Product Description

Product Description
Discover great art as you play "Go Fish" and memory games, then read about the artists and their times. For each playing card in the deck, there is a two-page spread in the 76-page, full color companion art book, filled with fun facts about the artist and the times in which they lived. Each book includes a timeline of historical events, helping children to learn about history through the lives of the artists. Winners of numerous awards. Ages 7 and up. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Boring and inaccurate
I purchased this as a gift for my 11 year old. The game part is boring as it includes only Go-Fish and Concentration. The quality of the material is very good. I'd resell the game except that the book contains many weak attacks against the Catholic Church (even though all the artists featured were Catholic). A particularly funny one goes: "Medieval scholars declared that the earth was flat because the Bible seemed to say so." Um... sorry, medieval scholars knew that the earth was round - though they did believe it was a perfect sphere, as Aristotle taught. More like this sprinkled throughout.

Neat Game but a bit oversimple
My kids grew up overseas and are quite familiar with Renaissance paintings. They've seen many of these paintings and are very familiar with them. I realize this is not the typical situation.

I was disappointed that the game is basically a game of luck. It is not challenging or reinforcing of our kid's knowledge. I had hoped for a game like "Famous Authors" which builds on and tests the level of knowledge of the players.

Nonetheless, the game is well presented. It's on the expensive side, but the book alone is worth half the price. Looking for a fancy gift with cultural overtones? I recommend this.

My Kid is Addicted to this Book
I purchased this book when we took the kids (10, 8 and 8) to visit the Louvre this summer so they would have some idea why we were wandering around that vast building.Little did I know that it would spark an interest in my 8 year old son that borders on the obsessive.He has read the book two dozen times, spouts off all kinds of interesting facts about the artists and the times, and studies the paintings intently (this from a kid who has no artistic talent at all and whose favorite pasttime is sparring with his brother).The stories behind the paintings, the odd facts about the artists and the practices of the Renaissance period, are all presented in a compelling way with beautiful illustrations to boot.I recommend this highly readable and entertaining book.

A lovely game for kids
This is a great way to painlessly teach your kids about art and the quality of the photographs is just exceptional.

A Great Game!
I received this game as a gift and it really is a great! The book that comes with it would have been a perfect 'Cliff Notes' for the Art History classes I had in school.My eight-year-old daughter won the first game we played and I'm re-learning lots of stuff I had forgotten. Highly recommended! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

It is what it is
It is what it is. 120 hi-res photos of renaissance era paintings. While I don't feel most people would have much use for many of the images, there are definitely some treasures here. I think if I would have had a thumbnail list of what this disc contained, I might have looked for something else. However; I have a large format printer and I will be printing some of the images on canvas, mounting, framing, and displaying them on my walls. ... Read more

Product Description
GIOTTO, ...BORN 1276,DIED 1337

FRA ANGELICO,..'' 1387,'' 1466

MASACCIO, ...'' 1401,'' 1428

FRA FILIPPO LIPPI,. .'' 1412,'' 1469

SANDRO BOTTICELLI,. .'' 1446,'' 1610

DOMENICO GHIRLANDAIO,'' 1449,'' 1494

FILIPPINO LIP..'' 1467,'' 1604

PIETRO PERUGINO,.'' 1446,'' 1624

LEONARDO DA VINCI,. .'' 1462,'' 1619

RAPHAEL,...'' 1483,'' 1620

MICHELANGELO,..'' 1476,'' 1664

ANDREA DEL SARTO, .'' 1487,'' 1631

GIOVANNI BELLINI, .'' 1426,'' 1616

VITTORE CARPACCIO,. .'' 1470?'' 1619

GIORGIONE, ..'' 1477?'' 1610

TITIAN, ...'' 1477,'' 1676

TINTORETTO,..'' 1662,'' 1637

PAUL VERONESE, ..'' 1628,'' 1688 ... Read more

Product Description
Richard Bruce Nugent (1906–1987) was a writer, painter, illustrator, and popular bohemian personality who lived at the center of the Harlem Renaissance. Protégé of Alain Locke, roommate of Wallace Thurman, and friend of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, the precocious Nugent stood for many years as the only African-American writer willing to clearly pronounce his homosexuality in print. His contribution to the landmark publication FIRE!!, "Smoke, Lilies and Jade," was unprecedented in its celebration of same-sex desire. A resident of the notorious "Niggeratti Manor," Nugent also appeared on Broadway in Porgy (the 1927 play) and Run, Little Chillun (1933)

