Dimensions
157 x 219 x 16mm
This new series examines several highly regarded masterpieces in an attempt to unravel the mysteries that surround them. Through an innovative concept and a fresh approach, Art Mysteries, edited by Marco Carminati and Stefano Zuffi, presents an up-to-date and spectacular reading of famous paintings, investigating key clues that suggest previously unknown background information. The Stories of St Matthew marked a turning point in Caravaggio's career, and in the history of painting itself. Behind their mystery lies an unprecedented creative process, characterised by choices and pentimenti revealed by detailed analyses. At the time, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an unruly thirty-year-old painter of small to medium-sized works, commissioned privately. Although at first Cardinal Mathieu Cointrel had no intention of involving Caravaggio in the decoration of his family chapel in the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, fate (a positive fate in the light of art history) offered the painter, through a series of contretemps and coincidences, the chance of a lifetime to become a publicly acclaimed master. AUTHOR: Stefano Zuffi was born in 1961 in Milan. After graduating in History of Medieval and Modern Art at the University of Milan and in Museology and Museography at Milan Polytechnic, he began a career as an editorial and scientific consultant in art history. He has authored over 60 books for various publishers, some of which have been translated into several languages. He also contributes to cultural magazines and radio and is a screenwriter for documentaries. ILLUSTRATIONS: 26 colour
