Renaissance Rivals: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Titian

by Rona Goffen

This enthralling book views the lives and greatest works of the Renaissance masters through the prism of their ardent rivalry. Rona Goffen, one of the most highly respected scholars of the Italian Renaissance today, brings Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Titian to life in this lively account of their passionate strivings to outdo both living competitors and the masters of antiquity.�Who would have thought that the serene masterpieces of the High Renaissance owed so much of their vitality to backstage brawling? Only Rona Goffen knows enough to trace these labyrinthine rivalries. In her book the artists take on cinematic vitality, making us see the artifacts produced by such creative brawlers in entirely new ways. They are knockouts. So is her book.”—Garry Wills�A handsome, copiously illustrated book.”—Virginia Quarterly Review
�This lively and appealing book is an important achievement. . . . Magnificently researched and handsomely produced, Renaissance Rivals advances the discussion of a central aspect of early modern culture. In doing so, it has no rivals.”—Werner Gundersheimer, American Scholar

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Renaissance

532 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2002

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wide-ranging to an almost exhausting extent, but very well researched and certainly convincing.

[Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to finish this fantastic book. I e-mailed the author just a month before she passed away to tell her how much I was enjoying it. She was very kind to respond back that I'd made her day!

[Willis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by an art expert, this was a little too much for me. You'd need some background on the Renaissance painters to get the most of the book. I did appreciate the many visuals of different works of art throughout the book.

[Stash · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very dry and very specious (maybe more fallacious). I can't even begin to get into what I thought were the problems with this book but I would not recommend this text to anyone.