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| Library status: currently open during regularly scheduled hours. |
Albrecht Altdorfer and the Origins of Landscape by
In the early sixteenth century, Albrecht Altdorfer promoted landscape from its traditional role as background to its new place as the focal point of a picture. His paintings, drawings, and etchings appeared almost without warning and mysteriously disappeared from view just as suddenly. In Albrecht Altdorfer and the Origins of Landscape, Christopher S. Wood shows how Altdorfer transformed what had been the mere setting for sacred and historical figures into a principal venue for stylish draftsmanship and idiosyncratic painterly effects. At the same time, his landscapes offered a densely textured interpretation of that quintessentially German locus--the forest interior. This revised and expanded second edition contains a new introduction, revised bibliography, and fifteen additional illustrations.
Albrecht Durer by
Hutchison's book is a complete guide on Durer and the research on his work, his historical import and his aesthetic legacy.
Albrecht Dürer by
Dürer is the greatest of German artists and most representative of the German mind. He, like Leonardo, was a man of striking physical attractiveness, great charm of manner and conversation, and mental accomplishment, being well grounded in the sciences and mathematics of the day. His skill in draughtsmanship was extraordinary; Dürer is even more celebrated for his engravings on wood and copper than for his paintings. With both, the skill of his hand was at the service of the most minute observation and analytical research into the character and structure of form. Dürer, however, had not the feeling for abstract beauty and ideal grace that Leonardo possessed; but instead, a profound earnestness, a closer interest in humanity, and a more dramatic invention. Dürer was a great admirer of Luther; and in his own work is the equivalent of what was mighty in the Reformer. It is very serious and sincere; very human, and addressed the hearts and understanding of the masses. Nuremberg, his hometown, had become a great centre of printing and the chief distributor of books throughout Europe. Consequently, the art of engraving upon wood and copper, which may be called the pictorial branch of printing, was much encouraged. Of this opportunity Dürer took full advantage. The Renaissance in Germany was more a moral and intellectual than an artistic movement, partly due to northern conditions. The feeling for ideal grace and beauty is fostered by the study of the human form, and this had been flourishing predominantly in southern Europe. But Albrecht Dürer had a genius too powerful to be conquered. He remained profoundly Germanic in his stormy penchant for drama, as was his contemporary Mathias Grünewald, a fantastic visionary and rebel against all Italian seductions. Dürer, in spite of all his tense energy, dominated conflicting passions by a sovereign and speculative intelligence comparable with that of Leonardo. He, too, was on the border of two worlds, that of the Gothic age and that of the modern age, and on the border of two arts, being an engraver and draughtsman rather than a painter.
Art and Faith in Tridentine Spain (1545-1690) by
By providing precise and accurate examples placed and scrutinized in their historical context, "Art and Faith in Tridentine Spain (1545-1690)" explains how painting, sculpture, and sacred space were able to convey and accomplish the dogmatic decisions and the spiritual message of the Council of Trent. Beyond the "Decree on the Holy Images," it is to the letter and to the spirit of all dogmatic Canons that post-Council art refers. From the 1500s to the 1680s Counter-Reformist art became a valuable and effective arm of the Church of Rome.
Art and the Religious Image in el Greco's Italy by
Art and the Religious Image in El Greco's Italy is the first book-length examination of the early career of one of the early modern period's most notoriously misunderstood figures. Born around 1541, Domenikos Theotokopoulos began his career as an icon painter on the island of Crete. He is best known, under the name "El Greco," for the works he created while in Spain, paintings that have provoked both rapt admiration and scornful disapproval since his death in 1614. But the nearly ten years he spent in Venice and Rome, from 1567 to 1576, have remained underexplored until now. Andrew Casper's examination of this period allows us to gain a proper understanding of El Greco's entire career and reveals much about the tumultuous environment for religious painting after the Council of Trent. Art and the Religious Image in El Greco's Italy is a new book in the Art History Publication Initiative (AHPI), a collaborative grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Thanks to the AHPI grant, this book will be available in popular e-book formats.
The Art of the Renaissance by
The Renaissance began in Italy, but it was not a purely Italian phenomenon. It grew out of European civilization, with roots in Antiquity, in Christian dogma, and in Byzantium. The artistic ferment which had taken hold of Florence by 1420 was also reflected in the national schools of Siena, Umbria, Mantua and Rome; and the new ideas spread form Italy through France, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Portugal. Artists as diverse as Piero della Francesca, Van Eyck, Durer, Mantegna and Bellini are included, with superb illustrations of their work, and the book closes with the advent of the giants of the High Renaissance - Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.
