The Enigma of Piero: Piero Della Francesca

by Carlo Ginzburg, Kate Soper (Translator), Peter Burke (Introduction)

Sifting the available evidence, Carlo Ginzburg builds up a vivid portrait of Piero della Francesca’s patrons and convincingly explains the contemporary intrigues resonant in his painting. This new edition, extensively illustrated, includes additional material by Ginzburg dealing with the work of Roberto Longhi, the dating of the Arezzo Cycle, and the rediscovery of della Francesca in the twentieth century.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Art History

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Born in 1939, he is the son of of Italian-Ukranian translator Leone Ginzburg and Italian writer Natalia Ginzburg. Historian whose fields of interest range from the Italian Renaissance to early modern European History, with contributions in art history, literary studies, popular cultural beliefs, and the theory of historiography.

Reviews

[icaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Italia ci vuole un bel coraggio a scrivere un saggio scientifico in un campo che non è il proprio.
Ginzburg ce l'ha avuto ( e le critiche non gli sono mancate). Se amate la pittura del rinascimento questo libro è un piacere intellettuale che dovreste proprio regalarvi (si, è vero, ho un debole per Carlo Ginzburg).
Uno storico che scrive di arte (storicamente) non è cosa da tutti i giorni.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

reminded me of diedrich deidrichson's essay defining surplus value of an art work except with the case of the early enlightment; this book takes us on an investigative journey into the social life of a 1400s rockstar artist. ginzberg closely studies piero's artist contemporaries, his influences, and orbiting patrons to enact an ex post facto de-mystification of religious symbolism in his work. fuck longhi! at times sort of boring when it gets to the nitty gritty of parrochial court and Medici political dynasty but who's to really say.. i am not a historian