What do you think?
Rate this book
Lorenzo Lotto
Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto (c.1480-1556/7) painted some of the most startlingly beautiful as well as some of the most puzzling and moving works of the later Renaissance. In this beautifully illustrated account of Lotto's life and work, Peter Humfrey offers the first comprehensive treatment of Lotto in English since Bernard Berenson's pioneering study published one hundred years ago. Humfrey draws on the large body of Lotto's extant work as well as on sixteenth-century documentation on the artist's life, including his letters, his account-book for the years 1538-56 and his will.
Lotto first practised as a painter in the town of Treviso, but during his long and restless career he also spent periods in Bergamo and the Marches, as well as in Venice itself. His final, lonely years were passed in Loreto, where he died as a lay brother in the local religious community. Humfrey examines the way in which Lotto responded to the work of a wide range of artists, from Giovanni Bellini and Albrecht Durer to Raphael and Titian, but also emphasises the painter's marked stylistic individuality, even idiosyncrasy. Particularly attractive to twentieth-century viewers are Lotto's portraits, the psychological penetration of which reveal a personality exceptionally finely attuned to the thoughts and emotions of his fellow human-beings. The artist emerges as one of the most engaging and distinctive personalities of Italian Renaissance art.
Lotto first practised as a painter in the town of Treviso, but during his long and restless career he also spent periods in Bergamo and the Marches, as well as in Venice itself. His final, lonely years were passed in Loreto, where he died as a lay brother in the local religious community. Humfrey examines the way in which Lotto responded to the work of a wide range of artists, from Giovanni Bellini and Albrecht Durer to Raphael and Titian, but also emphasises the painter's marked stylistic individuality, even idiosyncrasy. Particularly attractive to twentieth-century viewers are Lotto's portraits, the psychological penetration of which reveal a personality exceptionally finely attuned to the thoughts and emotions of his fellow human-beings. The artist emerges as one of the most engaging and distinctive personalities of Italian Renaissance art.
- GenresArt History
208 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 1997
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 1, 2020
Peter Humfrey, Professor of Art at St Andrew’s University, reviews Lorenzo Lotto, the Venetian painter, in a detailed exploration of his life and work.
In his work, Humfrey emphasises the significance of Lotto in the light of his more famous contemporaries eg Titian and places him at the heart of Venetian painting in the late 1400s through to 1556/7.
This is a beautifully illustrated book and Humfrey writes well, in an accessible style for the reader. He is clear in his admiration for Lotto, but also highlights where Lotto’s work is less than perfect.
He presents a detailed picture of the artist and highlights Lotto’s success, summarising it in this way -
“Lotto’s art as a whole is impressive not only for its distinctiveness and originality, but for its sheer quality.”
In his work, Humfrey emphasises the significance of Lotto in the light of his more famous contemporaries eg Titian and places him at the heart of Venetian painting in the late 1400s through to 1556/7.
This is a beautifully illustrated book and Humfrey writes well, in an accessible style for the reader. He is clear in his admiration for Lotto, but also highlights where Lotto’s work is less than perfect.
He presents a detailed picture of the artist and highlights Lotto’s success, summarising it in this way -
“Lotto’s art as a whole is impressive not only for its distinctiveness and originality, but for its sheer quality.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2010
Peter Humfrey wrote the exhibition catalogue for this incredible show at the National Gallery of art in Washington, D.C. which amassed virtually every known work by the artist.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews