The Power of Images: Siena, 1338

by Patrick Boucheron

Where can the danger be lurking? Two soldiers are huddled together, one gazing up at the sky, the other darting a sideward glance. They derive a tacit reassurance from their weapons, but they are both in their different ways alone and scared. They were painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena, and they seem symptomatic of a state of the year was 1338, and the spectre of the signoria, of rule by one man, was abroad in the city, undermining the very idea of the common good. In this book, distinguished historian Patrick Boucheron uncovers the rich social and political dimensions of the iconic ‘Fresco of Good Government’. He guides the reader through Lorenzetti’s divided city, where peaceful prosperity and leisure sit alongside the ever-present threats of violence, war and despotism. Lorenzetti’s painting reminds us crucially that good government is not founded on the wisdom of principled or virtuous rulers. Rather, good government lies in the visible and tangible effects it has on the lives of its citizens. By subjecting it to scrutiny, we may, at least for a while, be able to hold at bay the dark seductions of tyranny. From fourteenth-century Siena to the present, The Power of Images shows the latent dangers to democracy when our perceptions of the common good are distorted and undermined. It will appeal to students and scholars in art history, politics and the humanities, as well as to anyone interested in the nature of power.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2018

Reviews

[Marks54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rich and complex book. I purchased the book to prepare for a trip to Tuscany (and Siena) in the fall - a trip that I will almost certainly need to postpone until next year or later, due to the public health issues that have caused much life in the US and Italy to grind to a halt lately. The book is a multilayer account of the famous art work known as “Fresco of Good Government” that was painted by Ambrogio Lorenzetti in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena in 1338. a distinguished French historian, Patrick Boucheron, build on some earlier work to present some deep background to this complex fresco and how to interpret it.
My intuition in reading this is that it is highly implausible that I will be able to make much sense out of a complex painting produced nearly 700 years ago, just prior to the arrival of the Black Death into Europe. The most common interpretations of the work, both its overall structure and its particular components, is almost surely oversimplified. A key point of the book is that a grand work like this is a distinct story on its own terms that is thoroughly embedded in the artistic tradition and the contemporary political situation at the time of its creation. Which of the dichotomies in the work are most reasonable? Is there a clear unifying perspective or a multiplicity of them? Besides, the fresco is severely damaged in places, while the building in which it is located has changed over the centuries. Doing some homework seemed reasonable for a complex painting like this. This had proven helpful in looking at some altarpieces in Ghent and Colmar and the Diego Rivera murals in Detroit and so seemed reasonable to try here.

The book is well done but a very deep dive without the actual work to reference fresco. That is a major point made by Boucheron as well. There are lots of illustration plates but it is not the same as being there. I hope I can go next year.

Until then, I will remain a bit frustrated.

[Doris Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LIKE THIS BOOK.