The Last Judgment: Michelangelo and the Death of the Renaissance - Hardcover

Connor, James A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0230605737 ISBN 13: 9780230605732

Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2009

Synopsis

Painted on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, 28 years after Michelangelo completed the glorious and hopeful ceiling, The Last Judgment is full of stark images depicting the End of Days. James Connor uses the famous fresco as the lens through which to view the end of the Renaissance, arguing that Michelangelo's imagery and composition provide clues to understand the religious and political upheavals of the time.Uncovering the secrets behind the fresco, Connor details the engrossing stories of conspiring kings, plotting popes, and murderous rivalries between noble families like the Medicis and the della Roveres ? all who were vying for control over Michelangelo and his art. The Last Judgment combines enchanting storytelling with incisive historical detective work, demonstrating how Michelangelo was inspired by Copernicus and how the Counter-Reformation arose from the ashes of the Renaissance.

About this title

About the Author

James A. Connor is currently a professor of English at Kean University and a former Jesuit priest. He is the author of three books: Silent Fire, Kepler's Witch and Pascal's Wager. He lives in Rahway, New Jersey.

Reviews

Michelangelo did not want to create the Last Judgment (1537–1541), yet, argues Connor (Pascal's Wager), it was his clearest expression of the terror at the bottom of his psyche, a terror stemming largely from the conflict between his probable homosexual desires and his religious faith. Connor traces the creation of the Last Judgment and Michelangelo's struggle to reconcile his innate religious zeal with his love for nobleman Tommaso de Cavalieri. Connor's narrative is compelling, his writing vivid and evocative. An English professor and former Jesuit priest, he superbly places the Last Judgment in the context of Copernicus's heliocentric universe and of the Catholic reforms of Savonarola and the Council of Trent. Yet the Council condemned the work for its nudity and unconventional portraits of religious figures; a chapter on the fresco's censorship is one of the book's most fascinating. The monumental painting was ultimately driven less by Michelangelo's artistic impulses than by his desire for salvation. Connor presents an indispensable perspective for the general reader as well as fresh insights for the specialist. (July)
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Edition details

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0230605737
• ISBN 13: 9780230605732
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256