The Controversy of Renaissance Art

by Alexander Nagel

Many studies have shown that images—their presence in the daily lives of the faithful, the means used to control them, and their adaptation to secular uses—were at the heart of the Reformation crisis in northern Europe.  But the question as it affects the art of Italy has been raised only in highly specialized studies.

 

In this book, Alexander Nagel provides the first truly synthetic study of the controversies over religious images that pervaded Italian life both before and parallel to the Reformation north of the Alps. Tracing the intertwined relationship of artistic innovation and archaism, as well as the new pressures placed on the artistic media in the midst of key developments in religious iconography, The Controversy of Renaissance Art offers an important and original history of humanist thought and artistic experimentation from one of our most acclaimed historians of art.

 

Genres: Art, Renaissance

376 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2011

Reviews

[Jayme Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal text, a must-read for anyone interested in Renaissance art. I got my copy because I am writing about Rosso for a paper I'm working on, and it did not disappoint. The rest of the book is also great, but if you're looking for a good source on Ross, who is a bit of an overlooked Renaissance painter, you can never go wrong with Nagel.

Also, to whoever owned my copy beforehand, I found your rent check from August 2014 here, among other scraps of paper with weird notes. I hope your landlord was forgiving when you misplaced that. Hope you're doing well.

[Alessio]

Utterly compelling — the Riccio chapter is magnificent

[Arielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understood the first half but got lost in the second.