Eric Scigliano

"...the closer you see paintings approach good sculpture, the better they will be; and the more sculptures will approach paintings, the worse you will hold them to be."

Michelangelo was obviously scultore, the Sistine Chapel not withstanding. This book covers the whole spectrum vis-a-vis this great Renaissance artist, from his personal life to his works to his obsession with the perfect block of marble. Michelangelo felt the only place he could find the perfect stone was in the quarries of Carrara, so we also get a full history of this town which has produced the finest white marble since antiquity.

You must listen to the stone

The author has quite a task to perform, as there are so many different facets to this story. Yes, we learn about the artist and the quarry, but we also get some nice history on the Medici, various Popes, sculpture, Florence, Rome, WWII, and anarchy. I felt the book became more enthralling as it came toward the end, with Carrara once again becoming a central point.

The ability to take a block of stone and then to chip away to find the life within is simply amazing. How sculptors do it is beyond me. I never talk to a painting, but whenever I walk past the garden outside the Houses of Parliament, I always say "hello" to the Burghers of Calais. After reading this book, I now understand why.

Book Season = Autumn (good travelling in Italy)… (más)

I always enjoy books written by passionate, obsessed science geeks. This is not a particularly linear book, but wow, it's interesting. It does point out in depressing detail just how badly we've screwed ourselves with plastics. I knew about part of the plastic problem in the oceans from reading the magnificent books of Carl Safina, but I didn't know that there are places in the ocean where look-alike particles of plastic outnumber plankton 50 to 1. Makes it hard to get a decent meal, if plankton is what one eats.

The work Ebbesmeyer has done on learning about and explicating the big gyres is simply fascinating. As is what washes up on the beach, and when, and how. The full story about the Nike spill is here, as well as the adorable tub toys that are still washing up. Thanks, Dr. Brazelton! *sigh*

The writing is hard to follow at some points, and wildly discursive at others. But worth it.… (más)