Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Book in excellent unread/unused condition. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> Largely neglected for the four centuries after his death Piero della Francesca is now seen to embody the fullest expression of the Renaissance perspective painter raising him to an artistic stature comparable with that of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. But who was Piero and how did he become the person and artist that he was? Until now in spite of the great interest in his work these questions have remained largely unanswered. Piero della Francesca: Artist and Man puts that situation right integrating the story of Piero’s artistic and mathematical achievements with the full chronicle of his life for the first time. Fortified by his discovery of over one hundred previously un- known documents James R. Banker at last brings this fascinating Renaissance enigma to life. The book presents us with Piero’s friends family and collaborators all set against the social background of the various cities and courts in which he lived from the Tuscan commune of Sansepolcro in which he grew up to Renaissance Florence Ferrara Ancona Rimini Rome Arezzo and Urbino and eventually back to his home town for the final years of his life. As Banker shows the cultural contexts in which Piero lived are crucial for understanding both the man and his paintings. From early masterpieces such as the Baptism of Christ through to later Flemish-influenced works such as the Nativity we gain a fascinating insight into how Piero’s art developed over time along- side his growing achievements in geometry in the later decades of his life. Along the way the book addresses some persistent myths about this apparently most elusive of artists. As well as establishing a convincing case to clear up the long controversy over the year of Piero’s birth. (SP)