Reviews
Enthralling...reads like a historical-swashbuckler-cum-detective-story while also providing an up-to-date introduction to some of the most admired paintings in Western art., eoeGraham-Dixon combed the criminal records of the era to glean extraordinary details about the artiste(tm)s run-ins with the law. He skillfully evokes the social and religious context of turn-of-the-17th-century Italy.e, A thrilling lesson in the art of seeing, a sensual exploration of the shadows of Caravaggio's sometimes violent but always Christian world, a detective story with a highly satisfying ending., Andrew Graham-Dixon brings the bad-boy genius of the 17th century to life as vividly as if he were one of today's pop stars., A rollicking take on the Counter Reformation painter, an autodidact prone to smashing plates in restaurants, challenging competitors with swords, and using prostitutes as models for the Virgin Mary., Brilliantly illuminates the life of an artist who was no less shadowy than his canvases--a man capable of both committing murder and creating ineffable beauty., Andrew Graham-Dixon brings the bad-boy genius of the seventeenth century to life as vividly as if he were one of today's pop stars., [Graham-Dixon's] achieved a masterpiece of his own: an informative, fresh account of the painter's life and death. Even more impressive are the author's powerful and accessible analyses of Caravaggio's paintings, commentary that leaves readers eager to see the pieces at the heart of the story., [Graham-Dixon] took ten years to come to terms with a very obdurate and highly original painter. Time well spent., Graham-Dixon's biography brilliantly illuminates the life of an artist who was no less shadowy than his canvases--a man capable of both committing murder and creating ineffable beauty., Graham-Dixon combines the rigor of a historian with the imaginative insight of a novelist to create a subtle and beautifully burnished portrait., Graham-Dixon demonstrates why he is considered the foremost British art critic of his generation...He's achieved a masterpiece of his own: an informative, fresh account of the painter's life and death. Even more impressive are the author's powerful and accessible analyses of Caravaggio's paintings, commentary that leaves readers eager to see the pieces at the heart of the story., Graham-Dixon combed the criminal records of the era to glean extraordinary details about the artist's run-ins with the law. He skillfully evokes the social and religious context of turn-of-the-17th-century Italy., [Graham-Dixon] is an entertaining art historian. He took ten years to come to terms with a very obdurate and highly original painter. Time well spent., I have never known an art critic in London who responds so well, year in and year out, to the challenge of subjects that cover the whole range of Western art., Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane reads like a historical-swashbuckler-cum-detective-story while also providing an up-to-date introduction to some of the most admired paintings in Western art.
