The Italian Renaissance

Rating:
Summary: Includes Leonardo's 10 Year Guarantee!
Review: I sometimes get a bit nervous when I buy a book written, supposedly, for the general public by an academic. Is the book going to be written in "normal" English, or am I going to be bombarded by jargon and a clunky style? Happily, Peter Burke appears to believe in "plain-speaking". He also has a sense of humor, which helps. Additionally, he doesn't go off the deep end when coming to conclusions. He is prudent and cautious. If he can't say something definitive, if statistical or other types of evidence just aren't there, he isn't afraid to tell you so. Mr. Burke attempts to explain why the Renaissance happened in Italy and why it started when it did. This leads to the importance of the city-states, such as Florence, Milan, Venice, etc. Artists and sculptors oftimes were the children of craftsmen, and the city-states were populated by many craftsmen. Humanists and scientists were usually the children of "professional" people, and were educated at universities. Again, professionals and universities tended to be found in or near urban centers. Why did Italy have so many city-states? Because, during the period of the Italian Renaissance, Italy was a natural trade center.....right between the Middle East and Northern Europe. This created wealth, which led to the city-states, which also led to new sources of patronage, as the new merchant class looked for ways to spend their money and impress each other. When the Atlantic trade routes opened, and also after the Portuguese led the way around the Cape of Good Hope, Italy lost its place as the "hinge" of trade. Of course, I am greatly simplifying Mr. Burke's arguments, as they are much more complex and nuanced. But, I think I am giving you the general drift. In any case, what makes the book really interesting is that Mr. Burke grounds his theories in the everyday. He talks very specifically about painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, writers, etc. He tells you how they got their training, who they worked for and who called the shots......patron, artist, or both. The "case histories" are both fascinating and funny. Some examples? "More precise evidence about the relative importance of patrons and artists and the expectations of both parties is provided by the scores of surviving contracts....Contracts often specified that the materials employed be of high quality.....Leonardo's contract for "The Virgin Of The Rocks" gives a ten-year guarantee; if anything was to need repainting within that period, it was to be at the expense of the artist. One wonders if Leonardo gave a similar guarantee in the case of his flaky "Last Supper". (I can just see the author delivering this line in a lecture, with a deadpan expression!) This was also a time when the status of the artist was in flux. Before the Renaissance the artist was considered to be just another craftsman in the employ of a "great" man or lady. But as the city-state grew in importance, and as the merchant and craftsman grew in importance, the status of the artist started to change. In the period of change, the artist looked for reasons why he should be considered to be "high-class". To quote the author: "Another point in favor of the high status of painting, and one which reveals something of Renaissance assumptions or mentalities, was that the painter could wear fine clothes while he was at work. As Cennini put it: 'Know that painting on panel is a gentleman's job, for you can do what you want with velvet on your back.' And Leonardo: 'The painter sits at his ease in front of his work, dressed as he pleases, and moves his light brush with the beautiful colours...often accompanied by musicians or readers of various beautiful works.' " As the person actually doing the creating started to become more important and independent, what the patron began looking for could be rather amusing. One nobleman, who was looking for a "court musician" and had narrowed the choice down to two men, picked the less talented man- because he was both cheaper and he would compose music "on demand". The other fellow only composed when he felt like it! The book is filled with many concrete examples such as the ones I have mentioned, which makes it very enjoyable indeed....although Mr. Burke does also mix in some statistics, where appropriate, to allow the book to stand on its own two feet academically. The book also branches off into interesting little side areas; the change in subject matter over the course of the Renaissance; the incorporation of allegories which were meant to have poliical overtones; who taught the classically untrained artists about mythology so they would know enough to do history paintings?; censorship of the arts- on one occasion Veronese was asked to explain "why he had included in a painting of 'The Last Supper' what the inquisitors called 'buffoons, drunkards, Germans, dwarfs and similar vulgarities'. " If you are at all curious about the Renaissance, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this very good book.

