Synopses & Reviews
Giovanni Belliniand#8217;s St. Francis in the Desert (c. 1476and#150;78) is a masterpiece of Venetian Renaissance art that has inspired generations of visitors to The Frick Collection. This monumental panel painting portrays the beloved Christian saint alone in a mountainous wilderness, stepping forward from his simple shelter into a golden light that seems to transfigure him spiritually. For centuries, viewers have puzzled over the workand#8217;s meaning; until recently, however, the artistand#8217;s practical conception and realization of this extraordinary vision have remained largely unexplored.
In a New Light presents the collective findings of an unprecedented technical examination of St. Francis in the Desert. The recent discoveries provide a and#147;glimpse over Belliniand#8217;s shoulderand#8221; and open new avenues of research into Venetian Renaissance painting and its cultural and religious context. A richly illustrated monograph of a single picture, In a New Light comprises essays by leading experts in the fields of paintings conservation, Venetian art, the history of collecting, and Franciscan thought.
Review
"With its superb color plates, illuminating close-ups of painting surface, elegantly written essays, and impeccable notes, the book is a model of how to explore an outstanding work of art, demonstrated here with resounding success"andmdash;D. Pincus, National Gallery of Art, Choice
Synopsis
Re-evaluates St. Francis in the Desert, Giovanni Belliniand#8217;s masterpiece, following the major technical study by the Metropolitan Museum in 2010.
Synopsis
One of the most famous, and popular, paintings at The Frick Collection, Giovanni Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert (c. 1480), is also deeply enigmatic. For centuries, viewers, and students have puzzled over the meaning of Bellini's groundbreaking compostition. This new volume presents, for the first time, the findings of a recent technical study; together they provide a "glimpse over Bellini's shoulder" and answer these longstanding questions from the perspective of the working artist.
In a New Light includes contributions by leading experts in the fields of technical examination, conservation, Venetian painting, and the history of collecting as well as religious studies.
About the Author
Susannah Rutherglen is a Fellow of the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and former Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow at the Frick Collection. She co-curated the exhibition
In a New Light: Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert with Charlotte Hale and Denise Allen at the Frick in 2011.
Charlotte Hale is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Paintings Conservator; she oversaw the recent technical study of St Francis in the Desert (2010)