Product Description

For nearly four decades in the sixteenth century, the careers of Venice's three greatest painters--Titan, Tintoretto and Veronese--overlapped, producing mutual influences and bitter rivalries that changed art history. Venice was then among Europe's richest cities, and its plentiful commissions fostered an exceptionally fertile and innovative climate. In it, the three artists--brilliant, ambitious and fiercely competitive--vied with one another for primacy, employing such new media as oil on canvas, with its unique expressive possibilities, and such new approaches as a personal and identifiable signature style. They also pioneered the use of easel painting, a newly portable format that led to unprecedented fame in their lifetimes. With more than 150 stunning examples by the three masters and their contemporaries, this volume elucidates the technical and aesthetic innovations that helped define the uniquely rich "Venetian style," as well as the social, political and economic context in which it flourished. Essays range from examinations of seminal new techniques to such crucial institutions as state commissions and the patronage system. Most of all, by concentrating on the lives and careers of Venice's three greatest painters, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese paints a vibrant human portrait--one brimming with savage rivalry, one-upsmanship, humor and passion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #130538 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

abundant masterpieces
This splendid catalogue documents the rivalry between Titian, Tintoretto and Titian in words and paintings. This exhibition had 56 paintings on display; and what a succession of great works they are! As would be expected, the informed reader would notice a number of previously familiar paintings. There are however a significant proportion of works that would be seen for the first time.

I have one significant complaint about this otherwise excellent publication. There are 17 full page illustrations, detail reproductions of works appearing in other parts of the catalogue, that receive no written identification. This carelessness is very annoying and surprizing.

Despite my single criticism, I still strongly recommend this excellent book for the interesting text and succession of magnificent paintings. Tintoretto fans are urged to investigate the superb Prado catalogue edited by Miguel Falomir. Even better, visit Venice and see his massive and untransportable masterpieces in person!

A must for those studying Italian Renaissance art
In the peak of the Renaissance, competition between artists was higher than ever. "Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice" is a look at the fierce rivalry that raged on throughout the sixteenth century. The three titular artists, each from similar backgrounds and influences, shared a fierce rivalry and the desire to be better than their peers. All three were widely considered by many to be some of the best artists to ever emerge from Venice. Their lives are traced through each of their works, and the works of their rivals. "Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese" is enhanced with full color reproductions of their classic artworks, and is a must for those studying Italian Renaissance art.