Full Description
In this brilliant and widely acclaimed work, Peter Burke presents a social and cultural history of the Italian Renaissance. He discusses the social and political institutions that existed in Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he analyses the ways of thinking and seeing that characterized this period of extraordinary artistic creativity. Developing a distinctive sociological approach, Peter Burke is concerned not only with the finished works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and others, but also with the social background, patterns of recruitment, and means of subsistence of this 'cultural elite.' He thus makes a major contribution to our understanding of the Italian Renaissance, and to our comprehension of the complex relations between culture and society. Burke has thoroughly revised and updated the text for this new edition, including a new introduction, and the book is richly illustrated throughout. It will have a wide appeal among historians, sociologists, and anyone interested in one of the most creative periods of European history.
Contents
Illustrations vii Introduction 1 The Theme 1 The Approach 4 A Revised Edition 8 PART I The Problem 1 The Arts in Renaissance Italy 17 2 The Historians: The Discovery of Social and Cultural History 32 PART II The Arts in their Milieu 3 Artists and Writers 47 Recruitment 47 Training 56 The Organization of the Arts 67 The Status of the Arts 80 Artists as Social Deviants 88 4 Patrons and Clients 94 Who are the Patrons? 95 Patrons v. Artists 107 Architecture, Music and Literature 118 The Rise of the Market 125 5 The Uses of Works of Art 132 Magic and Religion 133 Politics 138 The Private Sphere 148 Art for Pleasure 151 6 Taste 152 The Visual Arts 153 Music 161 Literature 164 Varieties of Taste 166 7 Iconography 171 PART III The Wider Society 8 Worldviews: Some Dominant Traits 187 Views of the Cosmos 188 Views of Society 198 Views of Man 203 Towards the Mechanization of the World Picture 211 9 The Social Framework 215 Religious Organization 215 Political Organization 220 The Social Structure 228 The Economy 234 10 Cultural and Social Change 241 Generations 242 Structural Changes 249 11 Comparisons and Conclusions 255 The Netherlands 256 Japan 259 Appendix: The Creative Elite 264 References and Bibliography 266 Index 314
