Italian Renaissance Art
Understanding its Meaning
1. Edition February 2013
288 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Richly illustrated, and featuring detailed descriptions of works by
pivotal figures in the Italian Renaissance, this enlightening
volume traces the development of art and architecture throughout
the Italian peninsula in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries.
* A smart, elegant, and jargon-free analysis of the Italian
Renaissance - what it was, what it means, and why we should
study it
* Provides a sustained discussion of many great works of
Renaissance art that will significantly enhance readers'
understanding of the period
* Focuses on Renaissance art and architecture as it developed
throughout the Italian peninsula, from Venice to
Sicily
* Situates the Italian Renaissance in the wider context of the
history of art
* Includes detailed interpretation of works by a host of pivotal
Renaissance artists, both well and lesser known
Preface xi
Frontispiece: Map of places mentioned xiii
Introduction: The Italian Renaissance as an Idea Rather Than a Period 1
1 What a Difference a Hundred Years Makes 8
2 How It All Started: Florence and Umbria 31
3 What Happened Next in Florence 68
4 Searching for the Renaissance (1): Siena and Southward to Sicily 92
5 Searching for the Renaissance (2): From Northern Italy Back to Umbria 118
6 The Triumph of the Intellectual Avant-Garde: The High Renaissance 152
7 Some Other Artists of the High Renaissance 184
8 The Swan Song of Renaissance Art 200
9 The Break and the New Avant-Garde: Early Mannerism 209
10 What Was the Italian Renaissance? Conclusions in the Bigger Picture 246
Appendix A: Artists Mentioned 258
Appendix B: Some Suggested Readings 262
Index 267
undergraduates, graduate students, and
researchers/faculty." (Choice, 1 November
2013)
"I highly recommend the very important and fascinating
book href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118306112.html">Italian
Renaissance Art: Understanding its Meaning by Christiane L.
Joost-Gaugier, to any historians, art critics, art history and
Renaissance history students and academics, and to anyone seeking a
deeper understanding of the real meaning and currents that were
present in Renaissance Italy. This book will transform how you view
the art and the artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in
Italy, and guide you toward thinking of the Renaissance as an
important idea and not as a time period." (Blog
Business World, 13 April 2013)
"I highly recommend the very important and fascinating
book href="http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118306112.html">Italian
Renaissance Art: Understanding its Meaning by Christiane L.
Joost-Gaugier, to any historians, art critics, art history and
Renaissance history students and academics, and to anyone seeking a
deeper understanding of the real meaning and currents that were
present in Renaissance Italy. This book will transform how you view
the art and the artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in
Italy, and guide you toward thinking of the Renaissance as an
important idea and not as a time period." (Money
Talks, 13 April 2013)
"Joost-Gaugier's book makes a major contribution to our
thinking about Italian Renaissance art. Her fresh ideas will
be useful for students as well as for advanced
scholars."
Joseph Manca, Rice University
"Superseding earlier textbooks full of oversimplified
description, Professor Joost-Gaugier's book teaches students how to
read and discuss art. Its central insight - that the
Renaissance was an idea that motivated artists of the time -
is supported by the author's sensitive
interpretations."
Luba Freedman, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"An engaging introduction to the subject, with a welcome
emphasis on art's formal language. Students will relish
Joost-Gaugier's descriptions of Renaissance paintings and her
erudite narrative."
Mary D. Garrard, American University
Harvard University (AB, AM, PhD) and an internationally known art
historian. She has taught and lectured in numerous
universities internationally and has chaired departments at several
American universities. Professor Joost-Gaugier has written
extensively on Italian art and architecture and has authored more
than 200 publications, including six books. Her work has been
supported by numerous research grants and published in
international journals, exhibition catalogues, and conference
proceedings. In 2005 she was awarded an honorary Phi Beta
Kappa by Harvard University for Lifetime Achievement.