Thomas H. Wirth, a close friend of Nugent’s during the last years of the artist’s life, has assembled a selection of Nugent’s most important writings, paintings, and drawings—works mostly unpublished or scattered in rare and obscure publications and collected here for the first time. Wirth has written an introduction providing biographical information about Nugent’s life and situating his art in relation to the visual and literary currents which influenced him. A foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr. emphasizes the importance of Nugent for African American history and culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Discovering a forgotten Hero of the Harlem Renaissance
Richard Bruce Nugent was the son of two black parents,his father was an entertainer and his mother was a member of one of the leading black Washington D.C. families of the day.Nugent was out of the closet at 19 years of age, black and proud and proud to be gay and unconventionally bohemian.

Nugent has often been relegated to only a footnote and a provider of anecdotal stories about theHarlem Renaissance and its leading canonized figures by reserchers and biographers past and present.Thomas Wirth's book seeks to rectify an injustice and put Nugent back to the forefront as a contributing member to the Renaissance.After a brief foreward by Herny Louis Gates Jr. stressing Nugent's importance to the history of black literature, gay literature, especially black gay literature and literature in general, the reader is treated to a very brief biography of Nugent and his milieu of the time by Wirth.

From this point on in the book, Wirht allows Nugent's words to speak for Nugent himself by offering a variety of work that was unpublished during Nugent's lifetime and forgotten or lost. Wirth gives a brief introduction to each piece of work presented explaining nuiances and the history behind it.In addition, presented in GAY REBLE.. are some of Nugent's diverse artwork.

Unlike Langston Hughes who showed very little interest in white men sexually and as objects of desire in much of his life and work, barring simple friendships----but whose preference was for men of his own race, especially the handsome "darker-skinned"black men---- Nugent, in his own words, favored white men.The reason he gives is somewhat inanitious, but is represented in much of his work and life.

Smoke, Lilies, and Jade is the most famous and infamous work presented in GAY REBEL... because it was the first piece of writing by an OPENLY GAY BLACK MAN whose protagonist was a black gay man and "Beauty," the object of desire in the story was a composite of Langston Hughes, Harold Jackman and Valentino.Lesser known works include "Geisha Man" and "Gentleman Jigger," a somewhat semi-autobigraphical sketch where Nugent is honest in how he managed to come to terms with and extinguish his skin color prejudices with darker-skinned black after meeting Wallace Thurman, another influential and leading intellectual of the Harlem Renaissance.

It should be pointed out that Nugent, like Langston Hughes, Zora Hurston, Wallace Thurman were all proud to be black.But again, like Hughes, Hurston, and Thurman, Nugent understood that black Americans are a multicultural people of mixed bloodlines no matter the complextion of skin and the race of either parent.It is important to remeber this when reading some of Nugent's poems and looking at his artwork where he took care to include this fact.

Comprehensive tribute to a remarkable cultural figure
"Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance: Selections from the Work of Richard Bruce Nugent" is edited by Thomas H. Wirth, who also wrote the introduction.Also included is a foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr.Over 300 pages long, this book offers a comprehensive and compelling look at Nugent (1906-1987).In his foreword Gates writes that Nugent was "boldly and proudly gay" and that he "linked the black world of the Harlem Renaissance with the gay world of bohemian New York."

Wirth's fascinating, 61 page introduction is full of photos and illustrations.Wirth looks at Nugent's life and work; among the topics covered are Nugent's relationships to other Harlem Renaissance figures and his involvement with the periodical "Fire!!".

A note to the reader tell us that the book includes previously unpublished work taken directly from manuscript.Overall there is a rich selection of material.Among the pieces included in this book are the short story "Smoke, Lilies and Jade," an oft-reprinted piece described as "Nugent's most important work"; poems; an essay entitled "On Harlem" which was written for the Federal Writers' Project in the late 1930s; excerpts from an unpublished novel; and more.There are also many reproductions (both color and black-and-white) of Nugent's artwork.

"Gay Rebel" is a superb contribution to both African-American studies and gay studies.But beyond that it's a very moving tribute to a remarkable cultural figure.

Persuasive reestablishment of a formidable artist!
Exciting, thorough, and amazingly generous, Wirth brings to life a most beguiling participant in the Harlem Renaissance.

Move over Langston Hughes!A real diva is here!SNAP!
This book is a mixture of biography and collected works of Richard Bruce Nugent, the most openly gay writer of the Harlem Renaissance.His 1920s story, "Smoke, Lillies and Jade" has been called the first African-American fictional account regarding homosexuality.The book also includes many photos of Nugent and his gay peers as well as Nugent's artwork.

