Art of Renaissance Florence, 1400–1600 Paperback – Illustrated, October 27, 2009

This book absolutely transformed my recent trip to Florence. It faroutshines every other book I've read re: Renaissance art. I've beentraveling to Italy for years and am passionate about the period. I learnedan enormous amount not only about the rich artworks themselves, but alsothe context in which they were created. How I wish this book had beenwritten years ago. A very intelligently written and accessible book, thatboth scholars and travelers, armchair and otherwise will find enriching.Abundant color illustrations, diagrams, and also artists' bios. A realsteal at the price!

I read this entire book very quickly. It is a wonderful reference for all Florentine Renaissance art. The book is well organized and written. It is absolutely beautiful.

Thanks to this book, my recent stay in Florence was ever so much richer. The organization of the book --treating artworks by genre and chronologically-- helped me gain insight into works I've admired for decades. The book's writing style is elegant and accessible; and there is an abundance of color plates (several hundred, it seems) along with a very helpful pull-out map where all the artworks are indicated. A terrific read and a great buy.

Generally speaking, I do not like survey books because they attempt to cram too much information into a limited amount of space and thereby do a disservice to the entire topic. At best, such books present a very superficial discussion of the subject. They serve as an introduction for those who are beginners and nothing more.This book is different. Art,architecture,and sculpture are brought together as a whole. The manner in which Partridge places the art works squarely within the political and culture setting of Florence is innovative. Art does not exist in a vacuum. He brings the subject matter alive and makes it more interesting to the casual reader and the potential tourist.The book should also appeal to those with some knowledge of era. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the advent of portraits of women and the social implications of Lippi's "Lorenzo Scolari and Angiola Sapiti". The interpretation of this work and also of Lippi's Madonna and Child with 2 Angels was new and quite interesting.

I would recommend this book to anyone considering a trip to Florence, or to anyone who wants to remember their visit. Absolutely beautiful full page pictures throughout the book.

Great!

This is an excellent art history book, well organized with good photographs and a logical chronological approach to the art in Florence Italy over a 200 year period. There are short introductory essays on the meaning of the Renaissance and Humanism that emerged from a medieval world view that gives way to artistic and philosophical innovations, many of which are influenced by looking back to antiquity for inspiration. There are several themes explored in the opening introductory section that help inform the developments in sculpture, painting, and architecture. A major innovation, explained well, was the use of vanishing point perspective in bas relief and in painting. The genius Brunelleschi develops the concepts which are quickly adopted by Masaccio and others, revolutionizing the world of painting. Also discussed is the approach to the human body during the Renaissance and the emergence of the nude in perfect proportion, an art form that was lost for over 1000 years. Also discussed is the movement from the fortress Romanesque approach to architecture and exploration of neo-classicism and the architectural theories and proportions used in the Hellenistic period. The section ends with a short essay on the status of artists which changed radically during the Renaissance from the anonymous craftsman to the sought after genius that would ensure that the wealthy and powerful would be remembered for their taste and patronage.I found that the book covered almost every major architectural benchmark in Florence giving excellent historic information. The history of sculpture in Florence during this period is of great importance in Western art history and Partridge covers it well with well written sections on Michelangelo, Ghiberti, and Donatello.Partridge explores the art and architecture in light of the political developments, especially patronage of the Medici family. He also spends considerable amount of text discussing the linkages between classical images such as Hercules with Christina images such as David. The text is easy to read, very clear, precise, with an avoidance of too much jargon.This was a time of considerable innovation and Florence was the center of many of these innovations for a 200 year period. I found this book to be excellent in relating that process and history.