Bosch by
Hieronymus Bosch was painting frightening, yet vaguely likable monsters long before computer games were ever invented, often including a touch of humour. His works are assertive statements about the mental illness that befalls any man who abandons the teachings of Christ. With a life that spanned from 1450 to 1516, Bosch experienced the drama of the highly charged Renaissance and its wars of religion. Medieval tradition and values were crumbling, paving the way to thrust man into a new universe where faith lost some of its power and much of its magic. Bosch set out to warn doubters of the perils awaiting any and all who lost their faith in God. His favourite allegories were heaven, hell, and lust. He believed that everyone had to choose between one of two options: heaven or hell. Bosch brilliantly exploited the symbolism of a wide range of fruits and plants to lend sexual overtones to his themes, which author Virginia Pitts Rembert meticulously deciphers to provide readers with new insight into this fascinating artist and his works.
The Brueghels by
Pieter Brueghel was the first important member of a family of artists who were active for four generations. Firstly a drawer before becoming a painter later, he painted religious themes, such as Babel Tower, with very bright colours. Influenced by Hieronymus Bosch, he painted large, complex scenes of peasant life and scripture or spiritual allegories, often with crowds of subjects performing a variety of acts, yet his scenes are unified with an informal integrity and often with wit. In his work, he brought a new humanising spirit. Befriending the Humanists, Brueghel composed true philosophical landscapes in the heart of which man accepts passively his fate, caught in the track of time.
A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art by
A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art provides a diverse, fresh collection of accessible, comprehensive essays addressing key issues for European art produced between 1300 and 1700, a period that might be termed the beginning of modern history. Presents a collection of original, in-depth essays from art experts that address various aspects of European visual arts produced from circa 1300 to 1700 Divided into five broad conceptual headings: Social-Historical Factors in Artistic Production; Creative Process and Social Stature of the Artist; The Object: Art as Material Culture; The Message: Subjects and Meanings; and The Viewer, the Critic, and the Historian: Reception and Interpretation as Cultural Discourse Covers many topics not typically included in collections of this nature, such as Judaism and the arts, architectural treatises, the global Renaissance in arts, the new natural sciences and the arts, art and religion, and gender and sexuality Features essays on the arts of the domestic life, sexuality and gender, and the art and production of tapestries, conservation/technology, and the metaphor of theater Focuses on Western and Central Europe and that territory's interactions with neighboring civilizations and distant discoveries Includes illustrations as well as links to images not included in the book
Dürer by
Dürer is the greatest of German artists and most representative of the German mind. He, like Leonardo, was a man of striking physical attractiveness, great charm of manner and conversation, and mental accomplishment, being well grounded in the sciences and mathematics of the day. His skill in draughtsmanship was extraordinary; Dürer is even more celebrated for his engravings on wood and copper than for his paintings. With both, the skill of his hand was at the service of the most minute observation and analytical research into the character and structure of form. Dürer, however, had not the feeling for abstract beauty and ideal grace that Leonardo possessed; but instead, a profound earnestness, a closer interest in humanity, and a more dramatic invention. Dürer was a great admirer of Luther; and in his own work is the equivalent of what was mighty in the Reformer. It is very serious and sincere; very human, and addressed the hearts and understanding of the masses. Nuremberg, his hometown, had become a great centre of printing and the chief distributor of books throughout Europe. Consequently, the art of engraving upon wood and copper, which may be called the pictorial branch of printing, was much encouraged. Of this opportunity Dürer took full advantage. The Renaissance in Germany was more a moral and intellectual than an artistic movement, partly due to northern conditions. The feeling for ideal grace and beauty is fostered by the study of the human form, and this had been flourishing predominantly in southern Europe. But Albrecht Dürer had a genius too powerful to be conquered. He remained profoundly Germanic in his stormy penchant for drama, as was his contemporary Mathias Grünewald, a fantastic visionary and rebel against all Italian seductions. Dürer, in spite of all his tense energy, dominated conflicting passions by a sovereign and speculative intelligence comparable with that of Leonardo. He, too, was on the border of two worlds, that of the Gothic age and that of the modern age, and on the border of two arts, being an engraver and draughtsman rather than a painter.
