And, indeed, this book was wonderful. Vasari was architect to Duke Cosimo I de' Medici- he built the Uffizi gallery, the Vasari Corridor, and did various paintings and such, including the interior of the Duomo and also some portrait. I personally do not love all of his art. In any case, he was also the first art historia I absolutely love the Renaissance. In any case, he was also the first art historian, and I highly respect that. He spent a lot of time going around looking for information for this book of his.
And I'm very grateful - because some of the little anecdotes he wrote in here are hilarious. It was quite amusing. But th ecomplete thing is so intensely long some pages I believe in full that people never print it in its entirety! Thus I've spent months looking for a good edition - I have one that's falling apart that I bought in Rome, and every time I open it I have an allergy attack.
And then I found this edition at Strand in Manhattan. It's pretty old and out of print , but it has a good selection of the artists that I like. The introduction was good and the translation was easily legible.
In any case, you have to take the rest of the book with a grain of salt. He gets a lot of his dates and details wrong - either that, or he was just really bad at math which I slightly doubt.
His ideas on the origins of art are fascinating. His writing style was just fine - but I forgive him because it's a translation, and he was an artist not a philosopher.
I expected it to be more of a biography than a catalog. For example - "Giotto was the best artist ever! He also doted so much on Michelangelo that I had to skip half of that section because I couldn't stand it anymore. My favorite life, by far, was that of Brunelleschi. It was very amusing. In any case - I highly suggest this book to anyone who even remotely likes Renaissance art.
It is fun and amusing - and you can choose to read only a few of the selections, rather than the whole thing! Overall, I quite enjoyed the varied lives depicted by Vasari. However, the more impactful point that I took from this book is Vasari's theories on the development of art. His prefaces are slightly long winded but they are the parts in which he sets forth his idea of the decline of art and it's eventual rebirth from Cimabue to Titian.
My only issues with the book are centred around the translators. I normally don't have an issue with an older style of English but I honestly found this translation Overall, I quite enjoyed the varied lives depicted by Vasari. I normally don't have an issue with an older style of English but I honestly found this translation irksome and incredibly long winded at points. Phrases could have easily been updated by the editor. There is no translators note so I'm not aware of whether or not this is a special or famous translation.
It's such a shame because I was loving the narratives. Besides this the editor provided good footnotes but bizzarely did not include any for Vasari's descriptions of the Academy of Florence. Jul 27, Amber rated it really liked it Shelves: need-to-re-read , imports , art-nerd-sensibilities , non-fiction , people-who-lived. I read most of this when I was in college, studying art history. For fun. And maybe to impress my professor because I was taking a survey course of Italian Renaissance art.
I got the 4 volume set from the library and read the whole first volume, parts of the 2nd and 3rd and the pretty much all of volume 4 which was almost entirely about Michelangelo because Vasari was one of his BFF's. It's fun if you're into art history or if you're interested in totally non-objective information on art and arti I read most of this when I was in college, studying art history. It's fun if you're into art history or if you're interested in totally non-objective information on art and artists.
Visari is not the most articulate art critic, but this book is worth reading for some of the anecdotes. Highlights include Michaelangelo throwing wooden planks at the Pope for sneaking a look at his work. Sep 17, Bill Gusky rated it it was amazing. If you care about art it's a must-read. May 16, Pavel rated it it was amazing Shelves: art-history , classics. Bible of Renaissance Art lovers. Written by Giorgio Vasari who was an artist himself and lived roughly few decades after main renaissance events that's why a lot of evidences and judgements from "The lives of the Artists" are disputed by modern specialists.
The book is structured as a collection of biographic stories with a strong emphasis on concrete works of art that Vasari saw himself and his impressions on those.
As I understand, as a Florentine Vasari showed whole renaissance art scene with a strong accent of that city, but even if so I haven't found some great artist of the period I adore who wasn't present in the book. Nov 16, Erik rated it it was amazing. This is my first candidate for the "what if you were marooned on a desert island" list. Mar 06, Bert Bruins rated it it was amazing. Expecting a somewhat dry book from a 16th Century Italian author, this was easier and more enjoyable to read than I expected.
Rather than being formalistic and pompous, this book is full of saucy and funny anecdotes about the Renaissance artists that preceded Vasari, some of whom he knew personally. The classical roll-call that we know, from Cimabue to Giotto, via Ucello, Bruneleschi, Ghiberti to da Vinci and Michelangelo is often atrributed to Vasari and this is probably correct.
However, Vasar Expecting a somewhat dry book from a 16th Century Italian author, this was easier and more enjoyable to read than I expected. However, Vasari has also been accused of being the cause of the traditional neglect of the Northern Renaissance Flemish, German and Scandinavian art , but this seems unfair having read Vasari's work. He is clearly intent on writing about the artists of Florence and Tuscany with the occasional foray to Mantua, Rome and Venice where it can't be avoided.
I found two mentions of German artists Duerer being one of them , and these were respectful references, just not part of what he set himself out to do.
To my surprise in the introduction Vasari blames the so-called Dark Ages that followed the Roman Empire not just on invading barbarians Goths, Vandals and Lombards , but also on the narrowminded, bigoted Christian church of the 5th and 6th Century covered in greater depth in Catherine Nixey's "The Darkening Age".
I would have thought that such an opinion was enough to get one hung, drawn and quartered in Vasari's time, but apparently not so. It was interesting to read that Vasari describes several of the artists as having been unteachable and wild in their youth, to the despair of their parents, who then palmed them off on nearby goldsmiths or artist studios, and the rest is history. Some progress!
This book is most enjoyable for its anecdotes and interesting snippets of information, such as that Michelangelo's magnificent David statue was cut out of a large block of marble messed up by another sculptor, and that was just sitting around because of the mess-up.
Or that pope Julius II hit Michelangelo with a stick at one point and threatened to have him "fall" of his scaffolds if he didn't hurry up It took me a little while to realise that when Julius II commissions Michelangelo to paint frescos for the "hall of Sixtus" he is talking about the famous Sistine Chapel. I was myself lucky enough to see the Sistine Chapel aged 15 on a school trip as well as the "Pieta" in St Peter's she looks "too young" said a contemporary critic about the marble version of Mary with the body of Jesus in her arms This is well worth reading if you're interested in the history of European art.
Art historical writing suffers from one major drawback, which is certainly not unique to Vasari: a dearth of pictures. This is what they all read like. The book is very heavy on the Michelangelo love.
The thing is, though, this is a primary document, thus its value far outstrips its quality. It would have been nice, though, for that documentarian to have been someone who gave one fuck about dates. Jul 23, Anu rated it liked it. More about artists than art, this book is a fascinating compendium of artists over a year period, documenting how they worked and lived. How it moves, occupies and elevates artists in powerful ways.
Any crafts person, including those of us in technology is likely to find this touching and inspirationa More about artists than art, this book is a fascinating compendium of artists over a year period, documenting how they worked and lived. Any crafts person, including those of us in technology is likely to find this touching and inspirational. Also, it was a bonus to learn that the author was an artist himself, that lived during the time of Michelangelo! Cool read overall. Feb 26, Sarah rated it liked it.
Apr 22, Karen rated it it was ok. This book is chock full of information of the artists of the Renaissance. I only read sections of it, mostly pertaining to artists whose work I had recently seen on a trip to Florence. It's a bit dry, as in, the artist was born, he did this, then he did that, then he died. It does give a good look at how the artists were perceived in their lifetimes for those who are truly invested in this topic.
Jun 04, Rose Eccua rated it it was amazing. This book is very amazing!! Jul 23, Rebecca rated it liked it. Someone left a copy of this book in my apartment in Florence, and since I didn't bring that much reading material with me, I've been reading it in bits and pieces throughout the last few weeks.
