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Animals as Disguised Symbols in Renaissance Art The tenacity of medieval animal iconography in the Renaissance, disguised under the veil of genre, narrative and allegory, is demonstrated in this book. A comprehensive introduction to sources precedes case studies illustrating traditional animal symbolism in Renaissance masterpieces.
Art and the Religious Image in el Greco's Italy Art and the Religious Image in El Greco's Italy is the first book-length examination of the early career of one of the early modern period's most notoriously misunderstood figures. Born around 1541, Domenikos Theotokopoulos began his career as an icon painter on the island of Crete. He is best known, under the name "El Greco," for the works he created while in Spain, paintings that have provoked both rapt admiration and scornful disapproval since his death in 1614. But the nearly ten years he spent in Venice and Rome, from 1567 to 1576, have remained underexplored until now. Andrew Casper's examination of this period allows us to gain a proper understanding of El Greco's entire career and reveals much about the tumultuous environment for religious painting after the Council of Trent. Art and the Religious Image in El Greco's Italy is a new book in the Art History Publication Initiative (AHPI), a collaborative grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Thanks to the AHPI grant, this book will be available in popular e-book formats.
Bosch Long before computer games were invented, Hi#65533;ronymus Bosch was painting terrifying, yet strangely likable, monsters, often with a touch of humour. His works are assertive statements about the mental dangers that befalls those who abandon the teachings of Christ. With a life that spanned 1450 to 1516, Bosch was born at the height of the Renaissance and witnessed its religious wars. Medieval traditions and values were crumbling, paving the way for a new universe where faith had lost its power and much of its magic. Bosch set out to warn doubters of the perils awaiting all and any who lost their faith in God. Believing that everyone had to make their own moral choices, he focused on themes of hell, heaven and lust, brilliantly exploiting the symbolism of a wide range of fruits and plants which lent his imagery strong sexual overtones. This book presents a unique selection of Bosch's most impressive works, and its convenient format makes it the perfect gift.
Botticelli The Medici court painter Botticelli is one of the unequivocal artists of the Italian Renaissance alongside Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. Favoring feminine portraits, Botticelli stands apart through the finesse of his lines and the unbridled sensuality of his paintings. Between religious and private commissions this Florentine artist introduced the profane into art through works of complex mythological subjects, such as the incontrovertibly masterful Primavera and The Birth of Venus.
A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art provides a diverse, fresh collection of accessible, comprehensive essays addressing key issues for European art produced between 1300 and 1700, a period that might be termed the beginning of modern history. Presents a collection of original, in-depth essays from art experts that address various aspects of European visual arts produced from circa 1300 to 1700 Divided into five broad conceptual headings: Social-Historical Factors in Artistic Production; Creative Process and Social Stature of the Artist; The Object: Art as Material Culture; The Message: Subjects and Meanings; and The Viewer, the Critic, and the Historian: Reception and Interpretation as Cultural Discourse Covers many topics not typically included in collections of this nature, such as Judaism and the arts, architectural treatises, the global Renaissance in arts, the new natural sciences and the arts, art and religion, and gender and sexuality Features essays on the arts of the domestic life, sexuality and gender, and the art and production of tapestries, conservation/technology, and the metaphor of theater Focuses on Western and Central Europe and that territory's interactions with neighboring civilizations and distant discoveries Includes illustrations as well as links to images not included in the book 
Durer Albrecht D#65533;rer's (1471-1528) work stands out as one of the most innovative of the Northern Renaissance, revolutionising landscape and portraiture techniques in both religious and secular painting. This book offers a wide selection of D#65533;rer's works, and its compact format makes it the ideal gift for every art lover.
