MICHELANGELO'S PAINTING

Leo Steinberg was one of the most original art historians of the twentieth century, known for taking interpretive risks that challen ged the profession by overturning reigning orthodoxies. In essays and lectures that ranged from old masters to contemporary art, he combined scholarly erudition with an eloquent prose that illuminated his subject and a credo that privileged the visual evidence of the image over the literature written about it. His writings, sometimes provocative and controversial, remain vital reading.