European Art of the Fourteenth Century

Art Through the Centuries #1

by Sandra Baragli

Fourteenth-century Europe was ravaged by famine, war, and, most devastatingly, the Black Plague. These widespread crises inspired a mystical religiosity, which emphasized both ecstatic joy and extreme suffering, producing emotionally charged and often graphic depictions of the Crucifixion and
the martyrdoms of the saints.
While the great boom of cathedral building that had marked the previous century waned, cathedrals continued to serve as the centers of religious life and artistic creation. Wealthy patrons sponsored the production of elaborate altarpieces, as well as smaller panel paintings and religious statues
for private devotional use. A growing literate elite created a demand for both richly decorated prayer books and volumes on secular topics. In Italy, the foremost Sienese painter, Duccio, sought to synthesize northern, Gothic influences with eastern, Byzantine ones, while the groundbreaking
Florentine Giotto moved toward the depiction of three-dimensional figures in his wall paintings.
This third volume in the Art through the Centuries series highlights the most noteworthy concepts, geographic centers, and artists of this turbulent century. Important facts about the subjects under discussion are summarized in the margins of each entry, and salient features of the illustrated
artworks are identified and discussed.

Genres: Art History, Art

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Johnny]

The academic & slightly stilted translation into English aside this is a gem of a book. Copiously illustrated divided into geographic and then artist sections. The expression "plasticity" of figures was overused and became comical. Could do with separate explanatory background text box for images as well as a map and a further reading or artist further reading list. Still fascinating.

[LeeAnn]

The photos of the art are lovely to look at, but don’t expect much context for the art. I had expected more about how the events of the 14th century influenced the paintings, sculpture and architecture, but the brief paragraphs for the sections gloss over a great deal, and ignore even more. Still worthwhile for the collection of the art in one place.

[Victoria]

A bit more specific that I bargain for but interesting nevertheless. I liked that the contents consisted of

-Key Words
-Places
-Leading Artists

So you can ready you in various manner. Chronological tables at the end was very well done too.

Oh, it is again Getty Museum publication.