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A review by socraticgadfly
The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo And The Artistic Duel That Sparked The Renaissance by Jonathan Jones
4.0
Interesting take on "battles" Leonardo and Michelangelo had, especially a duel where both were commissioned to paint murals for the Great Hall of Florence, inspiring citizens of the Republic to more martial devotion to the city.
I do think Jones may overstate the case about how much enmity the two felt toward each other, but I'm not sure. I do think that, in general, he reads himself into the history a lot. (Though I did find the sections on Machiavelli interesting.)
That said, while it's arguable (though by no means certain, I actually think not) that Michelangelo was the better artist, or artisan, this book reaffirmed that, for me, there's no question who the deeper thinker was.
I do think Jones may overstate the case about how much enmity the two felt toward each other, but I'm not sure. I do think that, in general, he reads himself into the history a lot. (Though I did find the sections on Machiavelli interesting.)
That said, while it's arguable (though by no means certain, I actually think not) that Michelangelo was the better artist, or artisan, this book reaffirmed that, for me, there's no question who the deeper thinker was.