The book is divided into five sections, emphasizing Nugent's fictional and non-fictional work.However, the best part of the book is the historical introduction; it should have been highlighted somehow.This book is a veritable "Who's Who?" of the Gay Harlem Renaissance.Unfortunately, this excellent documentation of the numerous gay Black authors writing in the early 20th century leaves the impression that little is known about Nugent or little is worth saying.Still, I found myself wanting to read every footnote because they show how much material is out there that has yet to be reviewed scholastically.Heads up, gay studies graduate students!

Though the excerpts of Nugent's writings span a fifty-year period, the grand majority of it comes from the 1930s.Nugent, in "Smoke" and most other writings, was a blatant cheerleader for the Renaissance.I found his work challenging, though at times incredibly boring.It's admitted that his artwork is faux Erte, but it's implied homoeroticism must truly be relished.Be warned that it's very campy.I applaud Nugent in his continual inclusion of women in his artwork, non-fiction, and fiction.You would never have to worry about him saying some foolishness like "Hated it!"Besides, if I read this correctly, Nugent never went to college, yet his writing is quite sophisticated.

Surprisingly, this book reminds me of Little Richard's biography, even though that was written during one of Richard's homophobic stages.Both Richard and Nugent were/are frequently X-rated in order to get laughs and push the envelope on societal norms.Like Dennis Rodman, Nugent swears that because Blacks rejected him, he only pursued "Latins."This fetishization may really disturb gay Latino and Italian-American readers.But remember:gay whites of the era like E.M. Forster also celebrated "difference" in ways that we would now deem politically incorrect.

Skip Gates' forward is scant, but it does reprove his commitment to an anti-homophobic, African-American scholarship.The biographer is a white gay man "interested" in Black culture.Shockingly, he never cites Eric Garber, the non-Black scholar who was the first in gay studies to report on the gay underpinnings of the Harlem Renaissance.It's a shame too, because many of Garber's insights are still useful, yet they go unacknowledged.Wirth includes a section in which Nugent remembers Carl Van Vecten, the gay white celebrity-maker who promoted the Renaissance.This section is confusing and says little.It somewhat re-centers Van Vechten and feels slightly Eurocentric.Still, the biographer has a Ph.D. in chemistry from CalTech yet he writes like the most sophisticated gay studies Ph.D.I give him much credit.

Finally, this book has been categorized under "racially mixed persons."Though it is mentioned that Nugent had some Native American ancestors, interracial romantic liaisons and passing come up much more often than multiracial identity matters in this text.

All people who want to challenge the idea that gayness is a "white thing" or "recent phenomenon" need to read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Jacob Burckhardt was a scholar who had the gift of being able to combine vast knowledge with a vivid imagination and lively creativity. This book, his contribution to cultural history, was first published in 1860, and has long been recognized as a great work of literature as well as history; its range, powerful style, and breadth of vision make it a classic introduction to the study of the Renaissance, and one that is still a source of inspiration. "My starting point has to be a vision,' Burckhardt wrote to a friend, `otherwise I cannot do anything. Vision I call not only optical, but also spiritual realization; for instance, historical vision issuing from the old sources." The work covers the period from the birth of Dante to the death of Michelangelo, and is divided into six sections, covering politics, the rise of individualism, the revival of antiquity, science and humanism, society and festivals, and morality and religion. However, these headings do not do justice to the text, nor to the skill with which the author controls his material and unfolds his vision of the developing Renaissance.Within this framework the author gives an account of a whole range of subjects - from literature and the arts to home life, fashion, and superstition - illuminating all aspects of life in the Renaissance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

A Love Letter to Italy
As a preface, let me first address all these reviews bemoaning the Bibliobazaar edition - under which this review will no doubt be posted by Amazon.Apparently, it's a digitally scanned edition of some sort, chock-full of typos and even, one reviewer reports, having one chapter printed twice, and for $20.00!Just save yourself the consternation expressed here by so many and buy a used copy of the Penguin Classics edition.It's impeccably edited with an elucidating forward.It's impossible to go wrong with Penguin, and for half the price!

Now, to the book, it's rather difficult to review, as it covers so many diverse aspects of Italian society at the time (times rather, the book spans over two centuries), is full of allusions to people of whom the average, educated reader will never have heard, and, by Burckhardt's own self-deprecating admission, consists of "a string of marginal notes" concerning the place and era.

