Ebook: Italian Renaissance art: understanding its meaning

"Richly illustrated, and featuring detailed descriptions of works by pivotal figures in the Italian Renaissance, this enlightening volume traces the development of art and architecture throughout the Italian peninsula in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A smart, elegant, and jargon-free analysis of the Italian Renaissance - what it was, what it means, and why we should study it Provides a sustained discussion of many great works of Renaissance art that will significantly enhance readers' understanding of the period Focuses on Renaissance art and architecture as it developed throughout the Italian peninsula, from Venice to Sicily Situates the Italian Renaissance in the wider context of the history of art Includes detailed interpretation of works by a host of pivotal Renaissance artists, both well and lesser known "--;Introduction: The Renaissance as an Idea Rather Than a Period; 1: What a Difference a Hundred Years Makes; Notes; 2: How It All Started: Florence and Umbria; Notes; 3: What Happened Next in Florence; Notes; 4: Searching for the Renaissance (1): Siena and Southward to Sicily; Notes; 5: Searching for the Renaissance (2): From Northern Italy Back to Umbria; Notes; 6: The Triumph of the Intellectual Avant-Garde: The High Renaissance; Notes; 7: Some Other Artists of the High Renaissance; Notes; 8: The Swan Song of Renaissance Art; Notes; 9: The Break and the New Avant-Garde: Early Mannerism; Notes; 10: What Was the Italian Renaissance? Conclusions in the Bigger Picture; Notes; Appendix A: Artists Mentioned; Appendix B: Some Suggested Readings.