The Art of Florence [Hardcover]

Glenn M. Andres (Author), John Hunisak (Author), Richard Turner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999

Matching an elegant and sophisticated text by three leading art historians with hundreds of glorious color photographs, The Art of immerses us in a city and a time of unparalleled cultural important and uncommonly beautiful publication the history of Florentine art in terms of the distinctly influences that shaped it -- an approach never before study of this breadth and complexity. The fascinating and lucid text lily links Florentine architecture, sculpture, and painting to the rich social fabric and dramatic political life of the city. Woven into this compelling history is the most luxurious and comprehensive visual documentation le of Florence's unrivaled treasures.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Florence is the city of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Dante, Masaccio, Botticelli, Giotto, Cellini and Machiavelli. This mammoth, two-volume survey lets one trace the shifting styles of Florentine painting, sculpture and architecture amid crosscurrents of political turmoil, Renaissance thought, princely patronage, commerce, wars, plague. It would be hard to match this opulent set for comprehensive detail or wealth of illustration. Among the 1553 plates (nearly half in color) are photographs, sketches, plans and hundreds of full-page reproductions. The text is designed to appeal to lay readers as well as to specialists. It brings Renaissance giants down to human proportions as it follows the rise of Florence from mercantile center to militant republic and to its late 16th-century decline foreshadowed by mannerism in the arts. The authors are art professors--Andres and Hunisak at Middlebury College, Turner at NYU; photographer Okamura's credits include The Vatican Frescoes of Michelangelo.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This expensive and elaborate set, replete with a wealth of excellent photographs, presents the art of Renaissance Florence in two beautiful, oversized volumes. Along with this visual feast comes a substantial and well-written chronological account of Florentine architecture, sculpture, and painting from 1200 to 1600. Basic historical and political background is incorporated into the text, making it informative and accessible to students and others with no prior knowledge of Italian Renaissance art or history. Although not a full history of Italian Renaissance art because of its limitation to one city, and lacking full scholarly apparatus (publication histories, dimensions of some works, etc.), this work will delight students, travelers, and general readers as well as specialists.
- Kathryn W. Finkelstein, M.Ln., Cincinnati
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1312 pages
• Publisher: Artabras (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896601110
• ISBN-13: 978-0896601116
• Product Dimensions: 15 x 12.2 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 22.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,314 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #83 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Renaissance

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding in text and picture quality, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Florence (Hardcover)

This magnificent two volume book is a rare combination of outstanding substantive scholarship and state of the art photography. If you are looking for a light-weight book--physically or intellectually--this is not the book for you. Rather, the book provides a comprehensive history of Florence, both art history and political history, by noted scholars. The illustrations are lavish and compare extremely favorably with other art books in our library that illustrate the art treasures of Florence. Given the length of the book and the quality of the illustrations, the price is reasonable. The book can be enjoyed by the armchair traveler as well as by the tourist.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, worth any price, December 14, 1999

By 

J. C. Vera "intellectualised" (Miami, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Florence (Hardcover)

Clearly this publication was a newsworthy event when it was first issued, garnering praise from the New York Times Book Review andthe Washington Post alike. Now these magnificent slipcased volumes are making news once again.Nothing else has changed about this popular monument of scholarly and publishing history and winner of the prestigious Prix Vasari in France. Matching an elegant and sophisticated text by three leading art historians with more than 700 glorious color photographs and another 854 duotones and architectural drawings, The Art of Florence immerses us in the creative life of the city that gave birth to the Renaissance.

This important and uncommonly beautiful publication gracefully links the city's architecture, sculpture, and painting to its rich social fabric and dramatic political life. The Art of Florence is truly a masterpiece...

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of art about the art of Florence - a treasure, January 1, 2004

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Florence (Hardcover)

This is one of those books I wish I could give six or even seven starts. This is not only a book about great art; it is itself a beautiful work of art. The care lavished in making this book shows from the beautifully decorated slipcase to the wonderfully textured covers (my kids say they feel furry), to its large format and glorious reproductions. There are many foldouts showing large-scale works in broad sweep and even full-page reproductions of details of works shown in the book.

While the artwork shown is dazzling to the eye and overwhelming to the mind, the articles illuminating the works are first rate as well. One really nice feature of the articles is that there are marginal listings of the plates and figures discussed in each paragraph so it is easy to find text related to the images in which you are interested.

There are two volumes and over 1,300 pages. Volume 1 begins with a brief essay on Florence's prelude to greatness (59 B.C. 0 A.D. 1200). Then the book is organized into sections of varying size: Civic Price and Prosperity (1200 - 1340), An Age of Crisis (1340-1400), Images of a Free Republic (The Early 15th Century), and The Era of Cosimo De' Medici (1430-69). Volume two has: Lorenzo Il Magnifico (1469-92), The End of the Republic (1492-1530, and ends with The Medicean Principate (1530 - c. 1600). Each of these larger sections is organized in the same way - Architecture, then sculpture, and then painting. It is quite fascinating to watch how tastes and techniques evolve over the centuries.

There is also a glossary, bibliography, a section on the photographer and authors, an index and photo credits.

This isn't a book you will likely read from beginning to end. It is almost an ocean you will want to spend time exploring for years in order to take in all that it has to offer. It is almost impossible to not take away something new every time you open its magnificent pages. This is a real treasure for your library. I know is one in mine.