Reviews

Companion to a BBC television series, this effort is a gracefully written and up-to-date, if not particularly innovative, lay reader's introduction to Renaissance art and the cultural milieu that spawned it. While spanning the breadth of avant-garde European art between c.1300 and c.1600, Graham-Dixon, formerly chief art critic for the London Independent, necessarily and appropriately focuses on the seminal Italian achievement. Thus, the bulk of the text is given over to canonic figures ranging from Giotto to Michelangelo. The concise intelligence of Graham-Dixon's characterizations of both artists and art are neatly matched by the vivid articulation of the classical and medieval influences that helped give shape to the epoch. In addition, the author discusses religion, humanistic thought, the changing social status of the artist, and the larger historic ebb and flow without which coherent discourse about the era's art is not possible. Despite a certain contentious attraction toward intellectual straw men and insufficient illustration, this vivacious advanced primer will, it is hoped, attain the wide readership it manifestly merits.DRobert Cahn, Fashion Inst. of Technology, New York Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

YA-Because the author is an art historian, his central focus is on art and architecture, but he also considers the politics, morality, and philosophy that engendered their development. Smaller than most textbooks and laced with beautiful full-color and black-and-white reproductions, the book will appear much less daunting to students than most other art-history tomes. The author's sense of humor and enthusiasm for his subject are palpable throughout. The organization is loosely chronological, but each chapter explores a different argument, such as whether the Renaissance can be clearly distinguished from the Middle Ages or its relationship to the Reformation. While the narrative is lively and provocative, it presupposes a general knowledge of and interest in the period. Graham-Dixon has drawn extensively from primary sources from the world of politics, religion, literature, and art. While this makes for fascinating reading, it may create frustration for students who are seeking information about a particular artist or work. Section headings within chapters and the index alleviate the problem somewhat. In any case, the extra effort is well rewarded since the author includes intriguing stories of the artists' lives and works along with his own ideas about an artist's or city's contribution to the period. A treasure for budding Renaissance scholars.-Cathy Horowitz, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.