History of Italian Renaissance Art Painting, Sculpture, Architecture

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.Hartt, Frederick is the author of 'History of Italian Renaissance Art Painting, Sculpture, Architecture', published 2002 under ISBN 9780130620118 and ISBN 0130620114.