Giotto to Durer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery (National Gallery London Publications) [Paperback]

Professor Jill Dunkerton (Author), Professor Susan Foister (Author), Ms. Dillian Gordon (Author), Dr. Nicholas Penny (Author)

Book Description

Series: National Gallery London Publications | Publication Date: May 25, 1994

The collection of Early Renaissance painting in the National Gallery in London is one of the finest and most comprehensive in the world. This book provides a survey of European painting between 1260 and 1510, in both northern and southern Europe, based largely on the National Gallery collection, and is at the same time a guide to the paintings in the Gallery. It is published to coincide with the opening of the Sainsbury Wing in which the Early Renaissance collection will be exhibited. The authors explain the background of relious belief and devotional practice for which many of the paintings were created, and the secular requirements and ambitions which influenced them. They discuss the social context in which art was created and then displayed in the street, the palace or the church; and consider the role of the patron and the dealer. They describe the artist's workshop, consider the role of apprentices and assistance, discuss the influence of guilds and courts and explore the reasons for the introduction of new subjects and techniques and also the survival of traditions. The book goes on to supply an account of the materials and techniques of the early Renaissance artist. The preparation of panels, the application of gold leaf, the use of tempera and oil paint are all explained on the basis of research. After this introduction, some 70 of the finest and best known paintings in the gallery are examined in detail, including masterpieces by Duccio, Van Eyck, Mantegna, Piero della Francesca, Bouts, Bellini, Memling, Raphael and Leonardo.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (May 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300050828
• ISBN-13: 978-0300050820
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Gothic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb introduction to renaissance painting, June 15, 2003

By 

paedagogue "paedagogue" (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Giotto to Durer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery (National Gallery London Publications) (Paperback)

We are used to looking at "old Master" painting as if it were just a matter of style, but the truth is that Renaissance art was in important respects the product of a revolution in the use of binding media (water and egg yolk for tempera; oils) for pigments, and in the prepared surfaces (wood panels, paper, canvas) to which these pigments were applied. This wonderfully illustrated book distills the knowledge gained by the restorers of the National Gallery in London, from decades of well-documented, cutting-edge restorations of the outstanding Italian and northern European Old Master paintings in their care. It is much, much more than a technical handbook. Historical essays cover the categories of Renaissance painting, 1300 to 1500, and their many uses, while the second half of the book is an informative catalogue (with gorgeous color reproductions) of individual paintings by many of the best-known Renaissance artists (Botticelli, Jan van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, to name the most obvious).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book with necessarily limited scope, July 23, 2005

By 

C. Quinn "totality denier" (County Louth, Eire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Giotto to Durer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery (National Gallery London Publications) (Paperback)

This is a beautiful, sumptuous book, crammed with detail and excellent colour reproductions. Other readers mightn't go for all the technical information but I can't get enough of it. I also prefer the discussions of individual works which occupy a large part of this volume -- its companion, 'Dürer to Veronese', takes a more synoptic view, which tends to obscure the fact that these are surveys of a collection.

That's my only quibble, and it isn't really with the book, which is about as accomplished at it could be -- so good, in fact, that it's tempting to read it as a textbook of the whole period. Much of the material is of general relevance, of course; but don't forget that many of the major works from this period aren't in galleries at all: they're still in the places they were meant to be.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great review of Renaissance painting, December 12, 2006

By 

David Rourke (Auburn, Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Giotto to Durer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery (National Gallery London Publications) (Paperback)

I'm a real art geek, and I've read a lot of books on this subject. This is one of the best. It provides a wonderful review of paintings and how they were made in Western Europe before the 16th century. This was a time of great transition in style, subject matter, and materials. This was when oil painting transitioned from an ancillary medium, believed useful for a few minor aspects of a painting, to the primary means of making visual art. This book lays it all out in ways that are accessible, yet thorough. If you are going to get one book about Renaissance painting, get this one.