A year later, the year-old Vasari joined the Florentine painters' guild and he would become instrumental in elevating the guild's prestige. Scholar Leon Satkowski presents a biographical picture of Vasari as something of a narcissist. He was on the one hand "loyal, hard-working, and totally committed to the political aspirations of his patrons. Vasari could be at once "confident," "proud," "hypersensitive to criticism," and "desirous of recognition and respectability. Vasari's employ with the Medici family was long-standing, and profitable both for his family - the Medici family sponsored one of his sister's dowries, for instance - as well as for him personally.
In , Alessandro de' Medici paid Vasari four hundred ducats for his work, and also, according to Ingrid Rowland and Noah Charney, "assigned him the revenue from fines levelled at artists who failed to fulfil their commissions, a further three hundred ducats a year": Vasari had become a financial success at the age of only There is a popular argument that Vasari might have been a better architect than painter.
However, according to Satkowski, Vasari "lacked conventional training in architecture and came to it relatively late in his distinguished career. According to Vasari himself, it was only in his twenties c.
Vasari's buildings are characterized by their diversity in type, meanings, and style. He placed particular emphasis on his buildings' symbolism and conceptual ideas, and, in Satkowski's terms, provided "virtuoso solutions to the complexities posed by their urban sites. In , Vasari published his seminal text, The Lives of the Most Eminent Sculptors, Painters, and Architects , in collaboration with his friend Vincenzo Borghini as well as local experts.
Despite its manifest shortcomings, the text crystalized the ideology of the Renaissance as the aesthetic progression out of the Dark Ages of the Medieval era and into an enlightened return to Classical ideals. It became a cornerstone of art historiography and the periodization of the Renaissance style. The Lives was thus envisioned as an ideological foundation for a Florentine art school.
A second edition of The Lives was published in and, in this version, Vasari afforded Venetian artists including Titian their rightful place in the development of the Renaissance. Vasari had hoped that his original tome would guarantee his application to join Duke Cosimo de' Medici's court, though that honor would be denied him until Given his difficult personality, Vasari was ripe for criticism and public reproach.
Around the time of the first publication of The Lives , there were public accusations, in Satkowski's words, of "insalubrious habits," as well as concerns that the architect was imbibing of too much wine and becoming careless with money.
These accusations, regardless of their authenticity, posed a risk to Vasari's career because they called into question his credibility and moral fitness for the first time. With important commissions now under threat, Vasari needed to shore up his public standing, and though "psychologically ill-prepared" and warned off doing so by his peers, Vasari wed Nicolosa Bacci, the daughter of a prominent apothecary in Arezzo, in This great hall, 54 meters long, 23 meters wide and 18 meters high, is the largest and most important room in the Palazzo Vecchio.
The Palazzo was originally commissioned by Fra Girolamo Savonarola in to house the members of the Grand Council of Florence after the Medici were ousted in that year. The hall, built in accordance with the austerity preached by Savonarola, was plain, with little scope for decoration. When Savonarola was burned at the stake as a heretic in , however, his successor, Piero Soderini, commissioned da Vinci and Michelangelo to paint two murals, The Battle of Anghiari and The Battle of Cascina respectively, neither of which were completed.
When the Medici returned to Florence in the hall had fallen into disuse until Cosimo I moved his residence into the Palazzo Vecchio in and used it to receive ambassadors and public audiences. Cosimo I commissioned Vasari to enlarge and decorate the hall with frescos to celebrate important moments in the history of Florence, and to celebrate his achievements, emphasising his eminence as Duke of Florence.
Vasari enlarged the hall by raising the ceiling by seven meters and decorated the hall with frescos comprising 43 panels, 39 of which form the decoration of the ceiling. Despite being separate panels, each with its own motif, Vasari retained harmony and coherence in the fresco through the consistent use of gold, red and brown colors throughout.
The centrepiece of the fresco is the depiction of Cosimo I in all his glory as Duke of Florence. This was an important political statement to all who saw it since it symbolized the rebirth of Florence.
