The Italian Renaissance [Paperback]

Peter Burke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0691006784 | ISBN-13: 978-0691006789 | Edition: 2

In this newly revised edition of his widely acclaimed work, Peter Burke presents a social and cultural history of the Italian Renaissance. He discusses the social and political institutions that existed in Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he analyzes the ways of thinking and seeing that characterized this period of extraordinary artistic creativity. Developing a distinctive approach, the author is concerned not only with the finished works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and others, but also with the social background, patterns of recruitment, and means of subsistence of this "cultural elite." He thus makes a major contribution both to our understanding of the Italian Renaissance and to our comprehension of the complex relations between culture and society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[This book's] fundamental concern with exploring in a rigorous fashion how cultural change and--to admit one's bias--achievement is related to the economic, social, and political structure of an age remains a vital interest. -- Joachim W. Stieber, The Sixteenth Century Journal

A superb introduction to Renaissance culture and society. -- Renaissance Quarterly

A fascinating tour de force. -- American Historical Review

Burke handles both breadth and depth of a most creative and complex period with balance, sensibility, and solid supportive arguments.... This is an indispensable study for historians, sociologists, and anyone interested in one of the most remarkable periods of European history. -- Choice

Review

From reviews of the first edition:
"A superb introduction to Renaissance culture and society." Renaissance Quarterly

<!--end-->"A fascinating tour de force." American Historical Review

"An indispensable study for historians, sociologists, and anyone interested in one of the most remarkable periods of European history." Choice

"The Italian Renaissance provvides an excellent introduction to its theme - particularly to its artistic ingredients."
Kleio --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; 2 edition (April 26, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691006784
• ISBN-13: 978-0691006789
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Includes Leonardo's 10 Year Guarantee!, January 29, 2003

By 

Bruce Loveitt (Ogdensburg, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Italian Renaissance (Paperback)

I sometimes get a bit nervous when I buy a book written, supposedly, for the general public by an academic. Is the book going to be written in "normal" English, or am I going to be bombarded by jargon and a clunky style? Happily, Peter Burke appears to believe in "plain-speaking". He also has a sense of humor, which helps. Additionally, he doesn't go off the deep end when coming to conclusions. He is prudent and cautious. If he can't say something definitive, if statistical or other types of evidence just aren't there, he isn't afraid to tell you so. Mr. Burke attempts to explain why the Renaissance happened in Italy and why it started when it did. This leads to the importance of the city-states, such as Florence, Milan, Venice, etc. Artists and sculptors oftimes were the children of craftsmen, and the city-states were populated by many craftsmen. Humanists and scientists were usually the children of "professional" people, and were educated at universities. Again, professionals and universities tended to be found in or near urban centers. Why did Italy have so many city-states? Because, during the period of the Italian Renaissance, Italy was a natural trade center.....right between the Middle East and Northern Europe. This created wealth, which led to the city-states, which also led to new sources of patronage, as the new merchant class looked for ways to spend their money and impress each other. When the Atlantic trade routes opened, and also after the Portuguese led the way around the Cape of Good Hope, Italy lost its place as the "hinge" of trade. Of course, I am greatly simplifying Mr. Burke's arguments, as they are much more complex and nuanced. But, I think I am giving you the general drift. In any case, what makes the book really interesting is that Mr. Burke grounds his theories in the everyday. He talks very specifically about painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, writers, etc. He tells you how they got their training, who they worked for and who called the shots......patron, artist, or both. The "case histories" are both fascinating and funny. Some examples? "More precise evidence about the relative importance of patrons and artists and the expectations of both parties is provided by the scores of surviving contracts....Contracts often specified that the materials employed be of high quality.....Leonardo's contract for "The Virgin Of The Rocks" gives a ten-year guarantee; if anything was to need repainting within that period, it was to be at the expense of the artist. One wonders if Leonardo gave a similar guarantee in the case of his flaky "Last Supper". (I can just see the author delivering this line in a lecture, with a deadpan expression!) This was also a time when the status of the artist was in flux. Before the Renaissance the artist was considered to be just another craftsman in the employ of a "great" man or lady. But as the city-state grew in importance, and as the merchant and craftsman grew in importance, the status of the artist started to change. In the period of change, the artist looked for reasons why he should be considered to be "high-class". To quote the author: "Another point in favor of the high status of painting, and one which reveals something of Renaissance assumptions or mentalities, was that the painter could wear fine clothes while he was at work. As Cennini put it: 'Know that painting on panel is a gentleman's job, for you can do what you want with velvet on your back.' And Leonardo: 'The painter sits at his ease in front of his work, dressed as he pleases, and moves his light brush with the beautiful colours...often accompanied by musicians or readers of various beautiful works.' " As the person actually doing the creating started to become more important and independent, what the patron began looking for could be rather amusing. One nobleman, who was looking for a "court musician" and had narrowed the choice down to two men, picked the less talented man- because he was both cheaper and he would compose music "on demand". The other fellow only composed when he felt like it! The book is filled with many concrete examples such as the ones I have mentioned, which makes it very enjoyable indeed....although Mr. Burke does also mix in some statistics, where appropriate, to allow the book to stand on its own two feet academically. The book also branches off into interesting little side areas; the change in subject matter over the course of the Renaissance; the incorporation of allegories which were meant to have poliical overtones; who taught the classically untrained artists about mythology so they would know enough to do history paintings?; censorship of the arts- on one occasion Veronese was asked to explain "why he had included in a painting of 'The Last Supper' what the inquisitors called 'buffoons, drunkards, Germans, dwarfs and similar vulgarities'. " If you are at all curious about the Renaissance, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this very good book.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Picturesque Italian Renaissance, October 30, 2011

By 

Rebecca Graf (South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Italian Renaissance (Paperback)

The Renaissance was a time of romance, the arts, and resurgence in religion and education. It has been a period of much research and reflection. Most of the attention during the Renaissance period can be found in Italy where culture exploded and took the world by storm. Peter Burke dives into the society and culture of this most fascinating period in his book, The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy.

This is not necessarily a history book as much as a study into the culture of Italy during the Renaissance period. Yet, how can history be studied without looking into Renaissance art, politics, economics, worldviews, and religion? Truthfully, it is impossible.

Burke takes the reader deep into the world of the artist like no other book but an art book can. He discusses the recruitment and training of the artists as well as how art was viewed by the public at large. He goes into who the patrons were and how the art was used in religion, politics, and just for the visual pleasure of it. Music, as well as literature, is discussed as to how Italian society embraced the changes and encouraged experimentation in each of them.

The predominant worldviews are discussed as how man begins to look at the universe around him as well as looking within himself. Burke does an excellent job of showing how man took a step backward and began to look at everything in a whole new light.
The only traditional history that you will find discussed in these pages is found in bits and pieces centering around the religious and political aspects of society. This is a book written to expose one to one particular cultural area of Europe that greatly influenced the whole of Christendom. It gives the reader a glimpse into a layer of history that is rarely visited at such depths.

I did love the fact that the book has plenty of Renaissance pictures between the pages to show the reader exactly what is being discussed. Though only in black and white, they show why the art was transforming and in such high demand. For visual readers, like myself, this is a very big plus.

An extensive bibliography can be found that will have a Renaissance lover drooling. It including many modern sources as well as numerous primary sources in the original languages listed. You would be hard pressed to not find a book on the Italian Renaissance culture listed here.

If you love the Italian Renaissance period, this is a book that you will enjoy. You will discover the many layers of the artistic world as well as that of the nobility.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Readable and interesting, April 7, 2011

By 

David Withun (FORT GORDON, GA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Italian Renaissance (Paperback)

This is a good and fairly readable introduction to the Italian Renaissance; for those interested in the topic, it seems like a decent introduction -- it worked for me. That said, it's got more than its share of problems as well. First, a minor complaint: the art in the book should have been printed in full color, not black and white. Black and white reproductions of Renaissance art are about as worthless as three-dollar bills; the viewer completely misses the beauty of the art and so the inclusion of it at all is a waste of time. My major complaint: The constant need to reference Marxist and feminist historiography was obnoxious. Hegel, through Marx, has severely damaged the history of Western culture, and this book is evidence of that. Viewing the Renaissance in the 21st century through the lens of 19th century movements like Marxism and feminism produces anachronism, inaccuracy, and projection -- in other words, it makes for bad history. If you can get past that, it's not a bad book.