Michelangelo's Nose

“What gives such sparkle to Barolsky’s account is its constant movement to very diverse themes, which all are connected, still, with his central concern, Michelangelo’s self-image and his art. So, when he discusses Hegel and Pater on art as self-expression, Montaigne’s visit to Italy and his view of Socrates, Michelangelo’s gift giving, and the relation of Michelangelo and Machiavelli to Pope Julius II—all these seemingly various themes take us back . . . to the Renaissance notion of the creation of an artistic persona and Barolsky’s account of why that culture placed great value on this achievement.” —Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

“Barolsky’s book has given us a compelling view of Michelangelo as a kind of proto-Romantic 'Ubermensch’ participating in the often terrifying epic of his own creation.” —Italica