating both Michelangelo's frescoes and those of the quattrocento'--Provided by publisher.

For one-semester, undergraduate courses in Introduction to Religion and Comparative Religion, and more advanced courses dealing with issues in the theoretical study of religion.This comprehensive introduction to the nature and variety of religious belief and practice 1) explores the issues in the study of religion, 2) examines the universal forms of religious experience, 3) offers a cross-cultural study of a broad range of classic types of religious belief and practice in terms of the seven basic concepts of a religious world view, and 4) surveys the challenges faced by religions today. (view table of contents)

Discusses the life and work of the Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor, Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes, considered one of the great masterpieces of Western art, are explored in vivid detail in this comprehensive survey of the recently restored masterwork. 10,000 first printing.

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Discuss various aspects of crime and the criminal justice process, including abortion, wiretapping, and juvenile justice.

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Product Description: This magnificent pictoral survey of the Vatican and its treasures gives clear, accurate, and concise information a visitor would see in the Museums, the Palaces, St. Peter's Basilica, and all the other monuments, plus ample historical background material.

A detailed study on the restored staircase in the Vatican Belvedere Palace built in the early 1500's by the great Renaissance architect, Donato Bramante. The book shows beautiful and detailed photographs and includes extensive pictorial documentation on the Vatican and its environs in the 16th and 17th century.

A comprehensive study of Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel creations describes its recent restoration, features a double gatefold that illustrates the entire ceiling, and includes a history of the artist and the chapel.

Discuss various aspects of crime and the criminal justice process, including abortion, wiretapping, and juvenile justice.