Still, it's all very interesting.Essentially, I should say that it's a sort of scholarly love letter to a time and place that enchanted Burckhardt - not without its qualifications concerning the dark side of it all.Indeed, Burckhardt spends as much time describing the depredations of the condottieri and such as he does on the glories of Florence.

What was of most interest to me was the light it shed on Nietzsche - who, for the record, was far from a pupil of Burckhardt.Nietzsche's brilliance was such that he attained a full professorship at the age of 24. But there are quotes cited from figures such as Pico della Mirandola that do ring a bell to any devotee of Nietzsche: "...that thou mightiest be free to shape and to overcome thyself."Compare this remark to Nietzsche's famous exhortation that "Man is something which must be overcome!"It lends a bit of credibility to Lord Russell's unfortunate, curt summation of Nietzsche's philosophy as "I wish I had lived in Florence in the age of the Medicis."

So - my summation of this book - a very lively and informative work by a man enchanted of an age and era.

Warning - Multi-volume set (some editions)
First, let me say, I hate the idea of rating this book before I have read it -- it just came today -- but I was so disappointed that I received volume 2 when I was not expecting it, I wanted to warn others.Look at the product descriptions and most of them do not tell you anything about multiple volumes - and perhaps some of them have both volumes in one, who could tell?Just be careful.I had to go back and order volume 1 of the same edition (Harpers Illustrated Edition).Happily, I got it for a good price and, from what I have seen so far, and read in other reviews, this will turn out to be a very good book.

Incomplete
Jacob Burckhardt's main thesis is that the Italian renaissance marked the "lifting of the veil" for Europe, and sprouted forth individual genius.Yes, Italy was certainly politically and militarily chaotic at that time, divided into city-states that practiced ruthless realpolitik that would inspire Machiavelli to write "The Prince."But it was precisely this chaos that dampened state power, and permitted individuality and genius to flourish.

I don't think anyone reads a book on the renaissance written in the 1800s for its historical accuracy and completeness, but I was frustrated at Burckhardt's complete lack of discussion of finance, the fuel that permitted the renaissance to burn so brightly.Missing that, I was hoping for a brilliance of insights and fine writing, and I failed to find those as well.

Most modern writers have never heard of this writer and this book, and I think that's just as fine.

this edition is a disaster
This edition of a fine classic of history is a complete disaster -- pages repeated, pages missing, pages in the wrong order, mistranslations -- I don't understand how it could have been published in such a form.

I returned my copy to Amazon, as the product is deficient.

for scholars
for a dedicated Renaissance scholar (of which I am not) this book is enchanting and informative and has been much enjoyed by my friend (who is a scholar) ... Read more

Product Description
Defining the Renaissance "Virtuosa" considers the language of art in relationship to the issues of gender difference through an examination of art criticism written between 1550 and 1800 on approximately forty women artists who were active in Renaissance Italy. Fredrika Jacobs demonstrates how these theoretical writings defined women artists, by linking artistic creation and biological procreation. Jacobs' study shows how deeply the biases of these early critics have inflected both subsequent reception of these Renaissance virtuose, as well as modern scholarship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Informative and Insightful
Jacobs' work is groundbreaking. Her ideas are coherent and innovative.This is a must-read for anyone interested in art and language in theRenaissance. Her look at the language used to describe these women artistsis fascinating and opens new doors on the study of Renaissance art andculture. READ IT!

Defining the Renaissance Virtuosa
A brilliant analysis of language, women artists and their work inRenaissance Italy. A must-read for any student of Renaissance studies orart history. The author guides the reader through this stimulating topicwith a well-developed and clear thesis which she expands upon brilliantly.

Unreadable mess
Typical graduate student nonsense.A jargon-packed screed which is already out of fashion.Save your money, read something by Linda Nochlin. ... Read more

Product Description
As a distinguished scholar of Renaissance music, James Haar has had an abiding influence on how musicology is undertaken, owing in great measure to a substantial body of articles published over the past three decades. Collected here for the first time are representative pieces from those years, covering diverse themes of continuing interest to him and his readers: music in Renaissance culture, problems of theory as well as the Italian madrigal in the sixteenth century, the figures of Antonfrancesco Doni and Giovanthomaso Cimello, and the nineteenth century's views of early music.

