The Renaissance of the 14th-16th centuries was, and forever will be, one
of the most pivotal periods in the development of Western art. Its roots
spread wide and deep, and much social and intellectual revitalization
had begun before this revered time, but the renewed interest in ancient
Greek and Roman texts and the development of expanding trade, which
brought greater wealth, meant that classical and humanist thought
combined with lavish patronage resulted in major breakthroughs across
all spheres of human endeavour - art, architecture, music, literature,
science, philosophy and more. And, while it spread across Europe, it was
Italy that was to be its crucible.
With 2020 marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael, one of
the stars of the Renaissance, this sumptuous book celebrates the
prolific output of this era. From the radical perspective of Giotto di
Bondone (1267-1337), breaking out of the Middles Ages, to the giants of
the High Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, and
many more, the reader will delight in the fascinating insights offered
by the text accompanied
by lush reproductions.