THE LIES OF THE ARTISTS

Seeing Italian art with fresh eyes.

Rowland is a respected historian at the University of Notre Dame who has written a series of books about the art of the Renaissance. This collection of essays focuses on artists who “lied”: that is, who were able to depict reality in a way that went beyond the realistic to reach a sublime level. This was considered a pinnacle of achievement, and Rowland traces the idea through some of the key works of the era. Several of the artists discussed here, such as Raphael, Titian, Bernini, and Michelangelo, are famous, but Rowland finds new things to say about them by delving into their biographical details and working methods. She also does much to rescue the reputations of figures who are almost forgotten, such as Bertoldo di Giovanni, a sculptor of “beguiling little masterpieces,” and Artemisia Gentileschi, an artist of “brutality and brilliance” and one of the few successful female painters of the time. Rowland frames much of her analysis with a book written in the period, Lives of the Artists, by Giorgio Vasari, who was himself a fair artist as well as an author. This gives her own study additional authenticity and provides the opportunity for her to add personal touches and flashes of humor. It all makes for an enjoyable collection, of interest to art aficionados and general readers alike. Rowland does not include pictures of all the works she cites, but her enthusiasm for her subject is contagious and many readers are likely to enjoy tracking them down for themselves.

A novel approach to Renaissance art.