travelphile

I am particulary interested in any weblinks that might be out there.

I tried to resurrect some old threads, but they didn't contain many websites. I have a book out of the library on the Renaissance, but it doesn't cover art specifically.

A good fodors thread seemed to be this one http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1381563. I've also found the wikipedia to be great - but you have to look up each individual artist, I'd like more of an overview.

Marc_David_Miller

The most concise yet thorough course would be Sister Wendy - The Complete Collection (Story of Painting/Grand Tour/Odyssey/Pains of Glass), available on DVD or VHS (the DVDs have some good special features). You can view only the parts relating to the Renaissance (it's important to understand the German and French art of this time), but it would enhance your viewing pleasure to watch most of the series, as you can see why the Renaissance is so important to the art of the Western world. The book complements the series well.

Also, Janson's "History of Art" covers the Renaissance thoroughly.

Tiff

(And besides, Sister Wendy is just the best anyway!)

Enjoy!

elaine

this thread may also help

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34550186

elaine

here's another good website, with listings by artist and by work, and some religious context as well

http://www.abcgallery.com/

yk

It's probably worthwhile to check out 111op's recent trip (with links to his blog). He read up a lot on Renaissance art before he went on his trip.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34672921

I recently bought a DVD series on "Artists of the Italian Renaissance" from The Teaching Company (teach12.com). It has 36 30-min lectures. But I haven't started watching yet.

nytraveler

By just covering the renaissance you're missing huge sections of Italian art. Unless that is your only interest for some reason I would try to find a survey book - beginning with the Etruscans and at least through the Renaissance - if you don;t care for anything more modern.

111op

Thanks for the plug, yk. In my trip report thread, I provided a link to this blog entry, which indexes quite a lot of the blog entries I wrote about the art aspects of this trip and the online resources I was able to find and found useful:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2EB26DBB

I took the time to skim books on Sienese art (Hyman), Renaissance art(Andrew Graham-Dixon) and also Geraldine Johnson's book in the Oxford University Press Very Short Intro series.

I also went to the Met to look at the art from this period.

I also watched the two episodes related to Renaissance art in the PBS/Art of the Western World series:

http://www.learner.org/resources/series1.html

I've the companion book, which is quite good.

With a high-speed connection, this is free.

I also recommend the Michelin guidebooks (I xeroxed the relevant pages from the ones for Tuscany and Venice).

I also recommend the small guidebooks put out by the Florence museums. It's a very nice series.

I brought along mine for the Uffizi, and I bought the ones for Accademia (even though I didn't go on this trip), the Palatina Gallery, Bargello, the Medici Chapels and San Marco.

There's also one on the Boboli Gardens (which I didn't buy), and probably one or two others.

The Uffizi bookshop has quite a number of these, but I'm not sure if it has the complete series.

azure0327

I found this helpful book at my local library:
"Italy : the essential guide to viewing Italian Renaissance and Baroque Art" by John Power and Ann Morrow.

111op

The first post says "Renaissance" but the title says "Italian Art." I must say that I stopped preparing for the 17th century -- so while I did see stuff from Tiepolo, Canova, Guardi and Canaletto, among others, I made no attempts to put them in context.

My obsessive-compulsive disorder (ha) led me to become aware of Salviati, Andrea del Sarto, Sebastian del Piombo, Il Sodoma and Guido Reni, among others.

But jokes aside, I mentioned on my report that my favorite painting in the Uffizi Gallery is Gentile da Fabriano's "Adoration of the Magi" (which is of course not Renaissance).

And I've a soft spot for Simone Martini (the 13th century Sienese artist).

In other words, there's a lot beyond the triumvirate of Raphael, Leonardo and Michelangelo, whose surface I think I had managed to scratch.

Happy exploring.

111op

Sorry, Simone is 14th century....

travelphile

Thanks to all! And yes 111OP I was looking at all Italian art (have already been to FLR, VCE, ROM, CT, and Lake Garda -Headed to Milan, Bellagio, VCE, FLR and Panzano next month!), but most of what I was reading was on the Renaissance - so I got 'stuck' in that train of thought when I was posting.

I never took an art class in college and have no close friends to teach me - so I'm looking to learn anything that will help me appreciate the gloriuos things I will see. Last trip I said 'wow' and that was about it.

AND, I thought that perhaps putting my nervous anticipation about the trip into something useful would keep me focused

Caravaggista

A book came out a couple of years ago called "Art for Travellers Italy: The Essential Guide to Viewing Italian Renaissance Art" by John Power. It's available on Amazon right now for $13.60 (32% off reg price). I don't own it, but I recall looking at it in the bookstore and thinking that the info in it looked accurate and useful.
For ancient Rome, "Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide" by Amanda Claridge is the BEST. I carried this with me last year on my most recent trip.
As for a book on Italian art across the ages: I can't think of one. I could recommend books on specific periods/places/artists if you like but I think just a general "Art of Italy" book is rare if not nonexistent. And if you found one, I'd bet it's mainly a picture book.