In this collection, the same subject is seen from several angles, and thus gives a rich context for further exploration. Haar was one of the first to recognize the value of cultural study. His work also reminds us that the close study of the music itself is equally important. The articles contained in this book show the author's conviction that a good way to address large problems is to begin by focusing on small ones. ... Read more

Product Description
This beautifully illustrated and exquisitely designed volume of paintings, sculpture, medals, and drawings celebrates the extraordinary flowering of female portraiture, mainly in Florence, beginning in the latter half of the fifteenth century. Included are many of the finest portraits of women (and a few of men) by Filippo Lippi, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Botticelli, Verrocchio, and Leonardo da Vinci--whose remarkable double-sided portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, which departs notably from tradition, is the focus of special attention.

It was in Florence during this period that portraiture expanded beyond the realm of rulers and their consorts to encompass women of the merchant class. This phenomenon, long known to scholars, is here presented to a larger audience for the first time. The catalogue, which accompanies an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, traces how the humanist praise of women influenced and enlivened their depiction. It also considers how meaningful costumes and settings were chosen. Works from outside Florence by such masters as Pisanello, Rogier van der Weyden, and Ercole Roberti shed additional light on the evolution of female portraiture during the century from c. 1440 to c. 1540.

An introduction by editor and exhibition organizer David Alan Brown and four engaging essays by other experts on Renaissance art--Dale Kent, Joanna Woods-Marsden, Mary Westerman Bulgarella and Roberta Orsi Landini, and Victoria Kirkham--perfectly complement the more than one hundred illustrations, which include ninety-seven full-color plates. The catalogue entries are concise while revealing the key aspects of each portrait--from style and sources to ongoing scholarly debates. This elegant, enlightening book is itself a telling portrait not only of the art but also of the broader issues of women's freedom, responsibility, and individuality in a most exceptional era.

September 30, 2001-January 6, 2002 ... Read more

Product Description
Oscar Wilde called this collection of essays the "holy writ of beauty."Published to great acclaim in 1837, it examines the work of Renaissance artists such as Winckelmann and the then neglected Botticelli, and includes a celebrated discussion of the Mona Lisa in a study of Da Vinci.The book strongly influenced art students and aesthetes of the day and is still valuable for the insights it offers and the beauty of the writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Paterphilia perpetuates puissant pulsations�
The Conclusion which crowns this, the most perfect book in the English language should be memorised and chanted sutra-like on a daily basis.

Impressionism in criticism...travel at your own risk...
This work by Walter Pater, published in 1873, as
a volume of collected (previously published) essays
along with an essay on "Winckelmann", a Preface, and
a Conclusion was [and perhaps still is] an extremely
influential work of aesthetic criticism.The volume
helped shape [influence] the perceptions, the
attitudes, and the approaches of many youthful readers
in the late 1880's and 1890's.It is very interesting
to read, immensely engaging to consider and muse about,
but also offers cautions to the overenthusiastic,
easily influenced [or persuaded] disciple.
This volume consists of an Introduction [by the
editor, Adam Philips], a Preface [by Pater], 9 chapters,
and a Conclusion (in this particular edition
by Oxford Classics there is also a chronology, a
Selective Bibliography, an Appendix titled "Diaphaneite,"
and Explanatory Notes in the back.The chapter titles
(after Pater's Preface) are: Two Early French Stories;
Pico Della Mirandola; Sandro Botticelli; Luca Della
Robbia; The Poetry of Michelangelo; Leonardo da Vinci;
The School of Giorgione, Joachim Du Bellay; Winckelmann;
and Conclusion.
* * * * * * * * * *
What's the problem here?Well, unfortunately, Pater
is not completely reliable as an objective perceiver
or critic.He tends to be a bit eccentric in his
individualistic perceptions and interpretations of
the art works, but he goes ahead and defends this
approach in a very "modern" sounding fashion --
which seems to include a bit of "situational perceptions,"
subjective impressions of perception and response,
and subjective criticism. Which makes for extremely
engaging [sometimes irritating] reading, but leaves
something to be desired as far as objective and
judicious thoughtfulness and truthfulness.Pater
seems to believe that it is acceptable to "bend"
or even create facts to further his own it-pleases-
me-to-think-that-this-is-or-should-be-so desires.
We know that we are on a slippery critical slope
[though it will sound all too familiar to modern
ears and modern apologetics] when the editor Phillips
informs us: "In Pater's first published writing, his
essay on Coleridge of 1866, he had suggested that --
'Modern thought is distinguished from ancient by its
cultivation of the "relative" spirit in place of the
"absolute" ... To the modern spirit nothing is, or
can be rightly known, except relatively and under
conditions." It doesn't take much time to realize
that such a critical position is going to lead to
an end-position of aesthetic, critical, and moral
relativism ("You can't tell me I'm wrong, because
there is no one set way of seeing, analyzing,
believing, or evaluating."-- the spoiled, indulged child's
self-justification for the validity of its own
ego supremacy and authority against that of any
parental or adult restrictions. Such a position usually
means a lack of any meaningful in-depth self questioning
or objective evaluating of personal motives, and a
welcoming of lack of restraints in the pursuit of
pleasure and non-self discipline. And this, of course,
is the critical negative refrain that often comes
against the decadent followers of Pater's credo.]
The second fall-out effect of Pater's evaluations
and pronouncements is that some of his disciples
[self-styled] went farther than even he was willing
to approve with their hedonism and purposefully
shocking lifestyles and "decadent" behaviors and
aesthetic appetites.
But it came from statements like this, which Pater
may have meant one way, but which their subjective,
individualistic perceptions took another way: "The
aesthetic critic, then, regards all the objects with
which he has to do, all works of art, and the fairer
forms of nature and human life, as powers or forces
producing PLEASURABLE SENSATIONS [caps are mine], each
of a more or less peculiar or unique kind. [We value
them --he says] for the property each has of affecting
one with a special, a unique, impression of pleasure.
Our education becomes complete in proportion as our
SUSCEPTIBILITY to these impressions increases -- in
depth and VARIETY."
Let the perceiver and the critic -- and the
experiencer -- proceed with extreme caution and good
judgment.
* * * * * * * * *

Pater and the Renaissance: Aesthetic Self-Help
This book has changed many lives in a very
peculiar way: although its evaluations are
quite wrong at times, particularly the chapter
on the School of Giorgione(if you care, check
out the edition with an introduction by
Kenneth Clark), Pater's Renaissance still
shines with the very same light that made it a
cult among Victorian youngmen.

The "gemstone flame", the pervasive feelings
of which Pater invited us to share have not
vanished (in spite of the attempts of the
so-called modern art), and the book's
invaluable lesson is that you simply
do not need a fancy objet d'art to see
what true beauty is all about.

So basically this is what I have to say: if
you have ever derived aesthetic pleasure from
anything at all in life, you should read this
little book tomorrow. If you never felt any
such pleasure, you must read The Renaissance
right now, or you'll simply let the good
things pass you by. I mean it.
... Read more

Product Description
Brilliant successor to the first edition, this book about street art has again been created without the collaboration of the artists and certainly without the permission of the wall owners. Works featured are all recent creations and many exhibit the vile passions that rage between old schools and new. There are blatant statements that embody outrageous lies, articles laced with satire, plus cynical synopses of attempts to commercialize street art and make it fashionable via celebrity endorsement. Consideration is given to the question What the hell is it about the color grey that makes it appeal the powers that be and their ridiculous minions? and Outsider Art is it an expression of artistic impulse without interference from the idea of personal gain? All of this amongst a collection of graffiti collected from all over the world and preserved on these pages before the legions employed to destroy them chip them off the walls. Artists featured include Miss Van, Dan Witz, Ron English, Obey, Banksy, Blek le Rat, Swoon, Os Gemeos, and Herakut. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome
I own around 10 street art books and this one is definitely one of my favorites.The image quality is great, the size is so big and perfect, and the pages have a real nice glossy feel to them.Something about just clicking through the "Look Inside" link on Amazon doesn't really give you an idea of how great this book is.You just have to have it in your hands.Very glad I made this purchase. ... Read more

Product Description
Guides the reader from the earliest revivals of Roman style to the villas of Palladio and Vignola. Each of the great architects is clearly and sensitively discussed. 202 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance(Paperback) BY PETER MURRAY
The Architecture of the Italian Renaissance

Was first printed in the US in 1963 with 186 illustrations
SCHOCKEN SB134

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS #64-11469

Classic
I would have little to say other than that this work is probably the most readable that i have seen and is quite useful. Color pictures and better quality photography-rendition would have been ideal, but the date of original authorship makes this unlikely, unless the work is to be revised.

An outstanding introduction
For the layperson who is interested in the evolution of renaissance architecture, this is the book I would recommend.It is easy to read without swamping the reader with architectual jargon, while remaining informative.The abundance of illustrations and structural diagrams further help the understanding of how these buildings are important historically, as well as pointing out the artistic merits of them.Highly recommended, particularly for those visting Italy - it will clarify and deepen your understanding of renaissance structures.

