Madonna Gets a 10-Year Facelift

'Antihero' with no personal records is 'perfect Rorschach' for out time

(NEWSER) - Watch out, Michelangelo—it appears that the depraved, scandalous, and murderous Italian painter Caravaggio resonates with modern audiences a tad more than the paragon of Renaissance beauty. That’s the opinion of a historian who surveyed scholarly matter on both painters over the last 50 years—books, papers, catalogs—and concluded that Caravaggio has been gaining. Writer Michael Kimmelman believes it is precisely the painter's outré nature and apparent disdain for those who would chronicle his life that enamors us of him. More»

Artist's greatest work may be hidden behind palace fresco

(NEWSER) - Like a mystery straight from the Da Vinci Code, an Italian palace fresco harbors a clue pointing to the existence of a hidden masterpiece, claims an art expert. Now Italian professor Maurizio Seracini has been granted permission to seek the painting considered Leonardo da Vinci's greatest work. Seracini believes the lost Battle of Anghiari is hidden behind a fresco in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio marked with the words: "Cerca trova," or "seek and you shall find." More»

(NEWSER) - Did Michelangelo actually create a small (16-inch) wooden carving of a crucified Jesus or did the Italian government get taken for a $4 million ride? Some experts believe passionately that the piece, now on exhibit in Naples, is the work of the master. But as the BBC reports, others blast the label as a deliberate ploy by the government to use the religious carving to curry favor with the Catholic church and religious conservatives. More»

Ancient churches, castles in Abruzzo suffer serious quake damage

(NEWSER) - The 6.3 earthquake in Italy yesterday caused massive damage to what had been one of Europe's best-preserved medieval cities, ANSA reports. Large sections of a famous 13th-century basilica and three other historic churches in the mountain city of L'Aquila have crumbled. An ornate 1584 gate to the community has been destroyed, and a damaged castle that holds the local museum is too dangerous to enter. Archaeologists also fear the 3rd-century Baths of Caracella in Rome were significantly damaged. More»

Years of traffic, tourism put Michelangelo's marble masterpiece at risk

(NEWSER) - Michelangelo’s famed statue of David is in danger of collapse and must be stabilized, an Italian engineering professor tells ANSA. Failure isn’t imminent, though a major earthquake could topple the Renaissance masterwork on display in Florence. Small cracks in the statue, thought to have emerged during the 500 years the marble stood outside, were patched 4 years ago but have reappeared. More»