Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting

by David Alan Brown, Sylvia Ferino-Pagden, Peter Humfrey (Contributor)

The first three decades of the sixteenth century represent, visually and intellectually, the most exciting phase of the Renaissance in Venice—when Giorgione and the young Titian, together with Sebastiano del Piombo, Palma Vecchio, and others, were working alongside the older master Giovanni Bellini. This beautiful book presents an innovative survey of sixty Venetian Renaissance paintings of the caliber of Bellini and Titian’s Feast of the Gods in Washington and Giorgione’s Laura and Three Philosophers in Vienna.Unlike previous surveys of the period, this book refrains from dividing up the artists represented and instead explores the interrelationships between them. Through a series of thematic sections, the authors trace the rise of secular subjects—pastoral landscapes, female nudes, and romantic portraits—and the transformation of religious ones as well as innovations in style and technique. Cutting across genres, the book also focuses on the overarching themes of music, love, and time.Featuring essays by leading scholars, detailed entries on some of the most renowned pictures of sixteenth-century Italy, and revealing technical information, Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, and the Renaissance of Venetian Painting is an essential volume to own.

Genres: Art, History, Art History

336 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2006

Reviews

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful book and quite interesting, but I feel like I'd have gotten more out of it if I had more detailed art knowledge. This collection deals specifically with Venetian painters and their works in Venice from 1500-1530, discussing evolving technique, mutual influence and competition. Rather than grouping by artist, this book is divided into categories: Sacred Images, Sacred Stories, Allegories and Mythologies, Portraits of Women and Portraits of Men. There are also sections on general Venetian history and society, technical studies of these paintings using x-radiographs and infrared reflectography (for the individual artists' process as well as editing and later changes), and early 16th century color technology ("colore"). 3 stars.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to see the pictures but I did not find the writing very compelling or captivating which is a big disappointment since these artists certainly are.