"The golden book of spirit and sense; the holy writ of beauty." mdash; Oscar WildePublished to equal parts scandal and acclaim in 1873; The Renaissance inspired a generation of Oxford undergraduates; who adapted its credo of "arts for arts sake" for their Aesthetic Movement. Combining the skepticism of empirical philosophy; the materialism of 19th-century science; and the determinism of evolutionary theory; this book defies categorization and endures as an innovative example of cultural criticism.An Oxford don who led a quiet scholarly life; Walter Pater was shocked at the reactions his writings provoked. ("I wish they would not call me a hedonist;" he remarked; "it gives such a wrong impression to those who do not know Greek.") His essays on the individuals he viewed as embodiments of the Renaissance spirit encompass artists whose careers span the Middle Ages through the 18th century. Paters elegant; fluid prose examines the works of Pico della Mirandola; Leonardo; Michelangelo; Botticelli; and others. He crowns his compendium of reflections with his notorious Conclusion; in which he asserts that "to burn always with this hard; gemlike flame; to maintain this ecstasy; is success in life."One of Victorian Englands most talked about books; The Renaissance exerted a crucial influence on the art criticism of the past century; and it remains a work of unusual importance to those interested in art history and English literature.
#1094229 in eBooks 2013-03-21 2013-03-21File Name: B00A7IN6N8
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. ESSENTIAL READING: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF WESTERN DESIGN; 1900- 2013By Catherine J IshinoCentral ArgumentsIn the 2013 and third edition of her book; ldquo;An Introduction to Design and Culture: from 1900 to the present;rdquo; distinguished design history writer and professor; Penny Sparke; continues to ably trace the development and the role of Western design and designers as she has done in her two previous editions in 1986 and 2004. In this; her latest and updated version; Sparke efficiently weaves in the global and influential role design holds in shaping identities of the worldrsquo;s cultures and lifestyles through the first decade of the 21st century. In doing so; she firmly situates todayrsquo;s design practice and profession as one of leadership and prime mover in 2013. At the same time and where applicable; she intelligently updates chapters in the previous edition of her 2004 book to reflect more current attitudes of the social; technological and economic forces pervasive on design today. She accomplishes this task by tracing the role of Western design and designers in their relationship to global consumer culture and drawing from theories found in post-modern academic disciplines such as social history; visual culture; and media studies. Additionally; she includes current and fast changing technological trends such as designrsquo;s engagement in social media; virtual reality; and immersive environments. Also Sparke touches upon the rise of lsquo;glo-calrsquo;ismrsquo; i.e. the integration of global and local design sensibilities in the first decade of the 21st century.Overall Sparke has ably documented the design enterprise from existing on the periphery i.e. being a decorator of commerce at the turn of the 20th century; towards part of the inner circle during Modernism at the mid-century; later becoming a business partner of corporate globalism; and then entrepreneur in lsquo;glo-calismrdquo; in this century. Professor Sparke characterizes the profession and practice as being highly flexible and adaptable to the forces and contexts of culture and commerce.ConclusionIn Sparkersquo;s closing arguments of her latest and third 2013 edition; she maintains 21st century design has become an ldquo;agent of change;rdquo; serving a ldquo;formative functionrdquo; that personifies and transmits multifaceted belief systems; messages and values. Consequently; design activity now embodies and transmits socio-cultural content. The vocation is a major working component and player in the vibrant process of constructing todayrsquo;s way of life and our surroundings. What is more; in this historianrsquo;s view; not only does design effectively mediate between multinational corporations and international consumption patterns on the planet; but is earning worldwide design recognition as a major humanitarian at the beginning decade of the 21st century.- Catherine Jo Ishino; Associate Design Professor -