Author Ross King will deliver a lecture and sign his newly published book "Michelangelo And The Pope's Ceiling," at Fairfield University on Monday, February 2, at 7 p.m. in the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.

Ross King is the author of "Domino," "Ex-Libris" and "Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture." "Brunelleschi's Dome" was an instant success in the United States - landing on bestseller lists in the New York Times, Boston Globe, and San Francisco Chronicle - and was named "The 2000 Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year."

King's latest book, published in paperback by Penguin Books, takes readers through the story of Pope Julius II's commissioning of Michelangelo Buonarroti to paint the ceiling of Rome's Sistine Chapel. Reluctant at first, Michelangelo eventually accepted the job, which became a four-year task that temporarily impaired his vision. Against a backdrop of political intrigue between Rome and its neighbors and a rancorous competition between Michelangelo and the young painter Raphael - who was simultaneously working on the Vatican Apartments - King relates the story of how Michelangelo created one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.

"Raphael was sort of a 'young pretender' to the throne - an ambitious 25-year-old with superb talents, and a man who Michelangelo felt very threatened by," King said in an interview. "I knew that the story of these two extraordinary artists working head-to-head against one another would make for fascinating reading. Added to that was the appeal of the period itself: a time of violent disorder throughout Italy, which was on the eve of the Reformation."

Born and raised in Canada, King originally planned a career in academia, earning his Ph.D. in English Literature and moving to England, where he has lived since 1992, to assume a research position at the University of London. He lives near Oxford, England, in the historic town of Woodstock, the site of Blenheim Palace.

Ross King's lecture is being presented by University College at Fairfield University, in affiliation with the departments of Visual and Performing Arts and Modern Languages and Literatures. General admission is $8; admission is free to students with a valid Fairfield University ID. For tickets, call the Quick Center box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.Editors can contact Media Relations to obtain a picture of Ross King and/or the cover of "Michelangelo And The Pope's Ceiling."

Posted On: 01-08-2004 10:01 AM

Volume: 36 Number: 148