MADreads

Don’t know much about art

May 26th, 2006 Ann M.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was one of the great painters of the Italian Baroque.  He was both venerated and despised during his lifetime for his bold, innovative painting techniques and his unconventional, often violent, life-style.  Soon after his death in 1610, his work fell out of favor and remained so for over three centuries.

Art historians began reassessing Caravaggio’s work in the 1950’s which set scholars on the hunt for his missing works.  It is one of these works, The Taking of Christ, which is the subject of Jonathan Harr’s book, The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece.  Harr skillfully weaves together Caravaggio’s biography with the stories of the painstaking work of two Italian graduate students, an aging art historian and an art restorer in Ireland as they track down and ultimately find Caravaggio’s missing masterpiece.  Part detective story, part behind-the-scenes look at the complexities of the art world, this fast-paced thriller will keep you reading even you don’t know a thing about art.

Fellow MADreads reviewer Sarah agrees:

International art world? Caravaggio? Italian Baroque paintings of religious subjects?  These may not be hot button topics for you, but we promise that, regardless of your interest in the art world, Harr’s stunning investigative prose and masterful use of interview material from all the principal characters will draw you in. 

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction