The Art of Florence (2 Volume Set)

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful resource.......2007-08-08

The 1989 edition still holds up for the most part with the exception of some pre-1999 restoration images such as many of the Botticellis, including the Cestallo Annunciation and Pontormo's frescos from the Capponi Chapel. The architecture and sculpture images are amazing, especially the two page spread of the New Sacristry of San Lorenzo.

Perfect downplay of Italian Renaissance art........2005-11-26

As a coffee table book- it is OK- big and colorful pictures.... Too colorful! For example, a large-scale view of a painting has a black and yellow palette, but the detail is blue and red. As a professional reference- it is as bad as bad could be. No professional artist would ever have their work photographed with flash!!! But in this book there are plenty of those. Paintings have flash spots - unbelievable!
Sculpture pictures are the worst! They look flat - bad photography can damage even Michelangelo!!!! The lighting is all wrong and incoherent.
The only good photos of sculptures are of those that are outside-- in natural light.
If you are looking for quality reproductions of art, you will be surely disappointed. A very ambitious project, but done by dilettanti.

Amazing Detail often refered to set.......2005-08-26

This is a stunning two volume set. The amount of detail in both the written word and stunning photographs brings Florentine art to life. The text covers not only the technical aspects of the art and architecture but also the socio-political environment in which the art was created. These discourses can be a little dry but they are enlightening. The photography will certainly recapture ones interest when the text gets a little dull.

A Rare and Treasured Treat.......2004-05-25

Talk about magnificently beautiful! THE ART OF FLORENCE does full justice to its subject -- and it's a lot cheaper than plane fare to Italy.

The last time I was in Italy I witnessed three muggings, one in the Church of Santa Maria Novella, and those experiences were so unnerving that I couldn't fully concentrate on the loveliness of the many treasures before me. I barely remember any of them. So what a delight to discover so many of them in stunning full-color plates, to be enjoyed again and again in the comfort and safety of my own home.

The dual volume book is divided into historical sections of about a generation each in length. Each begins with a lucid account of the history of the city during that period with emphasis on the political, social and economic events that influenced the patronage of art at that time. There are separate accounts of the architecture, sculpute and painting done in each period. A rich and exciting interplay unfolds between the arts, the politics and the social structure of each time period. No wonder Florence was the artistic and political leader for all of Europe during the 13th through 16th centuries.

The authors confine themselves to Florentine artists or those who lived for some time in Florence. References to other artists, when necessary, are minimal. Michaelangelo, for instance, is discussed only in terms of the Dona Madonna, since it is the only painting of his in the city. His limning of the Sistine Chapel in Rome is mentioned only in passing.

These two volumes are special -- so special they'll draw you to the reading chair even when the siren of Spring calls through your window.

A work of art about the art of Florence - a treasure.......2004-01-02

This is one of those books I wish I could give six or even seven starts. This is not only a book about great art; it is itself a beautiful work of art. The care lavished in making this book shows from the beautifully decorated slipcase to the wonderfully textured covers (my kids say they feel furry), to its large format and glorious reproductions. There are many foldouts showing large-scale works in broad sweep and even full-page reproductions of details of works shown in the book.

While the artwork shown is dazzling to the eye and overwhelming to the mind, the articles illuminating the works are first rate as well. One really nice feature of the articles is that there are marginal listings of the plates and figures discussed in each paragraph so it is easy to find text related to the images in which you are interested.

There are two volumes and over 1,300 pages. Volume 1 begins with a brief essay on Florence's prelude to greatness (59 B.C. 0 A.D. 1200). Then the book is organized into sections of varying size: Civic Price and Prosperity (1200 - 1340), An Age of Crisis (1340-1400), Images of a Free Republic (The Early 15th Century), and The Era of Cosimo De' Medici (1430-69). Volume two has: Lorenzo Il Magnifico (1469-92), The End of the Republic (1492-1530, and ends with The Medicean Principate (1530 - c. 1600). Each of these larger sections is organized in the same way - Architecture, then sculpture, and then painting. It is quite fascinating to watch how tastes and techniques evolve over the centuries.

There is also a glossary, bibliography, a section on the photographer and authors, an index and photo credits.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Key Monuments of the Italian Renaissance (Icon Edition)

Average customer rating:

Key Monuments of the Italian Renaissance (Icon Edition)
Laurie Schneider Adams
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813334292

Book Description

An examination by a well-known art historian of over thirty key monuments from the Italian Renaissance, from stylistic, biographical, social, and cultural points of view.

Organized chronologically from early Renaissance precursors to the Mannerist movement, from Giotto to Titian, Key Monuments of the Italian Renaissance describes and analyzes in depth from various points of view major works and major artists, from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. Artists included are Cimabue, Duccio, Giotto, Lorenzetti, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Massaccio, Gentile da Fabriano, Uccello, Rossellino, Castagno, Piero della Francesca, Alberti, Botticelli, G. Bellini, Verrocchio, Mantegna, G. Sangallo, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Bramante, Raphael, Giorgione, and Titian. The Florentine Renaissance, the High Renaissance in Florence and Rome, and High Renaissance Painting in Venice are covered. Includes a glossary, a bibliography of works cited, and suggested readings.

Average customer rating:

Well worth the read

A Pretty Good Book

Loved it!

A Lasting Work of Art:17,000/Day Visit The Sistine Chapel

The god within Man

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
Ross King
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture

The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism

The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo

The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall

The Stones of Florence

ASIN: B000MV8HCU

Amazon.com

Almost 500 years after Michelangelo Buonarroti frescoed the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the site still attracts throngs of visitors and is considered one of the artistic masterpieces of the world. Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling unveils the story behind the art's making, a story rife with all the drama of a modern-day soap opera.

The temperament of the day was dictated by the politics of the papal court, a corrupt and powerful office steeped in controversy; Pope Julius II even had a nickname, "Il Papa Terrible," to prove it. Along with his violent outbursts and warmongering, Pope Julius II took upon himself to restore the Sistine Chapel and pretty much intimidated Michelangelo into painting the ceiling even though the artist considered himself primarily a sculptor and was particularly unfamiliar with the temperamental art of fresco. Along with technical difficulties, personality conflicts, and money troubles, Michelangelo was plagued by health problems and competition in the form of the dashing and talented young painter Raphael.

Author Ross King offers an in-depth analysis of the complex historical background that led to the magnificence that is the Sistine Chapel ceiling along with detailed discussion of some of the ceiling's panels. King provides fabulous tidbits of information and weaves together a fascinating historical tale. --J.P. Cohen

Book Description

“There is no other work to compare with this for excellence, nor could there be,” wrote Vasari in his Lives of Artists.

The extraordinary story behind Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel - from the author of the acclaimed Brunelleschi’s Dome.

In 1508 Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Though he considered himself primarily a sculptor not a painter, he laboured over it for the next four years and the result was one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.

Ross King’s fascinating new book tells the story of those four extraordinary years. Battling against ill health, financial difficulties, domestic problems and inadequate knowledge of the art of fresco, Michelangelo created figures so beautiful that, when they were unveiled in 1512, they stunned the onlookers. From Michelangelo’s experiments with the composition of pigment and plaster to his bitter rivalry with Raphael, who was working on the neighbouring Papal Apartments, Ross King paints a magnificent picture of day-to-day life on the Sistine scaffolding and outside in the upheaval of early sixteenth-century Rome.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the read.......2007-08-16

A master sculptor, who becomes a painter, to continue with his quest and passion as a sculptor. King's accounting of the painting of the sistine chapel ceiling is filled with details of day-to-day situations arranged and contrived by the artist. Micelangelo must use real world problem solving skills to deal with the realities of his times in his performance in completing a task of incrediable challenges. King convincingly clarifies and disarms some of the myths surrounding the work and working process. Clearly King has done his research and gives an insightful accounting of the life and times of Pope Julius II and his relationship with Michelangelo and other artist, architects and politicians. The warrior Pope maintains a love and support of the arts throughout his career with a special display of admiration and love for the artist, Michelanglo. He does all this while managing some strategic manuevers in an era of difficult and trying political arena. For anyone interested in the Renaissance art and artist of the time this approach to learning is a pleasant read. As for me, I am looking into what else Mr. King has to offer.

A Pretty Good Book.......2007-05-12

I found this an excellent read. It's pretty much a straight forward story of Michelangelo. It seemed to have updated information compared to "The Agony and the Ecstacy" and much less drama.

Loved it!.......2007-03-08

I am an art historian, and spent a year of grad school researching the restoration of Michelangelo's Sistine frescoes. I only with that this book had been published when I was still in grad school. Ross King writes very well, with good research of primary sources.

A Lasting Work of Art:17,000/Day Visit The Sistine Chapel.......2007-01-16

At the age of 33, the sculptor Micelanagelo Buonarroti, was summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II. Having been essentially fired from the job of sculpting the Pope's tomb, this strong willed artist defied and denied the invitation as long as he could. Since his patrons, the Medici, did not want a war over this, he reluctantly went. To finally arrive and learn that the task was a mamouth painting assignment must have been a shock. He was not a painter. He wanted to finish the tomb.

Then follows the amazing story of how he did it. This reluctant artist gave it his all created an enduring work of art. The book covers the fresco process, how paints were made and their components procured and how the sculptor turned painter defied the architect and built his own scaffold. Going in order of their creation, the panels are explained.

While Michelangelo is painting, Pope Julius is also busy. He's having Rapheal paint his apartments and making wars. At one point the fear of invasion is so great there was fear for the paintings. Michelangelo's family is busy too. They hound him for money and want to exploit his contacts.

The book tells the tale but leaves you wanting more. You're only teased with the character development of the two principles. For instance, that Michelangelo's father beat him for drawing as a child is merely mentioned. The reader doesn't have a feel for the personal relationship of Michelangelo and Julius, only the formal one. A few weeks ago I read Basilica which led me to this. The very brief sketches of Julius and Michelangelo in Basilica are more compelling.

Perhaps the hardcover has more photos. The paperback's are wanting but this can be remedied with several internet sites that have the images. The black and whites that appear with the text, such as Michelangelo's sketch of the scaffold and the various portraits, appear on the right pages to help the reader visualize the story and times.

The book will no doubt be a classic, because it brings together so much of the period in a highly readable style.

The god within Man.......2006-12-22

While I read this book, repeatedly I had to remind myself that despite the drama on so many pages [the drama of clashing personalities, the drama of papal-declared wars, the drama of artistic competition, the drama of family obligations/frustrations], this was no "historical novel." The "characters" were actual people who existed and a great deal of the action is actually accounted for through the original writings of Michelangelo himself [for example, to his brothers and father] as well as of his contemporaries like Vasari and Bramante.

The descriptions of what a day consisted of for Michelangelo and his assistants as they tackled all the logistics of painting something as epic [epic in space, style and substance] as the Sistine Chapel - well, even these "quieter" elements of King's story grabbed me. It made me respect Michelangelo more and more deeply as I read into what it took to retain the necessary funds for materials for scaffolding, plaster and paints, mixing the various paints, transfering the outlines of the images into the wet ceiling to accomplish the amazing frescoes that we still enjoy today, so many hundreds of years after their original creation.

Add to that, King manages something along the lines of an art-in-context education course - you learn about the politics of the day, who the power brokers were, whether it was the Pope himself or one of the many Medici, who owned what land and who pledged allegiance to who.

Finally, the paperback version that I read had many black & white images sprinkled throughout the chapters that are of Michelangelo's sketches and other works, along with a handful of color prints of the Sistine Chapel.
You will find yourself repeatedly returning to those color images as you read about Michelangelo's painting of Genesis or Noah or even the many architectural accents.

Michelangelo, even though he was essentially forced into this painting commission when what he truly desperately wanted was to design & execute a 3-story, 40-taue layout for Pope Julius II's burial in St. Peter's Basilica -- which we only get the slightest taste of with his powerful and amazing rendition of Moses, which is contained within the comparatively tiny San Pietro in Vincoli church -- created what should truly be considered of the wonders of the "modern" world... we will never see his equal and King does right by the man who had the ability to create reality with paint and marble like a god creating man out of some baser element.

King's words bring the era and the man to life.

Average customer rating:

Excellent Book
well-written
Italian Renaissance Art

Italian Renaissance Art
Laurie Schneider Adams
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0813336910

Book Description

The most up-to-date and complete text on Italian Renaissance art and its artists yet published, with over 400 illustrations, 215 in color. This introductory text on Italian Renaissance art and the artists who made it by the author of "A History of Western Art" and "Art Across Time" focuses on the most important and innovative artists and their principal works. The emphasis is on selectivity and understanding, and minor artists will be considered only briefly when relevant to the major artistic developments. The text also focuses on style and iconography, and on art and artists incorporating different methodological approaches to create a wider understanding and appreciation of art. Italian Renaissance Art contains over 400 illustrations, of which 215 are in full color integrated with the text and large enough to be properly viewed. There are also maps, plans and diagrams where appropriate. Painting, sculpture, and architecture are covered. The book contains a glossary, historical chronology, selected bibliography and index as well. This introductory text on Italian Renaissance art and the artists who made it by the author of A History of Western Art and Art Across Time focuses on the most important and innovative artists and their principal works. The emphasis is on selectivity and understanding, and minor artists will be considered only briefly when relevant to the major artistic developments. The text also focuses on style and iconography, and on art and artists incorporating different methodological approaches to create a wider understanding and appreciation of the art. The book contains over 400 illustrations, of which 215 are in full color integrated with the text and large enough to be properly viewed. There are also maps, plans and diagrams when appropriate. Painting, sculpture, and architecture are covered. The text begins with the late Byzantine work of Cimabue and continues into the Renaissance precursors of the fourteenth century: Giotto, Duccio, Simone Martini, the Lorenzetti. The context of early humanism and the role of Petrarch is also discussed. The artistic backlash after the plague of 1348 follows and the work of Orcagna and Andrea da Firenze. The Quattrocento, with Masaccio, Donatello, and Brunelleschi in Florence, is a particularly rich century and in-depth consideration of major artists and their works is only possible if well organized and focused. The text concludes with the High Renaissance and the transition to Mannerism with Michelangelo, Bramante, and Raphael in Rome,Leonardo in Milan and Titian in Venice..Throughout the text boxed asides contain descriptions of artistic media and techniques as well as discussions of background information necessary to the study of Renaissance art. Aside from the major artistic centers of Florence, Rome and Venice the text covers artistic developments in Siena, Rimini, Pienza,Umbria, the Marches, Naples, Verona, Ferrara, Mantua and other locations. The book contains a glossary, historical chronology, selected bibliography and index.

"A clearly written, straightforward account of the story of Italian Renaissance art from its origins to Mannerism. The bulk of the material centers around central Italian painting, as it should, but other important, smaller centers are also included. The discussion of the various art forms is nicely balanced.... I especially liked the sidebars which add necessary material--historical, literary, technical and so forth--to the text without encumbering it.... This is a very good book which should furnish us with the new anduseable text we have been waiting for. I would certainly use it in my classroom." -Bruce Cole, Distinguished Professor, Chairman, department of the history of art, Indiana University

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2007-01-11

I was taking an art class in college titled "A Survey of Allegory of Italian Art" and this book was very helpful to look at the detail in the paintings and to read about the paintings.

well-written.......2004-12-12

I have read numerous art history books, and most suffer from being dry and too heavy on dates. This book is well-written with a style that flows from topic to topic. All the important information (yes, those dates!) a student will need is here, but the presentation puts it above the rest, making it an enjoyable book to read again and again. What I found especially valuable is how Adams places the works within the political and social environment of the times. Knowing the history adds a lot to art history! She provides sidebars with anecdotes about the artists or significant events in the era that have influenced the work. Stylistic and technical information is also excellent. Photographic quality is superb.

Italian Renaissance Art.......2001-08-11

Italian Renaisance art by Laurie Schneider Adams is a wonderful introductory text on Renaisance art. It is very clearly written with a helpful glossary for those who are not familiar with art terms. It not only explains both style and iconography of the Renaisance period but gives a great backround of the culture of the period. The illustrations in the text are wonderfuly detailed and most are in color. This is a great text for intro. classes to Ren. art and people who wish to learn on their own.

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
A beautiful book!
Another life for Botticelli

Botticelli: Life and Work
Ronald Lightbown
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0896599310

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2006-02-27

This book is worth the money if only for the reproductions. Lots of large plates with a lot of close ups as well. If you only want one book on Botticelli this would be a good one.

A beautiful book!.......2005-08-14

This is fascinating book about the life of Botticelli and techniques he used. The reproductions are wonderful, including some close-ups of characters from selected paintings. I recently returned from Italy, and having viewed many of these paintings at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence makes the reading and the beautiful color plates throughout the book all the more enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book to fans of Renaissance art.

Another life for Botticelli.......2003-11-03

In the life of Sandro Botticelli, Lightbown does not remark the big season of secret science that linked several artists in and around Florence.
This science that today we can call "esoterism" come from the recent middle age and increased in Florence his importance.
The Great Lorenzo dei Medici was one of the most important men of this matter.

Italian Frescoes: High Renaissance and Mannerism 1510-1600

Average customer rating:

ANOTHER HIT OUT OF THE BALLPARK!!!!!!!!! IN ANYONES UNIVERSE!!!
Another in the incredible series

Italian Frescoes: High Renaissance and Mannerism 1510-1600

Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789208318

Book Description

The third volume in the only comprehensive modern survey of the surviving frescoes created during the later years of the great Italian Renaissance to the Baroque.

Following the success of the previous volumes in this extraordinary series--Italian Frescoes: The Early Renaissance and Italian Frescoes: The Flowering of the Renaissance—this volume presents twenty-two fresco cycles, each representing a notable achievement in the history of art. The fresco cycles featured include brilliant works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Andrea del Sarto, Parmigianino, Bronzino, Veronese, and Carracci --all of them still visible on walls and ceilings of palaces and churches spanning Italy from the Veneto to Rome. Here are such celebrated sites as the Sistine Chapel in Rome and Palladio's Villa Barbaro in Maser, as well as lesser known gems.

Each of the twenty-two chapters is concise and authoritative, offering a descriptive and interpretive essay on all aspects of fresco painting, covering the artists and their patrons in the context of their cultural and political history. Each essay concludes with a diagram of the site, followed by a series of full- and double-page color plates showing the entire cycle, many reproduced from new photographs of recently restored frescoes.

No publisher until now has attempted to gather together and document all the important fresco cycles of the Italian Renaissance. While this volume is a continuation of the previous books, The High Renaissance to the Baroque easily stands alone as an incredible treasury of art and scholarship, which will be eagerly collected by art historians and art lovers alike.

Other Details: 360 full-color illustrations

Customer Reviews:

ANOTHER HIT OUT OF THE BALLPARK!!!!!!!!! IN ANYONES UNIVERSE!!!.......2005-09-28

These people can do nothing wrong so far, what is really interesting about this book, is we start to see how the evolving influence of the acceptance of oil painting in Italy is starting to influence Fresco.

In the prior books, the color tonality revolves around the support of the egg tempera painting paradigm fresco had been bred under, and the glow and influence of that medium, is transcended in fresco.

This volume starts to show, that oil painting is taking off, and fresco is influenced, and the segway between Tempera and oil is captured with all the subtle changes as fresco evolves.

We are in the carry over from the good old Botticelli days, to the "What is this guy Leonardo up to, days". How this influence migrates into fresco is very interesting and well represented.

What this book really highlites well, is how Raphael, was in the middle and tried to sew it all together...as far as synthesis and integration goes. The quality of the images and text reflect this too perfection.

The contrast back and forth is amazing and captured so well.
A darker tonality sets in, but the highlites of still emulating tempera are preserved, so fresco is "keeping up with the times", these books are nothing short of stunning and incredible, if you study fresco, this series is a masterpiece of publishing. I have written reviews before on the other volumes, and the quality never stops coming. IT DOESNT GET BETTER...PERIOD!!!!!!

You would not reget any aspect of your purchase, and the price is more than fair. Once engaged, these are hard books to break away from, you become mesmerized...it is such high quality work.

Here is the best part....the book winds down at the Farnese Palace/Gallery (now the French embassy in Italy)....hopefully this is a bookmark....anticpating the next chapters which would be an early, mid, and late Baroque Fresco book series addition.

These folks are great, and they have to keep going, we left at the Caracci, so hopefully we can look forward to DaCortona at the Pitti and Barberini palace, some Luca Giordono at the Medici,
Carlo Marratta, (Clemency) , Pamphili Palace etc. The continuation to the eventual Baroque vs Roccoco vs Neo-Classical shoot out would be incredible to follow, with the effort to quality and integrity that the publisher, author, and photographer are committed to.

I really think Venice Frescos, should be their own book, there is just too much there, just call it Italian Venice Frescoes.
Keep the Baroque to Roccoco track focused in 3 volumes.
This way lesser known Baroque work can be included in the Baroque volumes and we can pick up the Plethora of Venetian work in its own volume. Tiepolo and Veronese influence would fill its own book too full. What is so great about this effort is it is including great work from lesser known artists. That should keep going.

These books simply cannot stop coming, and cramming the Baroque into one volume would be a mistake.

Yes, this is a long review, so I apologize I am just trying to communicate enthusiam to potential buyers , so the publisher can keep going, you simply cant go wrong...and this is not a solicited nor a planted review...this is real...I have spent time in Italy...these people know exactly what they are doing, and they are doing a job that would exceed anyones expectations.

And finally a very strong thank you to the publisher...a number of frescoes, which I had requested after the first books, were captured in this one, I can only hope that my reviews could contribute to the strategic direction of such great work.

Another in the incredible series.......2005-06-07

It's said that more cultural history can be found in Italy than the rest of the world combined. Nowhere is that better demonstrated than in the masterpieces on the walls of Italian churches and palazzos, still vibrant and alive after 400+ years -a truly amazing medium that reached it's peak in a 200 year period from 1400 - 1600. From the Alps to Sicily, some of the greatest of all frescoes are shown beautifully in this volume. You will not see better photography of these extraordinary frescoe cycles anywhere, and, although the author is new to this series(Kliemann)there is no drop off of historical and artistic insight and explanation in the editorial portion of the book. The other two volumes in this series (Early Renaissance and High Renaissance) are masterworks worthy of a museum. In exploring the later cycles, this book equals or exceeds the previous two. If you have seen any of these frescoes, you will find this book fascinating. If you long to visit Italia to see them but can't, this is as good a look as you could ever hope to have. Rich, dense, and beautiful beyond words, this is the kind of book you can spend a long long time with and treasure forever. Worth every penny and more.

Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600

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Perfect Condition and Great Price
INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION IN THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE

Bazaar to Piazza: Islamic Trade and Italian Art, 1300-1600
Rosamond E. Mack
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520221311

Book Description

The Mediterranean trade in luxury goods from the East made a strong and lasting impression on Italian artistic taste and production during the early Renaissance. This opulently illustrated book describes and illustrates the fascinating ways that imported art objects inspired improvements and new variety in Italian decorative arts. From Italian textiles featuring Islamic and Asian motifs to ceramics and glassware that reflected Syrian techniques and ornamental concepts, this book gives an extraordinary view of the influence of imported Oriental goods in Italy over three crucial centuries of artistic development.
Rosamond Mack traces Italy's emerging decorative arts tradition as she discusses textiles, ceramics, glass, bookbinding, and metalwork; she also considers how Italian painting reflects trans-Mediterranean trade and travel. Painters represented carpets and ceramics from the East in their works, as well as textiles with bands of writing replicating or suggesting Arabic script, negotiating cultural differences in their borrowings. These paintings show how Islamic motifs were absorbed into Christian contexts.
Beginning in the 1300s and 1400s, the works of Italian craftsmen inspired by luxury goods from Islamic and Asian countries gradually began to compete with those brought to Europe in huge quantities on Italian merchant ships. Yet even after their own versions surpassed the quality of some of the imported goods, Italians continued to collect, imitate, and adapt objects from the Ottoman empire and China. As Mack discusses these important influences, she provides useful summaries of the history of Renaissance decorative arts and presents a balanced and carefully researched view of the controversial topic of East-West artistic exchange.
This uniquely comprehensive study offers an intriguing look at the effects of exchange in Renaissance material culture, shedding new light on the development of the Italian Renaissance as a whole. No other source provides so rich and inclusive a synthesis of the period's decorative arts.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect Condition and Great Price.......2007-01-10

It came brand new, in perfect condition and it was a nice discount!

INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION IN THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE.......2006-02-25

To whom visit Italy, Venice is different of other important art centers , like Rome or Firenze . The Oriental influence in the
architecture remains as first impression.Screnning windows in the lunette above Porta Sant'Alippio , ,the grills on Saint Mark, the facades of the Doge's Palace.But,also, in the painting , and general decorative arts the islamic and oriental influence is visible. Venise was the gateway of the Orient.As
written in the Introduction of this excellent book , it was not necessary to travel to the bazaars of Damascus to acquire merchandise,because it could be found in Venice . The book is a complete study of this commerce ,between 14th and 17 th centuries ,and its influence in the life of Venice - including
the new class of designers , imitating silks , ceramics , glasses , and other kind of products.This book describes a very
interesting connection , not quite found in other works - the
influence of Islamic civilization in the Italian Renaisance.

On Leon Battista Alberti: His Literary and Aesthetic Theories

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Swimming in Tar
Swimming in Tar

On Leon Battista Alberti: His Literary and Aesthetic Theories
Mark Jarzombek
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0262100428

Book Description

Listen to Alberti's voice. This is what Mark Jarzombek has done in studying virtually all of Alberti's writings on philosophy, ethics, aesthetics architecture, and literature. Jarzombek's thorough grasp of Alberti's thought and painstaking analysis of his elusive identity transform our image of this remarkable man carving out a new place for Alberti in literary theory, art history, and Renaissance scholarship.

Instead of warming over the stereotypes of Alberti as a "universal man" or as a proponent of "civic Humanism," Jarzombek explores Alberti's views on the relationship between the writer and society. He asserts that, while Alberti was indeed an architect, an art theorist and a man of letters, he was above all a theoretician of writing: "Everywhere one turns, the problems of writing, authorship and textuality seem to appear, from his first writings... to his last."

Jarzombek, opening the possibilities for a different type of discussion of Alberti and of such major works as De pictura and De re aedificatora, places Alberti more accurately within the context of his times and clarifies the intertextual relationship among his works. Jarzombek's investigation brings to light themes that have remained hidden in the complex world of Alberti's speculations

The Alberti of Jarzombeks book is an outsider struggling to resolve conflicting impulses of pessimism and hope. He is also a profound and willful thinker who, while amalgamating contemporary trends, did not endorse them but countered with a cosmological philosophy of his own.

Mark Jarzombek is Assistant Professor of Architectural History at Cornell University.

Customer Reviews:

Swimming in Tar.......2001-08-22

I am disappointed to see this book catalogued, once again, under architecture theory. I don't know where to file it, but not here. It is a dense conglomerate of interpretations of and anachronistic projections onto the theories of Alberti. As such it deals with architecture only tangentially. Even specialists in Architecture theory and history will find the writing opaque, pointlessly recondite, and unfocused. Paragraphs are divided at apparent random, sentences bury the principal clause deep in strata of grad-school gobbledygook, and even the most lucid statements require excavation. If there were some brilliant insight to redeam the writing, I might suspend disbelief, but nowhere does M.J. treat us to an IDEA. The whole piece reads like a Master's thesis. The value of the book lies in it's openminded rethinking of traditional assumptions in Alberti scholarship. Most of these, including the idea that Alberti was a sort of proto-modern in his theory (as I read it anyway) seem somewhere between provocative and wild. Some are exciting. But I am left feeling that M.J. has mostly just used Alberti as a lense for modern theory. This is not required reading. Don't bother.

Swimming in Tar.......2001-08-22

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Piero Della Francesca
Jacqueline Guillaud
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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