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Art & Ideas (Phaidon)
The Northern Renaissance
This book comprises a rigorous and enchanting exploration of a highly innovative and exciting period of art following the careers of artists such as Van Eyck, Dürer and Holbein. Jeffrey Chipps Smith analyses key conceptual aspects of that period, such as the Protestant Reformation and the discovery of the Americas, offering the reader a penetrative insight into domestic, civic and court life as illustrated by some of the most exquisite artworks ever created.
In the years from 1380 to 1580, northern Europe witnessed a period of artistic innovation as dynamic as contemporary developments in Italy. Stimulated by the atmosphere of intellectual curiosity about the individual and the natural world, Northern Renaissance artists mastered the new techniques of oil painting and printmaking to produce some of the most exquisite art of all time. It was also a period of political, religious and social turmoil, which profoundly changed the patronage, production and subject matter of art.
At all levels of society art was a part of everyday life. Chipps Smith writes with tireless lucidity about these changes and the objects themselves. The works range from tapestries, altarpieces and illuminated manuscripts to churches, palaces and civic architecture. He discusses the audiences and functions of art from across nothern Europe, including not only Germany, France and the Low Countries, but also Britain and Austria. He explores major cultural and historic events such as the Protestant Reformation and the discovery of the Americas, to consider how they widened intellectual and religious horizons. The result is a book that reveals, with passion and erudition, how the Northern Renaissance masters laid the foundations for the art of succeeding centuries.
In the years from 1380 to 1580, northern Europe witnessed a period of artistic innovation as dynamic as contemporary developments in Italy. Stimulated by the atmosphere of intellectual curiosity about the individual and the natural world, Northern Renaissance artists mastered the new techniques of oil painting and printmaking to produce some of the most exquisite art of all time. It was also a period of political, religious and social turmoil, which profoundly changed the patronage, production and subject matter of art.
At all levels of society art was a part of everyday life. Chipps Smith writes with tireless lucidity about these changes and the objects themselves. The works range from tapestries, altarpieces and illuminated manuscripts to churches, palaces and civic architecture. He discusses the audiences and functions of art from across nothern Europe, including not only Germany, France and the Low Countries, but also Britain and Austria. He explores major cultural and historic events such as the Protestant Reformation and the discovery of the Americas, to consider how they widened intellectual and religious horizons. The result is a book that reveals, with passion and erudition, how the Northern Renaissance masters laid the foundations for the art of succeeding centuries.
448 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2004
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About the author
Jeffrey Chipps Smith
30 books1 followerJeffrey Chipps Smith is a Professor of Art History at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 3, 2024
Εξαιρετική η επιλογή των θεματικών ενοτήτων, των καλλιτεχνών και των έργων που παρουσιάζονται, όπως και η ποιότητα εκτύπωσης. Ένα από τα δώρα της τυπογραφίας στο ένα τρίτο του μέσου ημερομισθίου. Κελεπούρι.
Το κείμενο του Jeffrey Chipps Smith δεν φλυαρεί καθόλου, αναλύει όσο χρειάζεται για να σε κάνει να ξανακοιτάξεις προσεκτικότερα τα αριστουργήματα (προσωπικό μου κόλλημα οι Van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Pieter Bruegel)..
The Flemish Primitives · The Portraits · Van Eyck, Campin, Van der Weyden, Memling, Van der Goes YouTube https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9xGI7yP...
Το κείμενο του Jeffrey Chipps Smith δεν φλυαρεί καθόλου, αναλύει όσο χρειάζεται για να σε κάνει να ξανακοιτάξεις προσεκτικότερα τα αριστουργήματα (προσωπικό μου κόλλημα οι Van der Weyden, Petrus Christus, Pieter Bruegel)..
The Flemish Primitives · The Portraits · Van Eyck, Campin, Van der Weyden, Memling, Van der Goes YouTube https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9xGI7yP...
May 1, 2025
Jeffrey Chipps Smith "The Northern Renassance" is an excellent introductory work especially for the Northern American reader. In the book Smith uses examples from the Metropolitan Museum (New York), the Cloisters (New York) and the Museum of Fine Art (Boston). He also discusses that are displayed at Louvre (Paris), the National Gallery (London) and El Prado (Madrid) which are on the itinerary of the North American tourist.
The problem is that many of works that are covered are from sites that are a little bit off the beaten path. Examples in this category include: "Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berrry" by the Limbourg Brothers (Musée Condée Chanilly); "Angelic Salutation" by Veit Stoss, St. Lorenz's Church Nuremburg; "Fall of Rebel Angels" by Frans Floris, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp and "Death and the Maiden", Hans Baldung Grien, Offtenliche Kunst-sammlunt, Basel. In other words, Smith's book left me convinced that it would be neither easy nor straight-forward for me to visit the sites that would allow me to see the complete spectrum of the art of the Northern Renaissance.
Smith argues eloquently that the artistic output of the Northern Renaissance was extremely rich. In Smith's view the Northern Renaissance gave us the new arts of engraving (e.g. Albrecht Dürer) woodcuts (e.g. Albrecht Altdorfer) and finally oil painting (e.g. Jan Van Eyck). Throughout the book, Smith mourns all the great art that was destroyed during the period of Protestant iconoclasm. Only a small portion of what was produced has survived as followers of Luther and Calvin stripped bare the churches of Northern Europe.
Smith's book is not for the person who has studied art history at university or college. For the reader from the general public, however, it is very interesting and insightful.
The problem is that many of works that are covered are from sites that are a little bit off the beaten path. Examples in this category include: "Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berrry" by the Limbourg Brothers (Musée Condée Chanilly); "Angelic Salutation" by Veit Stoss, St. Lorenz's Church Nuremburg; "Fall of Rebel Angels" by Frans Floris, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp and "Death and the Maiden", Hans Baldung Grien, Offtenliche Kunst-sammlunt, Basel. In other words, Smith's book left me convinced that it would be neither easy nor straight-forward for me to visit the sites that would allow me to see the complete spectrum of the art of the Northern Renaissance.
Smith argues eloquently that the artistic output of the Northern Renaissance was extremely rich. In Smith's view the Northern Renaissance gave us the new arts of engraving (e.g. Albrecht Dürer) woodcuts (e.g. Albrecht Altdorfer) and finally oil painting (e.g. Jan Van Eyck). Throughout the book, Smith mourns all the great art that was destroyed during the period of Protestant iconoclasm. Only a small portion of what was produced has survived as followers of Luther and Calvin stripped bare the churches of Northern Europe.
Smith's book is not for the person who has studied art history at university or college. For the reader from the general public, however, it is very interesting and insightful.
December 13, 2024
A nice survey organized around social contexts: court, city, domestic, private devotion, church, death, etc.
October 2, 2021
Really good !
June 24, 2023
A nice survey of Northern Renaissance art.
Read
April 27, 2024Read for class--I have no opinion other than art is cool and that it helped for essays. I am sorry, I am not a non-fiction reader (for the most part).
May 27, 2025
Extremely in-depth but not so hard to read. LOVE.
October 29, 2025
really interesting exploration of northern renaissance art. read for SII 330 reformation art: protest & power.
September 21, 2012
Like most all of the books in this collection by Phaidon, it's an amazing tour of the period it covers and comes complete with not only a well-written text by a leading authority in this area of art history, but also color plates of the utmost quality—which we'd expect from one of the finest, most-innovative, publishing houses in the art book business, now wouldn't we?
Dr. Chippa-Smith does a fine job on the text but the depth and scope of the Northern Renaissance is such that no book—even one so well-written and fairly-long—can in fact do it justice. That said, this is a great place to start and is the best quality and best value for a text on this subject.
Dr. Chippa-Smith does a fine job on the text but the depth and scope of the Northern Renaissance is such that no book—even one so well-written and fairly-long—can in fact do it justice. That said, this is a great place to start and is the best quality and best value for a text on this subject.
August 9, 2015
This was one of the recommended readings in the art MOOC I'm taking right now. Most people are familiar with what was going on in the Italian Renaissance, but there was a lot of stuff going on in the Netherlands, too. Part of a excellent survey-of-art series by Phaidon, this book covers in depth the heavy-hitters like Durer, Breugel, and Bosch, while covering the lesser-known figures in Northern Renaissance art, and providing a brief survey of other movements and trends. Recommended for anybody who wants to deepen their art knowledge a little in this area; also, the photos are gorgeous.
March 23, 2014
I guess I just like the historical and social context of art. This was mainly descriptions of paintings, sculptures, prints and architecture. It is a beautiful book with nice reproductions (as are all the books in this series). But I ended up skimming a large part of the book and looking at the pictures.
July 29, 2019
πολύ ωραίο βιβλιαράκι για άλλη μια φορά
αυτή τη σειρά πρέπει να την ολόκληρώσω
όσα έχω διαβάσει μέχρι στιγμή είναι ένα και ένα
τρομερή εισαγωγή για όσους γνωρίζουν μόνο ντύρερ από βορρά
και γενικά, πολύ ωραία εισαγωγή για όσους νομίζουν ότι αναγέννηση παίχτηκε μόνο στην ιταλία
αυτή τη σειρά πρέπει να την ολόκληρώσω
όσα έχω διαβάσει μέχρι στιγμή είναι ένα και ένα
τρομερή εισαγωγή για όσους γνωρίζουν μόνο ντύρερ από βορρά
και γενικά, πολύ ωραία εισαγωγή για όσους νομίζουν ότι αναγέννηση παίχτηκε μόνο στην ιταλία
August 1, 2012
A beautiful book, packed with wonderful illustrations and very interesting accompanying text.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews