Customer Reviews

Botticelli (The Library of Great Masters)

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BOTTICELLI's art tells what he liked in other artists: the shaded color and light of Andrea del Verrocchio, the energy of Antonio del Pollaiolo, and the faces of Fra Filippo Lippi. From Bruno Santi's book, it becomes clear what he liked in his own work: atmosphere, in the coarse tent with the headless Assyrian King Holofernes and in the dawn alive with Judith and her lady-in-waiting; attention to detail, in the blue enamel armor and metal highlights of his Fortitude; color, in the dawn flesh tones under the cornflower- and daisy-decorated clothing on his Birth of Venus; innovation, in the clear path to the larger-than-life 16th-century art with his Calumny, in the first early Renaissance freely placed figures with his Primavera and in the first Italian inscription in a painting with his Madonna enthroned with saints; meditation, in the golden dusk of his Adoration of the Magi; tension, in the contorted acolytes at his Communion of St. Jerome. The author also shows in his Scala/Riverside published work what the Florentine art world was doing during David Landau and Peter Parshall's THE RENAISSANCE PRINT 1470-1500. Likewise, his beautifully illustrated text is a good way to understand Jill Dunkerton's DURER TO VERONESE, Sylvia Ferino-Pagden and Maria Kusche's SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA, Mary D. Garrard's ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI, Andreas Prater and Hermann Bauer's PAINTING OF THE BAROQUE, and Rudolf Wittkower's ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY 1600-1750.

These stickers are small, pretty reproductions of various pieces of artwork. Each sticker is unique in the book, no doubles of any picture. They aren't the most perfect color plates ever, but they're basically for correspondance and craft purposes, or could be used as a reference (say, by Art History students). While I wish there had been duplicates, I can't fault Dover for erring on the side of variety, and I can't argue with the wonderful value the price represents. This little book is great as stationery, but it would also make a nice stocking-stuffer or gift topper. If Botticelli isn't your favorite artist, Dover has made books of other artists' work, which Amazon also offers and which are just as nifty.

I was very unhappy to find that the two middle pages were not included. I had only ordered this collection to get one sticker, The Birth of Venus (detail of Venus). It looks just like my daughter's profile picture on Facebook and I wanted to make a keychain or something using it for her.

The booklet only cost $1.50, obviously I'm not going to return it with the cost of postage and all. Besides I'd probably just get another defective booklet.

Just thought I would warn potential customers because I am pretty sure mine was not the only one made like this.