Product Description

Perceptive visual analysis guides the reader through the golden age of Sienese painting from 1278 to 1477, featuring the masterpieces of Duccio and Lorenzetti, also including discussion and illustration of less well-known works by artists such as Giovanni di Paolo and the Master of Osservanza. A broadly chronological approach is adopted, with each chapter devoted to the work of one artist or group. This study looks at the defining characteristics of Sienese painting - rich colour and spatial inventiveness - in panel painting, frescoes and manuscript illumination. The first two, executed for both religious and civic institutions, form the focus of the book. Painting is situated in its social and religious context, with an emphasis on the Franciscan movement, the cult of the Virgin Mary and the veneration of local saints, and discussion of Siena's civic self-consciousness and the dramatic impact of the Black Death. An epilogue concludes with a look at renewed interest in Sienese painting among artists and historians, and it relevance for modern painters.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #382924 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Timothy Hyman is a practising artist, author and curator. Among his previous books is Bonnard, also in the World of Art series.

Customer Reviews

beautifully written (with glorious images of Sienese materpieces!)
This is a beautifully written exploration of the work produced in Siena over a two-century period of glory, during which artists like Martini, Sassetta, and Giovanni di Paolo pioneered new narrative techniques. For anyone who has seen or read about these groundbreaking freschi and paintings, which include Lorenzetti's magnificent depictions of Good and Bad Government, this book is a must, since Hyman is able to put such masterpieces into a political and social context. The author writes intelligently throughout, working his research expertly into the text. Happily, he completely avoids the obfuscation and silly post-modern jargon that generally characterize art criticism. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. (And if Hyman's analysis of Sienese life and art doesn't make you want to visit Italy, I can't imagine what could!)