Disegno: Italian Renaissance Designs for the Decorative Arts [Paperback]

Beth L. Holman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1997

The beginnings of modern design occurred in Renaissance Italy, which first fostered the concept that all the arts are based on universal principles of design. As the medieval separation of crafts broke down, Renaissance painters, sculptors, and architects created designs in a variety of media to be carried out by others. With the separation of design from actual execution, drawing became the critical means of communicating between artist and artisan. The promotion of artist as designer and the rise of drawing as an independent art form were inextricably intertwined. Design (the foundation of art) and drawing (the cornerstone of design) were so intimately linked as to share the same designation--disegno. In introducing audiences to the origins of modern design, this catalog and the exhibitions associated with it seek to elevate Renaissance drawings for decorative arts objects to a new level commensurate with the fine arts.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

8 1/2 x 11" trim. 68 illus. LC 97-1977

About the Author

Beth L. Holman is a Renaissance art historian on the faculty of the Cooper-Hewitt/Parsons Masters Program in the History of Decorative Arts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 140 pages
• Publisher: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution; 1st edition (March 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910503613
• ISBN-13: 978-0910503617
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,361,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)