Armchair Guide to Renaissance Architecture
This well-illustrated, tightly-crafted paperback is a pleasure to read. By well-illustrated I don't mean fancy. You won't find big color photographs, but you will see what the author is talking about. Murray is not only an expert on the subject; he's a good writer, and I know of no other book that so effortlessly leads the reader through the story of how the wonderful Renaissance architecture of Venice, Rome, and particularly Florence came to be. If you want to know WHY those churches and palaces look that way, and why it matters, this is your book. I especially recommend it to Florence-bound travelers.

An accessible presentation for non-academics
I am not an academic, so I cannot judge the accuracy or importance of this book from a historical perspective.I bought this book to help prepare for a trip to Tuscany and Umbria, and was pleasantly suprised to find it veryreadable and even difficult to put down.I am now more excited than everto visit not only the famous sites such as the Duomo and Palazzi inFlorence, but also lesser known sites such as Lucca's Palazzo delloSignoria and its Piazza and fountain, by the Mannerist Amanetti.I wish Ihad this book before my visit to St. Peter's in Rome, because the knowledgeof the succession of architects and their circumstances would have made myvisit even more rewarding, if that could be possible. ... Read more

Product Description

Renaissance Theory presents an animated conversation among art historians about the optimal ways of conceptualizing Renaissance art, and the links between Renaissance art and contemporary art and theory. This is the first discussion of its kind, involving not only questions within Renaissance scholarship, but issues of concern to art historians and critics in all fields. Organized as a virtual roundtable discussion, the contributors discuss rifts and disagreements about how to understand the Renaissance and debate the principal texts and authors of the last thirty years who have sought to reconceptualize the period. They then turn to the issue of the relation between modern art and the Renaissance: Why do modern art historians and critics so seldom refer to the Renaissance? Is the Renaissance our indispensable heritage, or are we cut off from it by the revolution of modernism?

The volume includes an introduction by Rebecca Zorach and two final, synoptic essays, as well as contributions from some of the most prominent thinkers on Renaissance art including Stephen Campbell, Michael Cole, Frederika Jakobs, Claire Farago, and Matt Kavaler.

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Written by an eminent authority on the Renaissance, these classic essays deal not only with Paul Kristeller's specialty, Renaissance humanism and philosophy, but also with Renaissance theories of art. The focus of the collection is on topics such as humanist learning, humanist moral thought, the diffusion of humanism, Platonism, music and learning during the early Renaissance, and the modern system of arts in relation to the Renaissance. For this volume the author has written a new preface, a new essay, and an afterword. ... Read more

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A Thorough Masterpiece
"Renaissance Thought and the Arts" presents a brilliant introduction into Renaissance culture. The collection of separately published articles, first edited in 1965 and now added by a precious afterword, makes up a well-rounded unit. The late Kristeller, one of the most respected writers on humanism, explains in the first section (ch. 1-3) the concept of Renaissance and provides a fundamental insight into its thought and literature. In the first chapter he argues convincingly against tendences to define Renaissance by a certain set of ideas and exposes the problems that are central to humanistic thought, simultaneously giving an overview over the different literary genres inherited from ancient literature. In the second chapter on the moral philosophy of those times, he emphasizes its impact on the modern concept of human dignity. Thereupon, he demonstrates how humanism, originated and developed in Italy, hence spread out into entire Europe, whereas some scholars had claimed that humanistic ideas emerged in different European countries simultaneous and independently. Some other important aspects of Renaissance philosophy are discussed in the second section (ch. 4-6) on Platonism and Aristotelism, the most impressive essay being that on the place of man in the universe. At the heart of the final section on the arts (ch. 7-10) is the comprehensive study which describes in detail the development of our concept of the arts, and its predecessors in ancient times and the middle Ages. Thus Kristeller profoundly explores the history of the principal problem of aesthetics, that is the essence of art, which he touches also in the afterword on creativity and tradition, prudently distinguishing the significance of each for aesthetic value and appreciation.