The other panels on the walls include allegories of Florence and Tuscany, and episodes in the wars of Pisa and Sienna; wars in which Cosimo I was victorious. Most of Vasari's architectural work was undertaken in Florence though he also worked on projects in Pisa, Arezzo and Rome. Vasari would work alone or in collaboration on projects with other architects.
In , Vasari then worked alone on what is known as the Vasari Corridor Corridoio Vasariano , an enclosed passageway that linked the Palazzo Vecchio, the townhall that overlooks the Piazza della Signoria and the seat of the Duke Cosimo I de' Medici government and the Palazzo Pitti, the Duke's regal residence. The Vasari Corridor was conceived by Vasari as a prodigious regal footpath; an exclusive passageway fit to deliver a ruler of integrity and potency to the very heart of his dominion.
It was built over a period of only five months to commemorate the wedding of Francesco I de' Medici and Giovanna of Austria. Moving northward, it connects the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti and its practical function was to link the residence of the Grand Duke, the Pitti Palace , and the Uffizi from where he conducted his business.
The covered overhead corridor is almost a kilometre in length, passing from Plazzo Vecchio, through the Uffizi , following the Arno river north, until it crosses the Arno and the medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge at Ponte Vecchio. On the other side of the river, the corridor passes through the interior of the church of Santa Felicita, through the Boboli Gardens, over domestic rooftops, before reaching the Palace.
Legend tells it that the corridor passed over a meat market and that the market was replaced in with goldsmiths who still trade there to this day so as to save the incumbent Grand Duke from the unpleasant smell on his daily journeys to-and-from his office. Today, the corridor, which can only be visited by appointment, is home to some paintings dating from the 17 th and 18 th century.
It comprises a space of approximately square meters and it was the last major commission undertaken by Vasari before his death in Up until then, Vasari had only been able to complete the upper part of the decoration representing the 24 Elders of the Apocalypse.
Frederico Zuccari, a painter who had studied with Correggio, was commissioned to complete the work which would take a further five years to complete. While Vasari used a pure fresco technique which required the painting to be made on freshly applied wet plaster - thus becoming part of the wall itself - Zuccari used the Fresco-secco technique: a technique of painting onto dry plaster which is much less durable than pure fresco.
Vasari forbade artists to retouch their wall paintings after they had dried which, in his words, ''aside from being an extremely vile act [it] also shortens the life of the work. Although not completed by Vasari, it was he who had designed the Fresco which reads with figures of Christ and the Madonna up in the heavens circling down to the world of demons and the torment of the Hell and thus symbolizing the theme of redemption.
Divided into six concentric circles, the upper most circle has the 24 elders of the Apocalypse, a group of saints, representations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the virtues and the eight Beatitudes the blessings in the Sermon of the Mount , with the last tier, a vision of Hell full of tormented sinners.
What is most remarkable about this fresco is that we see the contrast of styles between Vasari and Zuccari. Vasari's effort offers balance and harmony, a supreme example of the elegance characteristic of the late 16 th century.
Zuccari's input, however, despite his reputation as an expert draughtsman, seems out of balance and lacks the finish or finesse of the figures of the Elders. Through character sketches and anecdotes he depicts Piero di Cosimo shut away in his derelict house, living only to paint; Giulio Romano's startling painting of Jove striking down the giants; and his friend Francesco Salviati, whose biography also tells us much about Vasari's own early career.
Vasari's original and soaring vision plus his acute aesthetic judgements have made him one of the most influential art historians of all time. Featured image: Giorgio Vasari - Le vite de' piu eccellenti pittori scultori e architettori, Florence Image via smarthistory. June 26, Balasz Takac. Image via creative commons. The Artistic Development of Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, and thanks to his cousin Luca Signorelli , who was another significant painter at the time, he became an apprentice in the workshop run by a skillful painter of stained glass, Guglielmo da Marsiglia.
Left: Giorgio Vasari - Deposition from the Cross, circa Oil on canvas.
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