The Escorial: Art and Power in the Renaissance by
An acclaimed historian of Europe explores one of the world's most iconic buildings and the monarch who created it Few buildings have played so central a role in Spain's history as the monastery-palace of San Lorenzo del Escorial. Colossal in size and imposing--even forbidding--in appearance, the Escorial has invited and defied description for four centuries. Part palace, part monastery, part mausoleum, it has also served as a shrine, a school, a repository for thousands of relics, and one of the greatest libraries of its time. Constructed over the course of more than twenty years, the Escorial challenged and provoked, becoming for some a symbol of superstition and oppression, for others a "wonder of the world." Now a World Heritage Site, it is visited by thousands of travelers every year. In this intriguing study, Henry Kamen looks at the circumstances that brought the young Philip II to commission construction of the Escorial in 1563. He explores Philip's motivation, the influence of his travels, the meaning of the design, and its place in Spanish culture. It represents a highly engaging narrative of the high point of Spanish imperial dominance, in which contemporary preoccupations with art, religion, and power are analyzed in the context of this remarkable building.
The Essential Durer by
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), perhaps the most famous of all German artists, embodies the modern ideal of the Renaissance man--he was a remarkable painter, printmaker, draftsman, designer, theoretician, and even a poet. More is known about his thoughts and his life than about any other Northern European master of his time, since he wrote extensively about himself, his family's history, his travels, and his friends. His woodcuts and engravings were avidly collected and copied across Europe, and they quickly established his reputation as a master. Praised in life and elegized in death by such thinkers as Martin Luther and Erasmus, he served Emperor Maximilian and other leading church and secular princes in the Holy Roman Empire. Although there is a vast specialized literature on the Nuremberg master, The Essential Dürer fills the need for a foundational book that covers the major aspects of his career. The essays included in this book, written by leading scholars from the United States and Germany, provide an accessible, up-to-date examination of Dürer's art and person as well as his posthumous fame. The essays address an array of topics, from separate and detailed studies of his paintings, drawings, printmaking, and sculpture, to broader concerns such as his visits to and interactions with Venice and the Netherlands, his personal relationships, and his relationships with other artists. Collectively these stimulating essays explore the brilliance of Dürer's creativity and the impact he had on his world, exposing him as an artist fully engaged with the tumultuous intellectual and religious challenges of his time.
Graphic Worlds of Peter Bruegel the Elder by
Renowned for his effervescent and rollicking paintings of Flemish life, Peter Bruegel the Elder also holds a place among the world's finest engraving designers. This collection contains 64 of his engravings plus a woodcut, arranged in two parts. The first depicts the outer world of nature and man, including landscapes, ships and the sea, and memorable portraits of sixteenth-century Flanders citizens, from aristocrats and burghers to villagers and peasants. The second part envisions the inner worlds of imagination, morality, and religion with scenes from the Gospels and Apocrypha. In addition, the book offers cogent and stimulating commentaries by H. Arthur Klein that provide details of Bruegel's life and influences as well as his techniques. Many of these prints served as models for subsequent Bruegel canvases, and each image is accompanied by an essay that places it within its historical context. A unique survey of the best and most magical work of one of history's greatest printmakers, this volume offers a prized addition to the collections of all connoisseurs, especially those interested in the art of engraving.
Hans Holbein by
Hans Holbein the Younger was the leading artist of the Northern Renaissance, yet his life and work are not nearly as well-documented as those of his contemporaries Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo. That omission has been remedied with this acclaimed study by Oskar Bätschmann and Pascal Griener. Hans Holbein chronicles the life and oeuvre of Holbein (1497/8–1543), as Bätschmann and Griener apply their considerable knowledge to explore the full range of cultural and social influences that affected him and his work. The artist’s friendships with leading thinkers such as Erasmus and Thomas More, the development of his painting style, and the cultural influences on his work are all discussed here in this unparalleled and in-depth biography that will be essential to the bookshelf of every art lover. This second edition includes an expanded introduction and additional images.
