Renaissance & Mannerism

From the 15th to the 16th centuries Western European culture flourished thanks in part to the astonishing achievements of such Renaissance artists as da Vinci Donatello Raphael Botticelli and Michelangelo and Mannerist painters including El Greco Pontormo and Tintoretto. In Florence the cradle of the Renaissance artists pursued ancient classical ideals of harmony and naturalism and in architecture forms of perfection and grandeur. Mannerists in the early 16th century valued exaggeration elongated figures unnatural lighting and vivid (even lurid) colors to create more tension and emotion in their work. This stunning volume follows these two key movements in art history providing authoritative background from a top scholar rich cultural context and a wealth of exquisite reproductions of period paintings sculptures churches and palazzos.