[.ca] Lives of the Artists: A Selection (ISBN 9626342552)

Best translation available:
Vasari's Lives of the Artist deserves to be published as one of the world's classics. Unfortunately, the Bondanellas did not translate all of the vite and some of the biographies in this volume are abridged. Still, although it contains a few minor errors, this elegant and lively translation of the Lives is the best available in English.

Magnificent Reference:
I found this to be a magnificent reference for anyone interested in learning about the Renaissance art and artists. Vasari wrote the original text between 1563 and 1568, and he knew the greats such as Michelangelo and da Vinci personally as well as many others and imparts both his knowledge and first hand impressions of these great artists not found in any other reference. Vasari himself was a very talented artist apprenticing under Michelangelo directly. This is a wonderful text and facinating source of hard to find information. You will enjoy it.

The aetiology of art:
Vasari interprets the plastic and architectonic arts (painting, sculpture and architecture) as means for promoting the glory of God, as the artist, in his creative act, emulates the supreme creative act of the deity and is thus brought closer to him. His history of Renaissance, or, in Vasari's terms "modern", art spans from the early medieval masters, such as Cimabue and Giotto, up to the great trimuvirate of the high Renaissance, Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo, whom Vasari regards with immense reverence as the greatest artist of all time, a genius who even surpassed the perfection of the ancients, and even nature itself. The history describes the gradual advances inaugurated by Giotto and Cimabue, freeing art from the grip of the artificial and iconographic Gothic style, and the progressive development of mathematical perspective by the likes of Brunelleschi, Masaccio and Piero della Franchesca, up to Michelangelo, the genius characterised by "terribilata" and absolute mastery of the arts. A section is also devoted to the Venetian masters Titian, Giorgione and Bellini, though they receive short shrift as Vasari, being a Florentine, does not attempt to conceal his bias towards Florentine art and hostility towards the Venetians. The account is written in highly engaging and vivacious prose, with an occasionally gossipy flavour, as Vasari relates, in charming anecdotes, some of the personal events that transpired in the lives of the artists. Altogether, this is a landmark of art-historical research, compiled at a time when research techniques were extremely unreliable, and when interlibrary loans were unheard-of.

Great History book:
Great History book for Art History fans

A must read for lovers of Italian Renaissance art:
In studying up for a visit to Italy I noticed that art historians still directly and frequently cite this book, written over 400 years ago. Since Vasari was a contemporary of the High-Renaissance artists, I thought it would be interesting to read his descriptions of artists and their technical development. The book is organized into a series of essays focusing on artists from Cimabue to Titian. In this translation, the editors have included only those artists still believed to have made a significant contribution. To my surprise, this book was not only informative, but it was also quite entertaining. Vasari focuses mostly on the artistic development of each artist, but frequently strays into fascinating stories about their personal lives. The writing style is surprisingly readable, thanks to both Vasari and the editors. The notes in the back of the book are extremely useful. They point out where Vasari has been proven inaccurate, elaborate on some of Vasari's points, and provide updated locations for some of the works. This book was invaluable during my recent trip to Tuscany and Umbria. It was thrilling to read Vasari's descriptions of great fresco cycles, paintings, and sculptures while I was viewing them in person, whether in the Uffizi in Florence or the Duomo in Orvieto. I cannot recommend this book enough to all art lovers, particularly those who are planning a visit to central Italy.