The Lives of the Artists

by Giorgio Vasari

Book Overview

These biographies of the great quattrocento artists have long been considered among the most important of contemporary sources on Italian Renaissance art. Vasari, who invented the term "Renaissance," was the first to outline the influential theory of Renaissance art that traces a progression through Giotto, Brunelleschi, and finally the titanic figures of Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael. This new translation, specially commissioned for the World's...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 019283410X
• ISBN13: 9780192834102
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 624 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.8" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Entertaining Book

Excellent and entertaining collection of chronological artist biographies authored by Vasari. Truly a classic and not at all a dry read for one who is interested in art history; some of Vasari's statements in this book regarding his peers may be coloured by his personal biases but the value is unaffected.

Absolutely fascinating

I read this book in preparation for an upcoming trip to Florence. I am a big Michelangelo fan to begin with, and the idea of reading something written by a contemporary and aficionado of his was intriguing. I was well rewarded for my interests.Vasari clearly idolized Michelangeo and Raphael. That is apparent, but as he did for every other artist's Life he covered, the level of personal detail and anecdotes is invaluable for someone like me looking for the story behind the artists. Artists from each phase of the Renaissance are covered with detail of both their personal and artistic lives. I can say I learned so much from each chapter that I will surely be taking this book with me for reference when I am in Florence.One caveat, I think it would be helpful to have a book with photographs of the works Vasari discusses. Unless you are already up to speed on the major Renaissance works, it is more helpful to visualize them with the assistance of Vasari's descriptions. I found myself running to the internet often to see what he had been talking about.Kick back and relax with this very easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable guide to some of the Renaissance's finest artists.

Magnificent Reference

I found this to be a magnificent reference for anyone interested in learning about the Renaissance art and artists. Vasari wrote the original text between 1563 and 1568, and he knew the greats such as Michelangelo and da Vinci personally as well as many others and imparts both his knowledge and first hand impressions of these great artists not found in any other reference. Vasari himself was a very talented artist apprenticing under Michelangelo directly. This is a wonderful text and facinating source of hard to find information. You will enjoy it.

A must read for lovers of Italian Renaissance art

In studying up for a visit to Italy I noticed that art historians still directly and frequently cite this book, written over 400 years ago. Since Vasari was a contemporary of the High-Renaissance artists, I thought it would be interesting to read his descriptions of artists and their technical development. The book is organized into a series of essays focusing on artists from Cimabue to Titian. In this translation, the editors have included only those artists still believed to have made a significant contribution. To my surprise, this book was not only informative, but it was also quite entertaining. Vasari focuses mostly on the artistic development of each artist, but frequently strays into fascinating stories about their personal lives. The writing style is surprisingly readable, thanks to both Vasari and the editors. The notes in the back of the book are extremely useful. They point out where Vasari has been proven inaccurate, elaborate on some of Vasari's points, and provide updated locations for some of the works.This book was invaluable during my recent trip to Tuscany and Umbria. It was thrilling to read Vasari's descriptions of great fresco cycles, paintings, and sculptures while I was viewing them in person, whether in the Uffizi in Florence or the Duomo in Orvieto. I cannot recommend this book enough to all art lovers, particularly those who are planning a visit to central Italy.

Extremely readable, contemporary account of his peers

Vasari was a life-long correspondent of Michaelangelo, a contemporary of Leonardo, etc., so the accounts are written about his friends and comnpetitors, not 100+ years later, thru the prism of time. Yet this translation is in readable, 20th Century English.The chapters on Brunelleschi, Donato, etc. are lively, entertaining as well as instructive. MUST reading for anyone going to Italy, or to see works of the Florentine artists.(N.B. I am an engineer who never had a fine arts class, ever!)