The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World

by Paul Robert Walker

Book Overview

Joining the bestsellers Longitude and Galileo's Daughter, a lively and intriguing tale of two artists whose competitive spirit brought to life one of the world's most magnificent structures and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380977877
• ISBN13: 9780380977871
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A great story... well told

The Renaissance is a subject of great interest and curiousity to me. The author provided for me a depth of information, with supporting detail, I found very engaging. I am a docent at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco where we are blessed with an exact copy of the Ghiberti Paradise Doors.. one of just three in the world stuck from molds of the original panels. I learned of this book from a visitor who told me she could not believe her surprise and good fortune to see the doors here after her enjoyment of the book. She was correct. I believe the author provides a very good mix of history, supporting documentation and story telling to move this beyond a flat text book and into a favorite reference for me.

A great story and important history to boot!

This isn't the type of book I'd be inclined to read, but heard about it from a friend, and when I came across it in a bookstore I decided to give it a try. I'm not one to get excited about art history, but I found this a wonderful story and by the time I finished it I developed a new interest in renaissance art and a desire to visit Florence and see in person what was so vividly described in this book. I think the author did a great job in his research to present a credible but engaging story that I suspect is little known or appreciated outside of art history circles. Perhaps the fact that he is not an art historian by profession helped make this much more readable than what might have come from the pen of a "true expert." The story does take time to develop, but worth sticking with. A few more pictures of some of the art described would have been nice. I'm looking forward to reading what Paul Robert Walker tackles next.

Bringing Light to a Dark World

More than six months passed after my wife and I visited Florence before I discovered Paul Robert Walker's The Feud that Sparked the Renaissance. The book caught my attention and held it. Maybe because I had been to that historical center; equally likely it was because of the story he tells about the emergence of a three dimensional world and the creation of the magnificent dome of the Cathedral of Florence. I had taken art history courses in college and I had some idea of the major movements in western civilization. Giotto loomed from the darkness; Michelangelo and Raphael and Leonardo basked in bright sunlight. I had only vague memories of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, two artists who walked the streets of Florence early in the 15th century. Walker changed that for me. He drew such an exquisite picture of the times that I felt drawn into the community. I felt a part of the street scene. I felt the heat and the passion of the times. And I felt the competition between these two key figures that helped focus shafts of light on Florence. They changed the world by what they saw. Ghiberti's doors are exquisite; Brunelleschi's dome is incomparable. What appeared to be an uncommon feat when I sat at a cafe table and admired the curve of the dome turned into an architectural and engineering marvel. Walker leads the reader through the political and cultural history of Florence, weaving tales of skirmish and battle that eventually bring us to the emergence of a new era. The story is not a simple one. Readers will have to work a bit to reach beyond the surface. But it is worthy of the effort. The author will not let you down. When you feel the need for additional explanation he provides it. And through it all he reminds us that the efforts of these key artists of the early Renaissance helped set the stage for the modern world.

When Art Really Mattered

This is a thoroughly engaging account of a key period in world cultural history. While most Americans tend to think of the Renaissance in terms of Leonardo and Michelangelo, Walker clearly demonstrates that the real breakthrough came in the early 1400s with the work of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Donatello, and Masaccio. Using primary source documents, Renaissance era accounts, and current research into the social, political, and economic history of Florence, he brings these characters to life and paints a fascinating portrait of a city striving for greatness. The dedication of the Florentines to public art is an inspiring story in itself and made me think about how visual art has become an afterthought in our modern world.The comment by one reader on this page about portraying Ghiberti as a "well-connected hack," doesn't make sense to me, because Walker obviously admires Ghiberti enormously and gives his career and his work almost as much attention as Brunelleschi's. In fact, that was one of my favorite aspects of the book. I knew a little about Brunelleschi before I read it, but I didn't know much about Ghiberti, and I found him fascinating in his own right. Walker's main point is that it was the two of them - Brunelleschi and Ghiberti - who drove the Renaissance in early Quattrocento Florence. Each of them made the other greater than he would have been without their competition. I also enjoyed the author's speculations into what happened during periods that are not covered by the documents. He always identifies speculation as exactly that, and to me that's part of the fun in reading history - trying to fill in the gaps and imagine what really might have happened. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of how the Renaissance began, or to anyone who wants to read about a time when art really mattered

The Three Dimensional March

Mr. Walker demands respect for his authentic recreationof the characters and intrigue chiseled from stoneand history to bring to life a time and personalitythat changed the world. Walker allows the reader toexplore with detail one of the most exciting storiesin the panorama of art and architecture. This bookis a perfect gift for any intelligent reader whohas enthusiasm for the Renaissance. A must read.The writing style and subject delivers the rightnote from page to page. Intellectualism is fine...but truth is even better. Walker gives us both.