Throughout, Kristeller displays an overwhelming richness of insight, stylistic masterhip and exemplaric knowledge that make this book a joy to read. It is useful as a leader during the first steps to understanding Renaissance culture as well as a treasure for any scholar who is concerned with the topics involved. ... Read more

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First published in 1951, Arnold Hauser's commanding work presents an account of the development and meaning of art, from its origins in the Stone Age through to the "Film Age." This new edition of a classic work explores historical and social movements and the effects these have had on the production of art--the centrality of class and class struggle, the cultural roles of ideologies and the determining influence of modes of economic development. There are 144 illustrations within the four volumes and each volume has a new general introduction by Jonathan Harris which traces the history of Hauser's project, discusses the relevance of the work for art history today, provides a synopsis of Hauser's narrative, and offers a critical guide that highlights major themes, trends and arguments. ... Read more

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Proves that intellectual history has advanced since 1950
A very nice introduction to the volume points out the intellectual confusions and tensions throughout. A crude marxism and psychologism overlies a fairly traditional stylistic chronology. One realizes how important are later studies that emphasize patronage and actual political power as opposed to disembodied "forces" and "spirits."

Hauser is always provocative and sometimes amusing. There are surprisingly few examples or paintings analyzed in any detail and sometimes he goes off in such detail on literature that one wonders where the focus of the book truly lies.

This book is worthwhile reading to understand the roots of modern art history - for Hauser is responding to 19th century writers and sees Impressionism as the great watershed in his discipline. He is thus aware of the importance of his own historical nexus, yet is caught up in a kind of analytical conformity that all too often seems like a grey flannel suit imposed upon the art in question. ... Read more

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The rebirth of culture

Art as we know it today could not exist had not the revolutionary work of the Renaissance artists paved the way. Widely considered the most important and influential movement in the history of fine arts, literature, architecture, and science, the Renaissance marked the emergence of Western civilization from the Middle Ages into the modern era. Beginning in the 14th century in Italy, the movement spread throughout Europe by the late 15th century, the main centers of fine art activity being in Florence, the Low Countries, and Germany. For the first time, art became intellectual; influenced by humanism, artists experimented with secular subjects and revived classical antiquity. Advances in anatomy and geometry produced more realistic depictions in terms of space and perspective for the Italians, while new oil painting techniques made their mark in Flemish painting and woodcuts and engravings were the specialties of the Germans.

Artists featured: Albrecht Altdorfer, Fra Angelico, Giovanni Bellini, Hieronymus Bosch, Sandro Botticelli, Pieter Breughel, Agnolo Bronzino, Vittore Carpaccio, François Clouet, Correggio, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Albrecht Dürer, El Greco, School of Fontainebleau, Piero della Francesca, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Giorgione, Matthias Grünewald, Maerten van Heemskerck, Hans Holbein the Younger, Fra Filippo Lippi, Lorenzo Lotto, Andrea Mantegna, Masaccio, Antonello da Messina, Michelangelo, Parmigianino, Pontormo, Raphael, Luca Signorelli, Tintoretto, Titian, Paolo Uccello, Veronese, Leonardo da Vinci ... Read more

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Giants of art
The author is a renowned art scholar with much merit. In this little book he defines concepts like pre-renassaince, renassaince and late renassaince (including the start of "Maneirismo") in a clear way and erasing some preconceptions. He also debate the spread of influences and the cultural changes between the several city states of Italy, Germany and Flanders. Sponsors and their motivations are also discussed.

After the introduction, several of the greatest artists of the period are introduced with very short Bios and a presentation of one of their masterpieces (reproduced in full page) and how that particular piece is a pillar of renassaince art. It must have been difficult to choose just one piece of Miguel angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Boticelli, El Greco, Albrecht Durer, Rafael, Piero Della Francesca, Tintoretto, Ticiano or Giorgone among many other geniuses, but the author manages to win the challenge.

Beautifull and interesting, it's a worthy introduction on renassaince painting. And thats one of the main flaws of this book; renassaince art is much more than painting, it also reflected on sculpture and architecture for example. And for an introduction to the subject, a glossary of terms might also be usefull. ... Read more

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The Renaissance stands as, arguably, the most significant period in the history of art. Author Irene Earls provides biographical chapters for each of the ten most famous artists from the European Renaissance: Alberti, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Fra Filippo Lippi, Giotto, Leonardo, Mantegna, Masacio, Michelangelo and Raphael. Each chapter traces the childhood and artistic development of the artist, recounts in vivid detail his most noteworthy creations, places his work within artistic, cultural, and philosophical (often religious) contexts, and examines the ways in which the artist influenced subsequent generations of artists. A timeline, chapter bibliographies, a glossary of terms, and a subject index provide additional tools for readers researching artists from this unparalleled period of artistic creation and rebirth. ... Read more

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Excellent Book from Excellent Author
This book is, by far, one of the best I've personally seen or read, on the subject.

The author is quite versed in the Renaissance and its masters. ... Read more