Hieronymus Bosch by
Hieronymus Bosch was painting frightening, yet vaguely likable monsters long before computer games were ever invented, often including a touch of humour. His works are assertive statements about the mental illness that befalls any man who abandons the teachings of Christ. With a life that spanned from 1450 to 1516, Bosch experienced the drama of the highly charged Renaissance and its wars of religion. Medieval tradition and values were crumbling, paving the way to thrust man into a new universe where faith lost some of its power and much of its magic. Bosch set out to warn doubters of the perils awaiting any and all who lost their faith in God. His favourite allegories were heaven, hell, and lust. He believed that everyone had to choose between one of two options: heaven or hell. Bosch brilliantly exploited the symbolism of a wide range of fruits and plants to lend sexual overtones to his themes, which author Virginia Pitts Rembert meticulously deciphers to provide readers with new insight into this fascinating artist and his works.
Human Figure: The Complete "Dresden Sketchbook" by
This incredible collection contains drawings in which D#65533;rer experimented with many methods: the "anthropometric system," learned from Leonardo; the "exempeda" method, known to most as the man inscribed in a circle, the human figure in motion and much more. While some drawings are theoretical, many more are life studies that rank among the finest ever done. 170 plates.
Images and Relics: Theological Perceptions and Visual Images in Sixteenth-Century Europe by
John Dillenberger has written the first comprehensive account of the relation between the visual arts and theological currents in Europe during the first half of the sixteenth century. With an astute knowledge of the theology of the period and a keen interest in the lives and work of prominentartists, Dillenberger makes incisive connections that illuminate the cultural movements of the time.Images and Relics considers both popular and professional art within distinct religious contexts. It examines the works of Matthias Grunewald, Albrecht Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Michelangelo, Hans Holbein the Younger, Hans Baldung Grien, and Albrecht Altdorfer, and demonstrates how theseartists expressed and transformed the reigning theological ideas of their day. The book also addresses the range of iconoclastic movements from the 1520s to the 1570s, particularly in northern Europe. Finally, Dillenberger reflects on the ambiguity of the history of this period and its continuingimpact on modern-day life.
The Louvre: An Architectural History by
"The recent vast expansion, transformation and reorganization of the Louvre, and the building of I.M. Pei's controversial glass pyramid in its midst, has drawn attention to the architecture of this extraordinary building - a building which for eight hundred years has been at the center of French history and culture, and to which France's greatest architects, sculptors and painters have given their most inspired work." "Beneath the ground, but now easily accessible to visitors, are substantial remains of the medieval castle." "It is time, for a new assessment of the Louvre's architectural history. Genevieve Bresc, provides an authoritative guide to every period, including the army of artists and craftsmen who enriched its interiors. Two hundred seductive color plates by the leading architectural photographer Keiichi Tahara reveal the Louvre in all its glory as it has never been seen before."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Lucas Cranach the Elder by
This book presents Cranach's Reformation painting to a broader audience and explains the pictorial strategies Cranach devised to clarify and interpret Lutheran thought. For specialists in Reformation history, this study offers an interpretation of Cranach's art as an agent of religious change. For historians and students of Renaissance art, this study explores the defining work of a major sixteenth-century artist.
The Mirror of the Artist: Northern Renaissance Art in its Historical Context by 
Northern Renaissance Art by
This book offers a wide-ranging introduction to the way that art was made, valued, and viewed in northern Europe in the age of the Renaissance, from the late fourteenth to the early years of the sixteenth century. Drawing on a rich range of sources, from inventories and guild regulations topoetry and chronicles, it examines everything from panel paintings to carved altarpieces.While many little-known works are foregrounded, Susie Nash also presents new ways of viewing and understanding the more familiar, such as the paintings of Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, and Hans Memling, by considering the social and economic context of their creation and reception.Throughout, Nash challenges the perception that Italy was the European leader in artistic innovation at this time, demonstrating forcefully that Northern art, and particularly that of the Southern Netherlands, dominated visual culture throughout Europe in this crucial period.
Pieter Bruegel by
Pieter Brueghel was the first important member of a family of artists who were active for four generations. Firstly a drawer before becoming a painter later, he painted religious themes, such as Babel Tower, with very bright colours. Influenced by Hieronymus Bosch, he painted large, complex scenes of peasant life and scripture or spiritual allegories, often with crowds of subjects performing a variety of acts, yet his scenes are unified with an informal integrity and often with wit. In his work, he brought a new humanising spirit. Befriending the Humanists, Brueghel composed true philosophical landscapes in the heart of which man accepts passively his fate, caught in the track of time.
Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints by
Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/30-1569) was a remarkable draftsman and designer of prints as well as a great painter. His independent drawings and designs for engravings and etchings, which were carried out by the leading printmakers of his day, have fascinated scholars and the general public alike since they were created. They have recently been the subject of research that has given rise to a reevaluation of the parameters of Bruegel's oeuvre. The new scholarship has been brought to bear in the texts of the present volume, which accompanies a major exhibition of 140 of Bruegel's prints and drawings to be shown at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, from May to August 2001 and at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from September to December 2001. An international group of experts discusses the new Bruegel who has emerged from recent studies, in essays on the artist's life, his contributions as a draftsman and as a printmaker, the survival of his art, and his relationship to the humanism of his day. They also illuminate his genius in entries on all the works in the exhibition. Every work is illustrated and rich comparative illustrations are included. Provenances an
Renaissance Art by
The Renaissance began at the end of the 14th century in Italy and had extended across the whole of Europe by the second half of the 16th century. The rediscovery of the splendour of ancient Greece and Rome marked the beginning of the rebirth of the arts following the break-down of the dogmatic certitude of the Middle Ages. A number of artists began to innovate in the domains of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Depicting the ideal and the actual, the sacred and the profane, the period provided a frame of reference which influenced European art over the next four centuries.Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Giorgione, Mantegna, Raphael, Dürer and Bruegel are among the artists who made considerable contributions to the art of the Renaissance.
Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction by
Botticelli, Holbein, Leonardo, Durer, Michelangelo: the names are familiar, as are the works, such as the Last Supper fresco, or the monumental marble statue of David. But who were these artists, why did they produce such memorable images, and how would their original beholders have viewedthese objects? Was the Renaissance only about great masters and masterpieces, or were "mistresses" also involved, such as women artists and patrons? And what about the 'minor'-pieces that Renaissance men and women would have encountered in homes, churches and civic spaces? This exciting andstimulating volume will answer such questions by considering both famous and lesser-known artists, patrons and works of art within the cultural and historical context of Renaissance Europe.
Renaissance Art and Architecture by
The Renaissance, French for ''rebirth'', was undoubtedly the most intensely creative period in history. This explosion of activity is reflected perhaps more than elsewhere in the art and architecture of the period. The legacy the artists, sculptors, tradesmen, architects, garden designers,engravers, and printers left behind can still be seen all over Europe today, not only in the things produced at the time but also in modern art, architecture, culture, and ways of thinking.Illustrated throughout, Renaissance Art and Architecture provides the reader with an informative overview of this fascinating period and comprehensive, alphabetically arranged entries on individual artists, architects and theorists, Schools, styles, techniques, and terms. Intruiging captions explainall featured pictures, giving the history and myth behind paintings, buildings, sculptures, and more.With the assurance of sound knowledge (Gordon Campbell is the epitome of the Renaissance man) this book can be used either as a source of reliable information on the art and architecture of the period or as something to browse through at leisure.Spanning the years 1415 to 1618 the A-Z text covers drawing, design, painting, sculpture, garden design, and architecture across the whole of Europe. Containing a major overview of the period as well as A-Z entries Renaissance Art and Architecture will be valuable to a variety of people, from artlovers and all those fascinated with European history and culture to a wide range of students and teachers.ENTRIES INCLUDE:ARTstyle and techniques: calligraphy, fresco, impresa, watercolour paintingdrawing and painting: drawing frame, landscape painting, miniature, still lifeart terms: cartoon, perspective, puttoartists: Master of Alkmaar, Sandro Botticelli, Jan Brueghel, Jan van Eyck, Fra Filippo Lippi, Cosimo Rosselli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rogier van der Weyden, Pieter de Witteilluminators: Bening family, Monaco Lorenzo, Jean Pucellemosaicists: Alessio Baldovinettiart theory and art theorists: Alberti Leon Battista, paragone, Federico ZuccaroSCULPTUREstyles and techniques: chevron, drapery, grotesque, reliefmaterials: brass, marblesculptors: Baccio Bandinelli, Pierre Bontemps, Alonso de Covarrubias, Donatello, Jacques Du Broeucq, Konrad Meit, Nicholas Stone, Veit Stoss, Tino di Camainowoodcarvers and woodsculptors: Del Tasso family, Fra Giovanni da Verona, Ugo da CarpiMETALWORKstyles and techniques: Auricular Style, filigree and filigree enamel, nautilus shelldecoration: acorn cup, coins, medalmetal workers: Francois Briot, Thomas Ruckermedallists: Bertoldo di Giovanni, Leone Leoni, Martin Schaffnergoldsmiths: Arfe family, Jean Duvet, Urs Graf, Jacopo da Trezzo, Lencker family, Ritter familycoppersmiths: Antonio de Castro, Hans Petzoltarmoury and armourers: Daniel Hopffer, Markwart family, Seusenhofer familycameo making, enamelling, and enamellers: intaglio, Limoges enamels, Penicaud familyGLASSWORKstyles and techniques: agate glass, Crutched Friars glass, stained glassglass designers and makers: Andrea del Castagno, Bernard Flower, Giacomo VerzeliniFURNITUREstyles and techniques: intarsia, marquetry, panellingfurniture and decoration: Alcaraz carpets, cabinets, chairs, settles, and stools, chimney piece, mirrors, tablesPOTTERYstyles and techniques: albarello, ceramics, glaze, maiolica, tilespotters and potteries: Andries family, Deruta potteries, Faenza potteries, Mennicken family, Talavera de la Reina potteriesTEXTILES AND CLOTHINGstyles and techniques: brocade, cutwork, damask, lace, linen, needlework, petit point, sampler, weavingtapestry makers, weavers, and embroiderers: Arras tapestries, Elsinore tapestries, Paolo da Verona, Jan Corneliszoon VermeyenPRINTINGstyles and techniques: block books, bookbinding, book illustration, calligraphy, etching, fanfare bindings, girdle books, paper, watermarksengravers: Jean Goujon, Master of the Housebook, William Rogers, Saracchi familytypefounders: Claude Garamond, Francesco Griffo, Francesco Marcoliniprinters and publishers: William Caxton, Giunti Press, Johann GutenbergARCHITECTUREstyles and techniques: altarpiece, gothic, quattrocentoRenaissance architecture: Chateau d'' Amboise, Villa d'' Este, Hatfield House, Medici villas, Pitti Palace, theatre architecturefeatures: amphitheatre, fountain, nymphaeumarchitects: Baccio da Montelupo, Ducerceau family, Egas family, Girolamo da Carpi, Juan Guas, Inigo Jones, Hans Krumpper, Raffaello da Montelupo, Jan Vredeman de VriesGARDENSstyle and techniques: bosco, botanical gardens, grotto, pavilion, toperyRenaissance gardens and villas: Villa Barbaro, Villa Farnese, Kenilworth Castle, Tuileries gardensgarden designers and horticulturalists: Mollet family, Jean Robin, John Tradescant
The Serpent and the Lamb: Cranach, Luther, and the Making of the Reformation by
This compelling book retells and revises the story of the German Renaissance and Reformation through the lives of two controversial men of the sixteenth century: the Saxon court painter Lucas Cranach (the Serpent) and the Wittenberg monk-turned-reformer Martin Luther (the Lamb). Contemporaries and friends (each was godfather to the other's children), Cranach and Luther were very different Germans, yet their collaborative successes merged art and religion into a revolutionary force that became the Protestant Reformation. Steven Ozment, an internationally recognized historian of the Reformation era, reprises the lives and works of Cranach (1472-1553) and Luther (1483-1546) in this generously illustrated book. He contends that Cranach's new art and Luther's oratory released a barrage of criticism upon the Vatican, the force of which secured a new freedom of faith and pluralism of religion in the Western world. Between Luther's pulpit praise of the sex drive within the divine estate of marriage and Cranach's parade of strong, lithe women, a new romantic, familial consciousness was born. The "Cranach woman" and the "Lutheran household"--both products of the merged Renaissance and Reformation worlds--evoked a new organization of society and foretold a new direction for Germany.
Viewing Renaissance Art by
This book focuses on the values, priorities, and motives of patrons and the purposes and functions of art works produced north and south of the Alps and in post-Byzantine Crete. It begins by considering the social range and character of Renaissance patronage and ends with a study of Hans Holbein the Younger and the reform of religious images in Basle and England. Viewing Renaissance Art considers a wide range of audiences and patrons from the rulers of France to the poorest confraternities in Florence. The overriding premise is that art was not a neutral matter of stylistic taste but an aspect of material production in which values were invested--whether religious, cultural, social, or political.