Presents 17th- and 18th-century Italian paintings from one of the world's finest collections of European art.

The story of Baroque painting in Malta reflects that of the Italian peninsula and, in many ways, can be directly integrated within it. In terms of quantity, the island was impressively prolific. In terms of quality, works vary tremendously. There were, however, celebrated instances when the island was significantly at the forefront of stylistic development. A handful of Maltese artists worked beyond the island's shores and some, like the painter Francesco Noletti (il Fieravino), made major breakthroughs in Rome, the 'mother' of all cities. The island's small size also meant that it could be easily conditioned by one or two major artists working there. Therefore, a talented artist, Maltese or foreign, could exert tremendous influence on the stylistic currents that prevailed. The story of Baroque painting in Malta is thus marked by such artists. Contents: The pre-Baroque Years; Caravaggio; Leonello Spada; Caravaggism in Malta: Imported Works; Caravaggism in Malta: Copies after Caravaggio and Works executed in Malta; The mid- eventeenth century; Mattia Preti; The Bottega of Mattia Preti and Giuseppe d'Arena; The Erardi Family of Artists: Stefano and Alessio; The early eighteenth century; Gio Nicola Buhagiar and Enrico Regnaud; Mid-eighteenth century works by foreign artists; Francesco Zahra; Antoine Favray; Rocco Buhagiar; Giuseppe Grech; The late eighteenth century and the end of the Baroque.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was the greatest sculptor of the Baroque period, and yet—surprisingly—there has never before been a major exhibition of his sculpture in North America. Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture showcases portrait sculptures from all phases of the artist’s long career, from the very early Antonio Coppola of 1612 to Clement X of about 1676, one of his last completed works. Bernini’s portrait busts were masterpieces of technical virtuosity; at the same time, they revealed a new interest in psychological depth. Bernini’s ability to capture the essential character of his subjects was unmatched and had a profound influence on other leading sculptors of his day, such as Alessandro Algardi, Giuliano Finelli, and Francesco Mochi. Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture is a groundbreaking study that features drawings and paintings by Bernini and his contemporaries. Together they demonstrate not only the range, skill, and acuity of these masters of Baroque portraiture but also the interrelationship of the arts in seventeenth-century Rome.

Genoa completed its transformation from a faded maritime power into a thriving banking center for Europe in the seventeenth century. The wealth accumulated by its leading families spurred investment in the visual arts on an enormous scale. This volume explores how artists both foreign and native created a singularly rich and extravagant expression of the baroque in works of extraordinary variety, sumptuousness, and exuberance. This art, however, has remained largely hidden behind the facades of the city's palaces, with few works, apart from those by the school's great expatriates, found beyond its borders. As a result, the Genoese baroque has been insufficiently considered or appreciated.0Lavishly illustrated, 'A Superb Baroque' is comprehensive, encompassing all the major media and participants. Presented are some 140 select works by the celebrated foreigners drawn to the city and its flourishing environment. Offering three levels of exploration-essays that frame and interpret, section introductions that characterize principal currents and stages, and texts that elucidate individual works-this volume is by far the most extensive study of the Genoese baroque in the English language.00Exhibition: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA (03.05.-16.08.2020) / Scuderie del Quirinale, Rome, Italy (03.10.2020 - 10.01.2021).

In this collection of nine essays some of the preeminent art historians in the United States consider the relationship between art and craft, between the creative idea and its realization, in Renaissance and Baroque Italy. The essays, all previously unpublished, are devoted to the pictorial arts and are accompanied by nearly 150 illustrations. Examining works by such artists as Michelangelo, Titian, Volterrano, Giovanni di Paolo, and Annibale Carracci (along with aspects of the artists' creative processes, work habits, and aesthetic convictions), the essayists explore the ways in which art was conceived and produced at a time when collaboration with pupils, assistants, or independent masters was an accepted part of the artistic process. The consensus of the contributors amounts to a revision, or at least a qualification, of Bernard Berenson's interpretation of the emergent Renaissance ideal of individual "genius" as a measure of original artistic achievement: we must accord greater influence to the collaborative, appropriative conventions and practices of the craft workshop, which persisted into and beyond the Renaissance from its origins in the Middle Ages. Consequently, we must acknowledge the sometimes rather ordinary beginnings of some of the world's great works of art--an admission, say the contributors, that will open new avenues of study and enhance our understanding of the complex connections between invention and execution. With one exception, these essays were delivered as lectures in conjunction with the exhibition The Artists and Artisans of Florence: Works from the Horne Museum hosted by the Georgia Museum of Art in the fall of 1992.

A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art provides a diverse, fresh collection of accessible, comprehensive essays addressing key issues for European art produced between 1300 and 1700, a period that might be termed the beginning of modern history. Presents a collection of original, in-depth essays from art experts that address various aspects of European visual arts produced from circa 1300 to 1700 Divided into five broad conceptual headings: Social-Historical Factors in Artistic Production; Creative Process and Social Stature of the Artist; The Object: Art as Material Culture; The Message: Subjects and Meanings; and The Viewer, the Critic, and the Historian: Reception and Interpretation as Cultural Discourse Covers many topics not typically included in collections of this nature, such as Judaism and the arts, architectural treatises, the global Renaissance in arts, the new natural sciences and the arts, art and religion, and gender and sexuality Features essays on the arts of the domestic life, sexuality and gender, and the art and production of tapestries, conservation/technology, and the metaphor of theater Focuses on Western and Central Europe and that territory's interactions with neighboring civilizations and distant discoveries Includes illustrations as well as links to images not included in the book

Presents an overview of the history of Bolognese painting. This book looks at specific topics, such as portraiture, cabinet pictures, naturalism and classicism. It also examines the developments made in the eighteenth-century under Giuseppe Maria Crespi.

The most versatile sculptor-architect of all time, Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) left his indelible stamp of genius on the churches, fountains, and piazzas of Rome. In marble, paint, bronze, stucco, and gilt, through glass and shimmering water and channeled light, he transformed the Eternal City with his unique vision and verve. His strikingly novel introduction of dramatically charged space into traditional forms-tombs, altars, portraits, and freestanding figures-altered forever the nature of sculpture, its relation to painting and architecture, and, above all, its psychological interaction with the viewer. Bernini brought to his work a sensual vitality and sheer virtuosity unprecedented in sculpture. But it is his magical, often mystical unification of the arts that epitomizes Bernini as the Baroque artist par excellence. Accompanied by 71 illustrations, Scribner's engaging biography reveals much behind the facades of 17th-century Rome. Over his career of seventy years, serving eight popes, Bernini dominated both his century and his city. His princely patrons included France's 'Sun King', Louis XIV, who summoned him to Paris to design the Louvre. The 42 color plates, each with extensive commentary, cover the entire spectrum of Bernini's masterpieces and confirm his role as the impresario of the Baroque Age.

Caravaggio was one of the most mysterious and revolutionary painters in the history of art. As this volume shows, he created a new language of theatrical realism that lives on through his paintings.

An in-depth study of moving works of art from various European countries.