The Early Renaissance and Vernacular Culture Why do the paintings and poetry of the Italian Renaissance--a celebration of classical antiquity--also depict the Florentine countryside populated with figures dressed in contemporary silk robes and fleur-de-lys crowns? Upending conventional interpretations of this well-studied period, Charles Dempsey argues that a fusion of classical form with contemporary content, once seen as the paradox of the Renaissance, can be better understood as its defining characteristic. Dempsey describes how Renaissance artists deftly incorporated secular and popular culture into their creations, just as they interwove classical and religious influences. Inspired by the love lyrics of Parisian troubadours, Simone Martini altered his fresco Maestà in 1321 to reflect a court culture that prized terrestrial beauty. As a result the Maestà scandalously revealed, for the first time in Italian painting, a glimpse of the Madonna's golden locks. Modeled on an ancient statue, Botticelli's Birth of Venus went much further, featuring fashionable beauty ideals of long flowing blonde hair, ivory skin, rosy cheeks, and perfectly arched eyebrows. In the only complete reconstruction of Feo Belcari's twelve Sybilline Octaves, Dempsey shows how this poet, patronized by the Medici family, was also indebted to contemporary dramatic modes. Popularizing biblical scenes by mixing the familiar with the exotic, players took the stage outfitted in taffeta tunics and fanciful hats, and one staging even featured a papier maché replica of Jonah's Whale. As Dempsey's thorough study illuminates, Renaissance poets and artists did not simply reproduce classical aesthetics but reimagined them in vernacular idioms.
Hans Holbein Hans Holbein the Younger was the leading artist of the Northern Renaissance, yet his life and work are not nearly as well-documented as those of his contemporaries Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo. That omission has been remedied with this acclaimed study by Oskar Bätschmann and Pascal Griener. Hans Holbein chronicles the life and oeuvre of Holbein (1497/8–1543), as Bätschmann and Griener apply their considerable knowledge to explore the full range of cultural and social influences that affected him and his work. The artist’s friendships with leading thinkers such as Erasmus and Thomas More, the development of his painting style, and the cultural influences on his work are all discussed here in this unparalleled and in-depth biography that will be essential to the bookshelf of every art lover. This second edition includes an expanded introduction and additional images.
Michelangelo   The name Michelangelo instantly conjures up the Sistine Chapel, David, the Piet#65533; and countless other great works. In his History of Italian Painting, the French writer Stendhal remarked that, "between Greek antiquity and Michelangelo nothing exists, except more or less skilled forgeries". In just a few years Michelangelo was able to uncover the secrets of a creative source worthy of his Greek predecessors. The work of Michelangelo has indisputably, stood the test of time. Often referred to as a creative genius and a superman, Michelangelo was an incomparable artist of the Italian Renaissance and is often ranked alongside Leonardo da Vinci for his influence and achievement.
Renaissance Art The Renaissance began at the end of the 14th century in Italy and had extended across the whole of Europe by the second half of the 16th century. The rediscovery of the splendour of ancient Greece and Rome marked the beginning of the rebirth of the arts following the break-down of the dogmatic certitude of the Middle Ages. A number of artists began to innovate in the domains of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Depicting the ideal and the actual, the sacred and the profane, the period provided a frame of reference which influenced European art over the next four centuries.Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Giorgione, Mantegna, Raphael, Dürer and Bruegel are among the artists who made considerable contributions to the art of the Renaissance.
Sensory World of Italian Renaissance Art During the Renaissance, new ideas progressed alongside new ways of communicating them, and nowhere is this more visible than in the art of this period. In The Sensory World of Italian Renaissance Art, François Quiviger explores the ways in which the senses began to take on a new significance in the art of the sixteenth century. The book discusses the presence and function of sensation in Renaissance ideas and practices, investigating their link to mental imagery--namely, how Renaissance artists made touch, sound, and scent palpable to the minds of their audience. Quiviger points to the shifts in ideas and theories of representation, which were evolving throughout the sixteenth century, and explains how this shaped early modern notions of art, spectatorship, and artistic creation. Featuring many beautiful images by artists such as Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Pontormo, Michelangelo, and Brueghel, The Sensory World of Renaissance Art presents a comprehensive study of Renaissance theories of art in the context of the actual works they influenced.  Beautifully illustrated and extensively researched, it will appeal to students and scholars of art history.

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Albrecht Dürer : His Art in Context Presenting Albrecht D#65533;rer's art alongside the work of his predecessors and contemporaries, this exhaustive survey allows readers to fully grasp the significance of his artistic achievement. This magnificent volume considers every aspect of Albrecht D#65533;rer's astonishing oeuvre. Thematically arranged, the selection of paintings, drawings, prints, and illustrated books comprise a highly diverse and accomplished body of work. In order to fully understand D#65533;rer's reputation as one of the most important artists of his time, this volume also includes works by his predecessors and contemporaries. By comparing and contrasting these works, and by understanding D#65533;rer's influences and inspirations, readers can see for themselves the technical prowess and emotional power of D#65533;rer's art. Interspersed throughout the book are fascinating essays that address such topics as Italian influences on D#65533;rer's art, the Heller Altarpiece, his workshop, his journey to the Netherlands, and his role as inventor of the humanist iconography.
The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance "Well-illustrated, undeniably useful, Murray's book is truly welcome." --Architectural Design "Informed in content and concise in style . . . a perfect introduction to the architecture of the Italian Renaissance." --Richard Stapleford, Cooper Union School of Architecture A classic guide to one of the most pivotal periods in art and architectural history, The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance remains the most lucid and comprehensive volume available. From Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Palladio, and Brunelleschi to St. Peter's in Rome, the palaces of Venice, and the Medici Chapel in Florence, Peter Murray's lavishly illustrated book tells readers everything they need to know about the architectural life of Italy from the thirteenth through the sixteenth centuries.
Art in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1500 Between the `Black Death' in the mid-fourteenth century and the French invasions at the end of the fifteenth, artists such as Masaccio, Donatello, Fra Angelico, and Leonardo, working in the kingdoms, princedoms, and republics of the Italian peninsula, created some of the most influential andexciting works in a variety of artistic fields. Yet the traditional story of the Renaissance has been dramatically revised in the light of new scholarship, and new issues have greatly enriched our understanding of the period. Emphasis has been placed on recreating the experience of contemporary Italians - the patrons who commissioned the works,the members of the public who viewed them, and the artists who produced them. In this book Evelyn Welch presents a fresh picture of the Italian Renaissance. Giving equal weight to the Italian regions outside Florence, she discusses a wide range of works, from paintings to coins, and from sculptures to tapestries, examines the issues of materials, workshop practises, andartist-patron relationships, and explores the ways in which visual imagery related to contemporary sexual, social and political behaviour.
Art of Renaissance Rome : 1400-1600 This text discusses the art of Rome in the Renaissance in the context of its patronage. It covers the works of art and architecture sponsored by the popes and Roman noble families - churches, palaces, villas, paintings, frescoes, fountains, sculptures and illustrated books.
The Art of the Italian Renaissance: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting
Botticelli Now available in a new edition, this celebration of the life and art of the Renaissance genius presents Sandro Botticelli's complete paintings and offers a comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date study of his work. Botticelli is one of the most admired artists of the Renaissance period and his seductive Venus and graceful Primavera are among the world's most recognizable works of art. This catalogue raisonné of Botticelli's paintings offers more than two hundred full-color illustrations and meticulous scholarship by the distinguished Renaissance art historian Frank Zöllner, described by The Financial Times, when reviewing this book's previous edition, as "a fabulous, accessible scholar; his book has luscious reproductions and exquisite detail." Presented in chronological order, the facts of Botticelli's life and career are insightfully discussed against the background of the artistic upheaval that marked the Renaissance period. The artist's reinterpretations of ancient myths as well as his religious paintings are thoughtfully explored in this sumptuously illustrated volume, which will please scholars and delight lovers of fine art books everywhere.
El Greco of Toledo Catalog for 1982 exhibition at The Toledo Museum of Art, Museo del Prado, National Gallery of Art and the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Essays by Jonathan Brown, William B. Jordan, Richard L. Kagan and Alfronso E. Perez Sanchez. Extensively illustrated. El Greco (1541-1614), born Domenikos Theotokopoulos, was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance.
History of Italian Renaissance Art "History of Italian Renaissance Art, sixth edition, provides readers with an updated understanding of this pivotal period, incorporating new research and current art historical thinking while also maintaining the integrity of the story that Frederick Hartt first told so enthusiastically many years ago. Choosing to retain Frederick Hartt's traditional framework, David Wilkins has introduced a number of changes. Newly added works of art demonstrate the diversity of the period."--BOOK JACKET.
Leonardo da Vinci : The Biography Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.
Michelangelo : The Drawings of a Genius Michelangelo's drawings endowed human physique with an expressive musculature that remains to be rivaled in its feeling for corporeal articulation. His drawings of male nudes in particular, fraught as they are with tempestuous longing, project both tension and pliancy, and a compelling sense of health in the exertions and torque of bodies; he was also readily able to bring contrary qualities of grace and swiftness to depictions of women and cherubim. With over 300 color plates and extensive contextualizing scholarship, Michelangelo: The Drawings of a Genius is the most complete treatment of this work ever published, and thus constitutes a publication of great importance. Masterpieces from the world's finest museums are gathered here, from the early studies for the "Battle of Cascina" and the studies for the Sistine Chapel frescoes, to the drawings for the tomb of Julius II, the Medici tombs, the drawings for Tommaso de' Cavalieri and the later crucifixion scenes; also addressed are those works whose authenticity has been subject to debate. Works by other artists, done after the master's sketches, further illuminate the enormous influence of Michelangelo's art. Painter, sculptor, poet, architect and engineer, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475-1564) was both dauntingly prolific and relentlessly innovative in output. He sculpted two of his greatest works, the "Pieta" and "David," before he turned 30, and created two of the world's best-known paintings on the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel in Rome--the creation scenes from "Genesis" and "The Last Judgment." Giorgio Vasari proposed that Michelangelo represented the pinnacle of all artistic achievement since the beginning of the Renaissance, a view that has survived to this day.
Northern Renaissance Art This book offers a wide-ranging introduction to the way that art was made, valued, and viewed in northern Europe in the age of the Renaissance, from the late fourteenth to the early years of the sixteenth century. Drawing on a rich range of sources, from inventories and guild regulations topoetry and chronicles, it examines everything from panel paintings to carved altarpieces. While many little-known works are foregrounded, Susie Nash also presents new ways of viewing and understanding the more familiar, such as the paintings of Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, and Hans Memling, by considering the social and economic context of their creation and reception.Throughout, Nash challenges the perception that Italy was the European leader in artistic innovation at this time, demonstrating forcefully that Northern art, and particularly that of the Southern Netherlands, dominated visual culture throughout Europe in this crucial period.
Painting of the Renaissance This penetrating study of one of the most fruitful epochs in European art presents the Renaissance not simply as the rebirth of classical styles, but also as the period that saw ""the invasion of man and his world into the domain of the arts"".
The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction More than ever before, the Renaissance stands as one of the defining moments in world history. Between 1400 and 1600, European perceptions of society, culture, politics and even humanity itself emerged in ways that continue to affect not only Europe but the entire world.This wide-ranging exploration of the Renaissance sees the period as a time of unprecedented intellectual excitement and cultural experimentation and interaction on a global scale, alongside a darker side of religion, intolerance, slavery, and massive inequality of wealth and status. It guides thereader through the key issues that defined the period, from its art, architecture, and literature, to advancements in the fields of science, trade, and travel. In its incisive account of the complexities of the political and religious upheavals of the period, the book argues that Europe's reciprocalrelationship with its eastern neighbours offers us a timely perspective on the Renaissance that still has much to teach us today.
Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction Botticelli, Holbein, Leonardo, Durer, Michelangelo: the names are familiar, as are the works, such as the Last Supper fresco, or the monumental marble statue of David. But who were these artists, why did they produce such memorable images, and how would their original beholders have viewedthese objects? Was the Renaissance only about great masters and masterpieces, or were "mistresses" also involved, such as women artists and patrons? And what about the 'minor'-pieces that Renaissance men and women would have encountered in homes, churches and civic spaces? This exciting andstimulating volume will answer such questions by considering both famous and lesser-known artists, patrons and works of art within the cultural and historical context of Renaissance Europe.
The Secret Language of the Renaissance : Decoding the Hidden Symbolism of Italian Art During the Renaissance, artists traditionally encoded meanings into symbols, some of which drew upon a traditional repertoire available to educated people in the era. These hidden messages--which ranged from the esoteric to the political to the religious--could be communicated in everything from the position of a hand to the placement of the sun and moon. The Secret Language of the Renaissance helps us discover them anew, as lecturer, author, and director Richard Stemp teaches you the art of reading these paintings. Magnificently illustrated throughout, and with a six-color gold-foil cover, this remarkable book has three distinct parts. The first surveys the literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, and decorative arts of this remarkable period. Section two reviews the essential elements of symbolic language in Renaissance art, including the use of color, geometry, light and shade, composition, proportion, perspective, and body langua≥ the explanatory examples reach from Crivelli’s Annunciation to Donatello’s Mary Magdalene. And the final part features themes including Mythology, War and Peace, and Death and Eternity.