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A review by raphae11e
The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo And The Artistic Duel That Sparked The Renaissance by Jonathan Jones
5.0
As a huge art history buff I really loved this book; in my opinion it's one of the few books I've read that talks about these two artists (especialy Leonardo) in a very real, human way. It was interesting to read and, though I'm incredibly biased towards Leonardo, I learned a lot about Michelangelo and have come to appreciate his work more.
To give some criticism of this book: the author tries much too hard to make connections between every one of Leonardo's and Michelangelo's pieces. Comparing their work and seeing how it differed or contrasted is one thing, but making the claim that every piece that each of them made was meant to directly attack the other's work is far-fetched. The author also makes assumptions about the two artists' lives, which could be confusing at times, but I managed to look past it.
I can see why some people are not a fan of this book because of the author's sort of..... authoritative writing style, like he has all the answers. I still definitely recommend it if you have any interest in art history, especially in the Renaissance period.
To give some criticism of this book: the author tries much too hard to make connections between every one of Leonardo's and Michelangelo's pieces. Comparing their work and seeing how it differed or contrasted is one thing, but making the claim that every piece that each of them made was meant to directly attack the other's work is far-fetched. The author also makes assumptions about the two artists' lives, which could be confusing at times, but I managed to look past it.
I can see why some people are not a fan of this book because of the author's sort of..... authoritative writing style, like he has all the answers. I still definitely recommend it if you have any interest in art history, especially in the Renaissance period.