Synopses & Reviews
The Italian Renaissance was a pivotal period in the history of Western culture during which artists such as Masaccio, Donatello, Fra Angelico, and Leonardo created some of the world's most influential and exciting works in a variety of artistic fields. Here, Evelyn Welch presents a fresh picture of the Italian Renaissance by challenging traditional scholarship and placing emphasis 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. Art in Renaissance Italy 1350-1500 dramatically revises the traditional story of the Renaissance and takes into account new issues that have greatly enriched our understanding of the period. From paintings and coins to sculptures and tapestries, Welch examines the issues of materials, workshop practices, and artist-patron relationships, and explores the ways in which visual imagery related to contemporary sexual, social, and political behavior.
Review
"His discussion is marked by its scholarly breadth, clarity of argument, and willingness to include objects not within the canonic corpus....Welch's deeply informed and wide-ranging synthesis is a significant and welcome addition to the literature."--Library Journal
"This is a splendid book: well-conceived, lucidly presented, beautifully illustrated. The practical information on the production of works of art (the techniques of fresco painting and casting bronze) and on the social organization of artistic production is most welcome."--Daniel Bornstein, Texas A&M University
"An up-to-date, lucid and entirely readable synthesis of a wide range of current scholarship...should be required reading."--Nicholas Mann, Warburg Institute
"Learned and helpful...I do not know any other book which covers these topics so satisfactorily."--George Holmes, All Souls, Oxford
"A fresh and richly documented perspective on the role of images in the early Renaissance."--Martin Kemp, Trinity College, Oxford
About the Author
About the Author:
Evelyn Welch is Lecturer, School of European Studies, University of Sussex. Her publications include Art and Authority in Renaissance Milan.