Illustrated book about Michelangelo and his challenging work in the Sistine chapel.
Its aim is to make the reader understand the road that led the artist to create one of the most iconic and admired masterpieces in the world, considering all the difficulties he faced.
The clear and direct text stimulates children's curiosity, not only about the iconography of the paintings (what's represented? What does it mean?), but also in the very technical aspect (how was it done?).
A part of the book is specifically dedicated to the “fresco” technique and to handmade colors to illustrate, step by step, the various layers to prepare the wall, the division of the work into “giornate” (days), the chemical reaction of the pigments in contact with plaster and many other details.
The images are evocative, following and completing the text, inviting young readers to identify themselves with Michelangelo and his adventure, going back to the years of his apprenticeship, the relationship with the powerful Pope Julius II, then with his helpers and the main decisions he had to take in the Sistine Chapel, for the Creation and for the Universal Judgment Day.
A concept that we wanted to stress is that art is not essentially a vague and abstract entity, difficult in its contents, but something much more tangible, the result of a highly specialized work that needed years of study and great efforts to be completed.
The last restoration has promoted a deeper knowledge of a masterpiece that is now part of our collective imaginary.