Review: Botticelli's Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance

Botticelli's Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance by Joseph Luzzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My impression is that this would have made a fascinating article. As a book it was a tad long-winded. Part of this is probably my fault, since I listened to the audiobook, and I understand the physical book contains the illustrations in question. 

This is basically a short primer on Dante, on Botticelli, and then the interesting journey that Botticelli's Divine Comedy illustrations. 

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Review: Artcurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History

Artcurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History by Jennifer Dasal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun book! And I'm a huge fan of the North Carolina Museum of Art, so I'm kind of annoyed I didn't find out about this (or her podcast) until after I left North Carolina. 

Regardless, quite a few fun tidbits, which in all gave me a much broader grasp of a number of artists, especially having to do with modern art (within the past 100 years or so). For example, it was a pretty good primer into Abstract art and Pop art. 

The full story of the Salvator Mundi was fascinating to me. Also the idea that Davinci painted more than one Mona Lisa (like the Isleworth Mona Lisa), and that the Louvre might have more than one, too. 

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