History of Italian Renaissance (Trade Version) (4th Edition) (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For sophomore/senior survey courses of Italian Renaissance painting, sculpture, and architecture. Long hailed as one of the most comprehensive and richly detailed chronologies of painting, sculpture, and architecture in Italy from c. 1200 AD to c. 1594 AD, this text focuses on the works of art, their creators, and the circumstances affecting their creation. This revision is designed to provide students with a more streamlined approach to understanding Italian Renaissance art without losing the enthusiasm and appreciation that Hartt demonstrated for this area and which earlier editions of this book conveyed so successfully to generations of students. The text is organized first of all chronologically, with individual chapters dedicated to developments in different areas or cities, such as Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Venice, and North Italy. There is a strong emphasis on understanding the works of individual artists as examples of their specific approach and style. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Frederick Hartt's History of Italian Renaissance Art remains an unrivaled classic. As absorbing to read as it is authoritative in content, the book covers over four centuries of Italian painting, sculpture, and architecture. Its sumptuous color illustrations, fine writing, and in-depth scholarship bring into focus all the elements of this extraordinarily creative period and the amazing personalities who gave it life. Building on the book's more than thirty-year tradition, revising author David G. Wilkins skillfully blends new scholarly discoveries with Hartt's original emphasis on stylistic developments between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Wilkins's approach retains the enthusiasm and appreciation that Hartt so successfully conveyed to generations of students and admirers of Italian Renaissance art.

The fifth edition has a striking new design with more than half the works of art now illustrated in color. A lavish color portfolio of the Italian Renaissance opens the book and launches the reader on a dazzling adventure across time. New views of frescoes and sculptures photographed in their original locations offer a dynamic insight into the way Renaissance men and women experienced their art. Since the release of the fourth edition, many more works have been restored, including Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Stanze frescoes in the Vatican. Fresh views of renowned works are included with art commissioned or produced by women. Extended captions identify Renaissance patrons and provide details about historical context, emphasizing how art was created and why, while in-depth visual analysis clarifies the aesthetic developments that emerged in key artistic centers such as Florence, Rome, Venice, and Siena. New iconographic diagrams and computerized reconstructions add dimension to the meanings behind classical, secular, and sacred motifs. Architectural plans, maps in color, and an expanded glossary and bibliography complete this well-rounded picture of the Italian Renaissance.

Frederick Hartt and David Wilkins's History of Italian Renaissance Art invites us to experience a rich artistic legacy in painting, sculpture, and architecture. Through an engaging narrative complemented by a cascade of illustrations, Hartt and Wilkins connect us with the remarkable artists whose innovations and visions shaped the Renaissance.

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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 696 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 4 edition (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810934175
• ISBN-13: 978-0810934177
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #667,949 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply One Of The Best Books Ever!, October 20, 2007

By	David A. Plouffe (West Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: History of Italian Renaissance Art (Paperback)

I don't give 5-star ratings very often. I reserve them for only the best, and this is indeed the best book on the Italian Renaissance. I received both my BA and MA in Art History and this was the text used for my Renaissance classes. The book does not read as a textbook for those looking for leisure reading. It reads like a novel and is written in easy to understand language. Chapters are broken down by time period. There are a TON of pictures! I would say 50% of the book is pictures and 95% of those are in color. There are a few B&W pictures but they are of obscure sculptures or paintings.

The book was originally written by Frederick Harrt who was one of the 'Monument Men' in World War II who went around Italy documenting art, missing, damaged, or otherwise. He has passed away but David Wilkins has kept up on the new editions with the current scholarship being done in Renaissance Art. Whether you get this as a textbook for a class, or leisure reading, a coffee table book perhaps, or even a Christmas book for a hard-to-but-for relative, it is well worth the money.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete Reference for Italian Renaissance Art, December 17, 2006

By	Linda R. (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of Italian Renaissance Art (Paperback)

This a beautiful book. It is complete and definitive for reference to Italian Renaissance Art. The photographs are clear and the information is concise. I used this for my graduate Italian art history class. I am keeping this book and will not be selling it back!

28 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect book for a library and coffee table., December 17, 1997

By	[e-mail] - See all my reviews

Fredrick Hartt is a man whose love of his subject is only equal to his willingness to expalin it in terms of the layman. He does not limit the purview of the book to merely the depiction of Italian life and piety, but brings in narrative and anecdotes to enliven the tome. He introduces us to the vocabulary of the arts, not consigning them to an inconvenient niche in the appendix, neither condescending incessantly or immersed in jagon. The resplendent illustrations, true eye candy, fill the book, making it a true bargain. Hartt truly deserves the copious awards given to him by the patrons of the arts. My only regret is that the usuerers of my school book store had not charged such a bloated price ($72) for this book.