Rating:
Summary: Includes Leonardo's 10 Year Guarantee!
Review: I sometimes get a bit nervous when I buy a book written, supposedly, for the general public by an academic. Is the book going to be written in "normal" English, or am I going to be bombarded by jargon and a clunky style? Happily, Peter Burke appears to believe in "plain-speaking". He also has a sense of humor, which helps. Additionally, he doesn't go off the deep end when coming to conclusions. He is prudent and cautious. If he can't say something definitive, if statistical or other types of evidence just aren't there, he isn't afraid to tell you so. Mr. Burke attempts to explain why the Renaissance happened in Italy and why it started when it did. This leads to the importance of the city-states, such as Florence, Milan, Venice, etc. Artists and sculptors oftimes were the children of craftsmen, and the city-states were populated by many craftsmen. Humanists and scientists were usually the children of "professional" people, and were educated at universities. Again, professionals and universities tended to be found in or near urban centers. Why did Italy have so many city-states? Because, during the period of the Italian Renaissance, Italy was a natural trade center.....right between the Middle East and Northern Europe. This created wealth, which led to the city-states, which also led to new sources of patronage, as the new merchant class looked for ways to spend their money and impress each other. When the Atlantic trade routes opened, and also after the Portuguese led the way around the Cape of Good Hope, Italy lost its place as the "hinge" of trade. Of course, I am greatly simplifying Mr. Burke's arguments, as they are much more complex and nuanced. But, I think I am giving you the general drift. In any case, what makes the book really interesting is that Mr. Burke grounds his theories in the everyday. He talks very specifically about painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, writers, etc. He tells you how they got their training, who they worked for and who called the shots......patron, artist, or both. The "case histories" are both fascinating and funny. Some examples? "More precise evidence about the relative importance of patrons and artists and the expectations of both parties is provided by the scores of surviving contracts....Contracts often specified that the materials employed be of high quality.....Leonardo's contract for "The Virgin Of The Rocks" gives a ten-year guarantee; if anything was to need repainting within that period, it was to be at the expense of the artist. One wonders if Leonardo gave a similar guarantee in the case of his flaky "Last Supper". (I can just see the author delivering this line in a lecture, with a deadpan expression!) This was also a time when the status of the artist was in flux. Before the Renaissance the artist was considered to be just another craftsman in the employ of a "great" man or lady. But as the city-state grew in importance, and as the merchant and craftsman grew in importance, the status of the artist started to change. In the period of change, the artist looked for reasons why he should be considered to be "high-class". To quote the author: "Another point in favor of the high status of painting, and one which reveals something of Renaissance assumptions or mentalities, was that the painter could wear fine clothes while he was at work. As Cennini put it: 'Know that painting on panel is a gentleman's job, for you can do what you want with velvet on your back.' And Leonardo: 'The painter sits at his ease in front of his work, dressed as he pleases, and moves his light brush with the beautiful colours...often accompanied by musicians or readers of various beautiful works.' " As the person actually doing the creating started to become more important and independent, what the patron began looking for could be rather amusing. One nobleman, who was looking for a "court musician" and had narrowed the choice down to two men, picked the less talented man- because he was both cheaper and he would compose music "on demand". The other fellow only composed when he felt like it! The book is filled with many concrete examples such as the ones I have mentioned, which makes it very enjoyable indeed....although Mr. Burke does also mix in some statistics, where appropriate, to allow the book to stand on its own two feet academically. The book also branches off into interesting little side areas; the change in subject matter over the course of the Renaissance; the incorporation of allegories which were meant to have poliical overtones; who taught the classically untrained artists about mythology so they would know enough to do history paintings?; censorship of the arts- on one occasion Veronese was asked to explain "why he had included in a painting of 'The Last Supper' what the inquisitors called 'buffoons, drunkards, Germans, dwarfs and similar vulgarities'. " If you are at all curious about the Renaissance, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this very good book.