Italian Renaissance Art

Richly illustrated, and featuring detailed descriptions of works by pivotal figures in the Italian Renaissance, this enlightening volume traces the development of art and architecture throughout the Italian peninsula in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A smart, elegant, and jargon-free analysis of the Italian Renaissance – what it was, what it means, and why we should study it Provides a sustained discussion of many great works of Renaissance art that will significantly enhance readers’ understanding of the period Focuses on Renaissance art and architecture as it developed throughout the Italian peninsula, from Venice to Sicily   Situates the Italian Renaissance in the wider context of the history of art Includes detailed interpretation of works by a host of pivotal Renaissance artists, both well and lesser known

List of Illustrations vi Preface xi Frontispiece: Map of places mentioned xiii Introduction: The Italian Renaissance as an Idea Rather Than a Period 1 1 What a Difference a Hundred Years Makes 8 2 How It All Started: Florence and Umbria 31 3 What Happened Next in Florence 68 4 Searching for the Renaissance (1): Siena and Southward to Sicily 92 5 Searching for the Renaissance (2): From Northern Italy Back to Umbria 118 6 The Triumph of the Intellectual Avant-Garde: The High Renaissance 152 7 Some Other Artists of the High Renaissance 184 8 The Swan Song of Renaissance Art 200 9 The Break and the New Avant-Garde: Early Mannerism 209 10 What Was the Italian Renaissance? Conclusions in the Bigger Picture 246 Appendix A: Artists Mentioned 258 Appendix B: Some Suggested Readings 262 Index 267