What do you think?
Rate this book
Giotto
Giotto (1266-1337) is considered one of the founders of modern painting, having broken away from the rigid, stereotyped figures of Byzantine and medieval art to give his characters natural expression and solid three-dimensionality. D'Arcais leads readers on a chronological survey of Giotto's life and works. Features hundreds of colorful reproductions of his paintings.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1995
3 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 29, 2016
When I saw this book available for request on NetGalley, my inner art history minor went "SQUEE!!!!" and I hit the request button. My request was granted and then my inner art history minor went "nom nom nom, sigh".
My art history classes were... awhile ago, but not so long ago that the allure of it was completely lost to the ravages of life and older age. This book COMPLETELY took me back to art history text books and going to museums in NYC to actually SEE some of the works IRL, rather than on a page.
That's where this falls short as an eBook. The pictures are GORGEOUS, but the full two page spreads are split and I don't have the ability to make it all on one page, if that ability actually exists. It was FRUSTRATING to only see HALF of the work being discussed and shown.
Another neg is that you have to keep skipping back and forth between the discussion and the work being discussed. It's much easier to bend the page so you can read and view at the same time, or at least flip back and forth without losing your place as easily.
So only 4 stars for the e-version of the book. Seriously, if you want this book, get it for reals. The eBook just doesn't cut it. Though I'm sure the real book is much heavier than an eReader, it's worth it for the pictures alone.
Giotto was an amazing, forward thinking artist from Italy working in the late 1200s to early 1300s. One of the things that I have learned from this book about him, and about the time in general, is that NO ONE DOCUMENTED ANYTHING IN A WAY THAT WAS LASTING. Lol, the scholars of Giotto ALL disagree on when he was in Padua, when he did this Crucifix, when he did that Crucifix, etc. I can completely hear the frustration of the author, even through a translation.
I imagine that if an art historian of Giotto or another artist who was also similarly not documented as well as other later artists got their hands on a time machine, I KNOW where they would be going. Heck, as an English major, I would for once and all dispel the rumors of "did Shakespeare exist and did he write his own plays" drama that seems to persist in the English academic world. So I completely understand the author's frustration.
She was quite fair to list the other major Giotto scholars and their beliefs and why they believed it. She then stated what she believed and why, but she was respectful and included them. You do get a slight, "I'm right and they are wrong, and I pity them for their wrong beliefs", but I think all scholars have that air about them. She wasn't rude about it, but you know where she was coming from.
Slight neg on the eARC, it ended at page 317 out of what I think is a 380 some odd page book. So I didn't get to see the notes, works cited and bibliography, as is my want with a non-fiction book. I REALLY wanted to see what other books were listed in the bibliography, because future TBR, but I guess I can just read over my old textbooks from college if I get another art history jones.
Very good book. I think it will be even better as the book and not the eBook. Four solid, took me back, stars. I think anyone who has an interest in art history, or heck, even just really pretty artwork, would enjoy this book. The language is a bit technical, but not so technical that it will go over the reader's head. I highly recommend it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Abbeville Press for and eARC copy of this book to read and review.
My art history classes were... awhile ago, but not so long ago that the allure of it was completely lost to the ravages of life and older age. This book COMPLETELY took me back to art history text books and going to museums in NYC to actually SEE some of the works IRL, rather than on a page.
That's where this falls short as an eBook. The pictures are GORGEOUS, but the full two page spreads are split and I don't have the ability to make it all on one page, if that ability actually exists. It was FRUSTRATING to only see HALF of the work being discussed and shown.
Another neg is that you have to keep skipping back and forth between the discussion and the work being discussed. It's much easier to bend the page so you can read and view at the same time, or at least flip back and forth without losing your place as easily.
So only 4 stars for the e-version of the book. Seriously, if you want this book, get it for reals. The eBook just doesn't cut it. Though I'm sure the real book is much heavier than an eReader, it's worth it for the pictures alone.
Giotto was an amazing, forward thinking artist from Italy working in the late 1200s to early 1300s. One of the things that I have learned from this book about him, and about the time in general, is that NO ONE DOCUMENTED ANYTHING IN A WAY THAT WAS LASTING. Lol, the scholars of Giotto ALL disagree on when he was in Padua, when he did this Crucifix, when he did that Crucifix, etc. I can completely hear the frustration of the author, even through a translation.
I imagine that if an art historian of Giotto or another artist who was also similarly not documented as well as other later artists got their hands on a time machine, I KNOW where they would be going. Heck, as an English major, I would for once and all dispel the rumors of "did Shakespeare exist and did he write his own plays" drama that seems to persist in the English academic world. So I completely understand the author's frustration.
She was quite fair to list the other major Giotto scholars and their beliefs and why they believed it. She then stated what she believed and why, but she was respectful and included them. You do get a slight, "I'm right and they are wrong, and I pity them for their wrong beliefs", but I think all scholars have that air about them. She wasn't rude about it, but you know where she was coming from.
Slight neg on the eARC, it ended at page 317 out of what I think is a 380 some odd page book. So I didn't get to see the notes, works cited and bibliography, as is my want with a non-fiction book. I REALLY wanted to see what other books were listed in the bibliography, because future TBR, but I guess I can just read over my old textbooks from college if I get another art history jones.
Very good book. I think it will be even better as the book and not the eBook. Four solid, took me back, stars. I think anyone who has an interest in art history, or heck, even just really pretty artwork, would enjoy this book. The language is a bit technical, but not so technical that it will go over the reader's head. I highly recommend it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Abbeville Press for and eARC copy of this book to read and review.
January 6, 2022
Beautiful book and well written. Feel like it was a bit above where I am now, but still learned a lot. Definitely a read for someone well versed in art and not necessarily looking for a biography of Giotto
June 3, 2018
Interessante la parte relativa al "Non Giotto" (Cavallini? Arnolfo di Cambio?). Peccato per le immagini della Cappella degli Scrovegni, mancano delle parti iconografiche importanti.
February 19, 2017
Oh Giotto, I can't wait to see your frescoes again in Florence.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews