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Title details for Oil and Marble by Stephanie Storey - Available

Oil and Marble

A Novel of Leonardo and Michelangelo

by Stephanie Storey
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Legendary geniuses clash in both art and life in this "tremendously entertaining" novel of Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo (The New York Times).

For a few years at the very beginning of the sixteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. Leonardo was a charming, handsome fifty year-old at the peak of his career. Michelangelo was a temperamental sculptor in his mid-twenties, desperate to make a name for himself.
Michelangelo is a virtual unknown when he wins the commission to carve what will become one of the most famous sculptures of all time: David. Even though his impoverished family shuns him for being an artist, he is desperate to support them. Living at the foot of his misshapen block of marble, Michelangelo struggles until the stone finally begins to speak. Working against an impossible deadline, he begins his feverish carving.
Meanwhile, Leonardo's life is falling apart: he loses the hoped-for David commission; he can't seem to finish any project; he is obsessed with his ungainly flying machine; he almost dies in war; his engineering designs disastrously fail; and he is haunted by a woman he has seen in the market—a merchant's wife, whom he is finally commissioned to paint. Her name is Lisa, and she becomes his muse.
Leonardo despises Michelangelo for his youth and lack of sophistication. Michelangelo both loathes and worships Leonardo's genius. Both will become immortal through their art.
Oil and Marble is the story of their nearly forgotten rivalry and "a rewarding read for art aficionados and fans of historical fiction" (Booklist). Here, Stephanie Storey brings early 16th-century Florence alive, bringing to life the minds and souls of two Renaissance masters with extraordinary empathy.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 5, 2019

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781628726404
      • File size: 1752 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781628726404
      • File size: 1752 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      February 15, 2016
      In her first novel, Storey creates an imaginative tale of two of the greatest artists the world has ever known. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence from 1501 to1505. During that time, Leonardo was at the height of his career, while Michelangelo had not quite made a name for himself. The narrative shifts back and forth from one artist to the other in a powerful dual character study set against a rich backdrop of the sights and sounds of Renaissance Italy. These two titans of art are brought to life in exquisite detail, and the story of their passion, pride, and artistic rivalry ends with the creation of two of the world's most iconic art works, Leonardo's Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David. The artistic process can be one of self-doubt, struggle, and sheer physical exertion, and Storey depicts the drama here with truth and insight. A rewarding read for art aficionados and fans of historical fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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