Product Description

In this series accomplished authors accurately cover a range of subjects using up-to-date methodologies and impressive visual formats. This is the first book to present a broad overview of the art of the Renaissance from Northern Europe within its historical context. KEY TOPICS: It includes well known works and artists as well as a diverse selection of novel and intriguing images. It discusses issues and ideas of interest today, such as the status of women, elite vs. popular inspiration, and art as an instrument of propaganda, among others and provides comprehensive coverage of the Netherlands, Germany, and France in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117551 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

From the Publisher
Discussion of major political entities; Burgundian court, Holy Roman Empire, French and English monarchies, German cities and duchies; their relative power and prestige over time, their particularly make-up and artistic concern; the importance of ephemeral art in aristocratic circles. Also includes discussion of social and economic developments over two centuries; the position of the Catholic church and general characteristics and evaluation of intellectual life in 15th and 16th centuries. ÿ

Customer Reviews

Art of the Northern Renaissance in historical context
Informative, smart and well-written, Craig Harbison's "The Mirror of the Artist" provides an excellent, brief introduction to the sensibility, historical context, and practice of art in the North. From the attitude toward realism, to patronage among the growing class of government bureaucrats, to the market for art or the influence of the Reformation, the book offers an enhanced understanding of artistic interest and social situations in which the paintings were made -- without ever forgetting their aesthetic dimension. The best tribute I can offer is that I immediately went back to Amazon to order Harbison's "Jan Van Eyck: The Play of Realism", a $35 large format paperback. Minor quibble: Although well-illustrated for a paperback this size, with the book just about 6.25" x 9.5", more details should have been illustrated when details were discussed in larger works. (I'm still looking for the barely visible figure of the devil above the cow in the "Portinari Altarpiece".) But this is a rare problem.

An exciting survey
I've loved the art of this period for years, but had little academic grounding in it. This book lets me return to old favorites with new eyes.

This, in common with other volumes in the "Perspectives" series, offers high quality (though small) reproductions of important works, up-to-date analysis and discussion of the art and the contexts in which it was created. Harbison's tone is informative, if ocasionally a little too sententious. But it's a very small price to pay, given the overall excellence of his work in this volume. It's obvious that Harbison loves this period, and he transmits his excitement for these works to the reader in concise language that is accessible to a lay audience.

Of particular interest is the discussion of how the Northern Rennaisance related to and differed from what was going on in Italy at the time. The only major weakness: not enough of a focus on Durer. But it's hard to get sufficient focus on any artist in a book this condensed.

An excellent book for those familiar with the period, or those wanting to get acquainted with a school of art often unjustly overshadowed by its southern contemporary.

Great introduction to North European renaissance art
Renaissance art from Northern Europe is probably my favourite period in visual arts. While the Italian Renaissance is usually considered to be of more importance, this book should go a long way to convince anyone that the Burgundian Netherlands produced just as enjoyable (and historically important) innovations as the Italians did.

The angle the book takes is one of creating a historical framework in which the artists lived and worked. This is immensely successful. For example, Harbison clearly illuminates the artistic reasons the artistic goals that made North European artists reject the scientific system of perspective so often touted as the evidence of Italian supremacy.

The book roughly covers the period 1450-1575, a period in which contains enormous changes in artistic æsthetics, and these changes are clearly illustrated in the book. If one flaw is to be found, it is that the focus is that the period up until the early 1500s recieves the greatest deal of attention, but this is probably due to the fact that relatively little have been written about it compared to the late period of the books scope, which I suggest is mostly added to create overlapping continuity with other books; inarguably a most noble goal.

I believe the book is intended as an introduction to the period for undergraduate art history students, but it should be easilly readable for the dilettante (unlike my field, musicology, art history at this level only contains a rather small specialized vocabulary). In general, I think that any interested reader should find this an overcomeable read; keep a dictionary close if in doubt. Highly recommended!