Art of Renaissance Florence, 1400-1600

In this absorbing illustrated history, Loren Partridge takes the reader on an insightful tour of Renaissance Florence and sheds new light on its celebrated art and culture by examining the city's great artistic achievements in their political, intellectual, and religious contexts. This approach gives rise to a multitude of perspectives that Partridge elegantly deploys to maximum effect, beginning with a detailed analysis of each work and extending to its material and aesthetic qualities, the ambiguities and conflicts associated with its creation, and its function within Florentine society. The chronological structure highlights changes that occurred in style and content in response to shifting political and cultural currents across two centuries. This essential and accessible text, the only up-to-date volume on Renaissance Florence currently available, incorporates insights from recent scholarship, including gender studies, while emphasizing the artists' social status, rivalries, and innovations. The result is a multileveled exploration of how the celebrated Florentine culture formally registers in specific works of art and how these works interactively informed and often shaped the culture.