Wiley-Blackwell Renaissance Art Reconsidered: An Anthology of Primary Sources

Renaissance Art Reconsidered showcases the aesthetic principles and the workaday practices guiding daily life through these years of extraordinary human achievement. A major new anthology, bringing to life the places, works, media, and issues that define Renaissance art Ideal for use on Renaissance studies courses and for reference by students of art history Moves beyond the borders of Italy to consider European, Mediterranean, and post Byzantine art, widening the traditional focus of Renaissance art Includes letters, treatises, contracts, inventories, and other public documents, many of which are translated into English for the first time in this volume Showcases the aesthetic principles and the workaday practices guiding daily life through these years of extraordinary human achievement, providing crucial insight into the art and the context in which it was produced. Review ?The text is well written and informative without being overly technical or employing excessive terminology.? (Association of Art Historians2009) ?Renaissance Art Reconsidered is rich in detail and broad in scope, but its most important accomplishment is its conveyance of individual attitudes on the great value placed on all forms of art. It provides a view of what was expected both throughout the creative process and in the end result. This anthology gives us insight into the needs and problems of the creative process of the artists, patrons, and viewers of the Renaissance.? (Sixteenth Century Journal, Winter 2008) From the Inside Flap Renaissance Art Reconsidered: An Anthology of Primary Sources offers an intimate glimpse into the reality of making art, and the geographical, material and theoretical factors that shaped artistic production between 1400 and 1530. This book widens the traditional Italian focus of Renaissance art history, considering texts from northern Europe and the Mediterranean alongside texts relating to Italian art. Unprecedented in its range, this collection brings together a wide variety of contracts, extracts from treatises, letters, diaries, wills and other important documents, many of which are translated into English for the first time, to provide crucial insight into the art and the context in which it was produced. From the Back Cover Renaissance Art Reconsidered: An Anthology of Primary Sources offers an intimate glimpse into the reality of making art, and the geographical, material and theoretical factors that shaped artistic production between 1400 and 1530. This book widens the traditional Italian focus of Renaissance art history, considering texts from northern Europe and the Mediterranean alongside texts relating to Italian art. Unprecedented in its range, this collection brings together a wide variety of contracts, extracts from treatises, letters, diaries, wills and other important documents, many of which are translated into English for the first time, to provide crucial insight into the art and the context in which it was produced. About the Author Carol M. Richardson is Lecturer in the History of Art Department at The Open University. She is the author of Reclaiming Rome: Cardinals in the Early Renaissance (1400–1480) (2007). Kim W. Woods is Lecturer in the History of Art Department at The Open University. She is the author of Imported Images (2007). Michael W. Franklin is Course Administrator at The Open University.