Giorgio Vasari (1511ndash;1571) is well known for his celebrated work on the lives of the Renaissance artists. But not many people know that Vasari was a painter and architect as well as a biographer; and that he wrote one of the most valuable treatises on the technical methods of the painters; architects; and sculptors of his time. This is the first and only English translation of this important technical material (originally published in 1550 as an introduction to Vasaris Lives of the Artists).Vasari; as a practical craftsman; brings to his work as unusual understanding of the processes and materials he writes about; and conveys this knowledge to the reader in a style of the pleasantest and most readable kind. In the section on architecture; he describes the methods used in constructing rustic fountains and grottos; how Michelangelo developed new uses for architectural materials; the architectural uses of enriched plaster; the Renaissance view of Ionic; Doric; Gothic; and other types of architecture; and many similar topics.In the selection on sculpture; the reader will learn about the making of the model; completion of the statue; reliefs; bronze casting; modelled plaster work; sculpture in wood; and other processes. The final section; on painting; discusses aesthetics; perspective; foreshortening; how colors were blended; fresco painting; painting in tempera; oil painting; and much more.Scholars and historians of art have long used this book as the most detailed and valuable sourcebook of its time. But its full; readable discussions; combined with the sense of actuality and historical presence it contains; make it also perhaps the best possible description of the Renaissance artists in the heyday of their achievement.
#1053530 in eBooks 2012-07-12 2012-07-12File Name: B00A73ANJS
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Barbara CutneyPaul Taylor with all his charm; whimsy; and intelligence flies off the pages.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A delightful read by someone with a wonderful sense of humor and humilityBy robert a. scottGetting to know Paul Taylor through his stories and often self-deprecating humor adds to my appreciation of his dance-making and dances.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Wickedly clever musings on dance and lifeBy Retro GuyPaul Taylors short pieces of fact and fiction; as the title suggests; is smart; funny; whimsical and even edgy at times. The book also feels wonderful in the hand: french flap covers; rough front paper; and the author/dancers smiling face. I think hes smiling because hes seen a lot; knows a lot . . . knows life cant be choreographed though we try. On the stage; it can be; but his dances also tell us about lifes unpredictable whimsy and yearnings. A pure joy of a book.