Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500

by Welch, Evelyn

• ISBN13: 9780192842039
• ISBN10: 019284203X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-05-08
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Italian Renaissance was a pivotal period in the history of Western culture during which artists such as Masaccio, Donatello, Fra Angelico, and Leonardo created some of the world's most influential and exciting works in a variety of artistic fields. Here, Evelyn Welch presents a fresh picture of the Italian Renaissance by challenging traditional scholarship and placing emphasis on recreating the experience of contemporary Italians: the patrons who commissioned the works, the members of the public who viewed them, and the artists who produced them. Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500 dramatically revises the traditional story of the Renaissance and takes into account new issues that have greatly enriched our understanding of the period. From paintings and coins to sculptures and tapestries, Welch examines the issues of materials, workshop practices, and artist-patron relationships, and explores the ways in which visual imagery related to contemporary sexual, social, and political behavior.

Author Biography

About the Author:
Evelyn Welch is Lecturer, School of European Studies, University of Sussex. Her publications include Art and Authority in Renaissance Milan.

Table of Contents

Introduction	9	(26)
Part I Artistic Enterprises	35	(96)
2. Materials and Methods	37	(42)
3. The Organization of Art	79	(24)
4. Defining Relationships: Artists and Patrons	103	(28)
Part II Audiences for Art	131	(78)
5. The Sacred Setting	133	(34)
6. Sites of Devotion	167	(42)
Part III The Art of Government	209	(66)
7. Creating Authority	211	(30)
8. Rome and the Republics	241	(34)
Part IV Art and the Household	275	(37)
9. The Domestic Setting	277	(35)
Notes	312	(8)
List of Illustrations	320	(6)
Bibliographic Essay	326	(10)
Timeline	336	(10)
Index	346