This book presents a new approach to the relationship between traditional pictorial arts and the theatre in Renaissance England. Demonstrating the range of visual culture in evidence from the mid-sixteenth to mid-seventeenth century, from the grandeur of court murals to the cheap amusement of woodcut prints, John H. Astington shows how English drama drew heavily on this imagery to stimulate the imagination of the audience. He analyses the intersection of the theatrical and the visual through such topics as Shakespeare's Roman plays and the contemporary interest in Roman architecture and sculpture; the central myth of Troy and its widely recognised iconography; scriptural drama and biblical illustration; and the emblem of the theatre itself. The book demonstrates how the art that surrounded Shakespeare and his contemporaries had a profound influence on the ways in which theatre was produced and received.

Writing about the Renaissance can be a daunting task. Not only do scholars disagree on what the Renaissance is, but they also disagree on whether or not it even took place. Margaret L. King's richly illustrated social history of the Renaissance succeeds as a trusted resource, introducing readers to Europe between 1300-1700, as well as to the problems of cultural renewal. A Short History of the Renaissance in Europe includes a detailed discussion of Burckhardt as well as new content on European contact with the Islamic world. This new edition also provides improved coverage of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations. "Focus" features provide fascinating insights into the Renaissance era, and "Voices" sections introduce a wealth of primary sources. King's engaging narrative is enhanced by over 100 images, statistical tables, timelines, a glossary, and suggested readings.

Cette importante contribution a notre comprehension des chefs-d'oeuvre de l'histoire de l'art passe a la loupe quelques-uns des plus celebres tableaux du monde, pour nous aider a devoiler leurs plus petits et plus subtils elements et tout ce qu'ils revelent d'une epoque, d'une culture et d'un espace revolus. En guidant notre regard sur les menus details du sujet et du symbolisme, Rose-Marie et Rainer Hagen nous proposent de decouvrir d'un oeil nouveau meme les toiles les plus connues a travers leurs complexites et intrigues. La mariee est-elle enceinte ? Pourquoi l'homme porte-t-il un beret ? Comment l'ombre de la guerre plane-t-elle sur une scene de danse ? D'un tableau a l'autre, nous voyageons de l'Egypte ancienne a l'Europe moderne, de la Renaissance aux Annees folles. Nous partons a la rencontre de heros grecs et de poetes allemands sans le sou et passons de cathedrales en cabarets, du jardin d'Eden a un banc de jardin de la France rurale. En decortiquant chaque tableau pour mieux le reconstituer comme un puzzle geant, nous sommes fascines par ces toiles celebres, non seulement par leur prodigieuse richesse de detail, mais aussi parce qu'elles temoignent des modes et tendances, des personnages et de la politique, des amours et des moeurs de leur epoque. A propos de la collection Bibliotheca Universalis: la compilation culturelle indispensable qui rend hommage a l'eclectisme de l'univers TASCHEN !

Selected from the vast range of Leonardo's drawings, this book presents an inspiring collection that is testament to the artist's accurate eye and unfailing hand. Once you have studied these images, you will begin to understand why Leonardo believed the eye was the perfect instrument for absorbing the laws of nature and that the artist was the perfect instrument for their expression. With selected drawings by the great Renaissance master, accompanied by insightful text from modern master-teacher, Barrington Barber, this is the perfect book for people who want to understand the genius of Leonardo but don't have the time to study his prodigious output. Includes a biography of the artist.

Focusing on artists and architectural complexes which until now have eluded scholarly attention in English-language publications, Apostolic Iconography and Florentine Confraternities in the Age of Reform examines through their art programs three different confraternal organizations in Florence at a crucial moment in their histories. Each of the organizations that forms the basis for this study oversaw renovations that included decorative programs centered on the apostles. At the complex of GesA(1) Pellegrino a fresco cycle represents the apostles in their roles as Christ's disciples and proselytizers. At the oratory of the company of Santissima Annunziata a series of frescoes shows their martyrdoms, the terrible price the apostles paid for their mission and their faith. At the oratory of San Giovanni Battista detta dello Scalzo a sculptural program of the apostles stood as an example to each confratello of how Christian piety had its roots in collective effort. Douglas Dow shows that the emphasis on the apostles within these corporate groups demonstrates how the organizations adapted existing iconography to their own purposes. He argues that their willful engagement with apostolic themes reveals the complex interaction between these organizations and the church's program of reform.

Perhaps the most imaginative writer on art in the sixteenth century, Giovan Paolo Lomazzo was also an ambitious painter, well-informed critic, and sarcastic wit: he proved a lively adversary for Vasari, Dolce, and even Aretino. His greatest contribution to the history of art is his special treatment of expression and, in its more mature form, self-expression. The image of the Temple of Painting embodies all his essential thoughts about art. Housing statues of Michelangelo, Gaudenzio Ferrari, Polidoro da Caravaggio, Leonardo, Raphael, Mantegna, and Titian--paradigms of style and, for Lomazzo, the seven greatest painters in the world--it guides the novice in the discovery of a unique style that matches his own temperament. Idea of the Temple of Painting (1590), written as a pithy introduction to the encyclopedic Trattato dell'arte della pittura, demonstrates why art is all about expressing an individual style, or maniera. Neither spontaneous nor unconscious, style reflects the rational process of adapting all the elements of painting into a harmonious whole. This treatise also represents a rare historical document. Presiding over an original confraternity of artists and humanists, Lomazzo actively participated in the Milan art scene, which is vividly brought to life by his personal commentaries. This is the first translation of any of his treatises into English.