Vasari's Lives of the Artists: Giotto, Masaccio, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian (Dover Fine Art, History of Art)
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Vasari's Lives of the Artists: Giotto, Masaccio, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian (Dover Fine Art, History of Art) Details
An instant success upon its publication in the mid-16th century, Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists remains one of the principal resources for study of the art and artists of the Italian Renaissance. Nothing of the scope and magnitude of this work had ever been conceived; the first complete history of modern art, it is widely regarded as the most influential art history book ever written. The Lives' colorful and detailed portraits of the most representative figures of Italian painting and sculpture trace the flowering of the Renaissance across three centuries. This single-volume edition of selections from Vasari's immense work features eight of the book's most noteworthy artists: Giotto, Masaccio, Fra Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian. It also includes an introduction, notes, and glossary; as well as woodcut portraits of each artist by Vasari himself. Students, teachers, and art enthusiasts will find this convenient edition an indispensable resource.
Reviews
It's the most common required book on university Art History lists, and every passing student will have read it. It is an important source for what the artist was thinking and what his reputation was in his own time. Most of Art History is modern interpretation simply because there aren't many written records. They don't all write endlessly about themselves like many people do these days. In the case of Renaissance Italy they had Vasari to do it for them. He isn't always truthful or right about what he says (since many of the early artists were already dead and many others were in places he couldn't get to for interviews, a good deal of his biographies were based on rumors, stories and what would nowadays be called hearsay accounts) but he's the best we've got, and he's worth reading. Even the non-art historian, a person who likes art and wonders what it was like in the renaissance for artists, will find this interesting and informative. It's actually more interesting (as is everything I find) when you're not being forced to read it, so if you're in between classes, haven't started art history classes yet or are just an independant student of art in general, pick this up, it's reasonably priced, and it's worth having on your shelf.
