My Life (Peter Owen Modern Classics) by Marc Chagall

Product Details

Synopsis

"'You should know that men like Benvenuto, unique in their profession, need not be subject to the law.'" "Thus spoke Pope Paul III on learning that Cellini had murdered a fellow artist, so great was Cellini's reputation in Renaissance Italy. A renowned sculptor and goldsmith, whose works include the famous salt-cellar made for the King of France, and the statue of Perseus with the head of the Medusa, Cellini's life was as vivid and enthralling as his creations. A man of action as well as an artist, he took part in the Sack of Rome in 1527; he was temperamental, passionate, and conceited, capable of committing criminal acts ranging from brawling and sodomy to theft and murder. He numbered among his patrons popes and kings and members of the Medici family, and his autobiography is a fascinating account of sixteenth-century Italy and France written with all the verve of a novel." This new translation, which captures the freshness and vivacity of the original, is based on the latest critical edition. It examines in detail the central event in Cellini's narrative, the casting of the statue of Perseus.

Annotation

The autobiography of one of the most influential painters of the twentieth century.

Booknews

A lyrical memoir of the artist's early life with 50 illustrations by the author. While the book first appeared in Russian in 1947, this translation is made from the 1957 French edition. Published by Peter Owen Publishers, London. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)