New Apelleses and New Apollos: Poet-Artists around the Court of Florence (1537-1587)

This book explores the cultural strategy of verse-writing by Italian Renaissance artists, revealing how poetry provides insights into art-theoretical debates, patronage questions, workshop cultures, professional identity, and personal relations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 19 February 2022
Publisher: De Gruyter

This groundbreaking book delves into the profound significance of verse-writing as a cultural strategy employed by Italian Renaissance artists. Through a comprehensive examination of poems penned by painters, sculptors, architects, and goldsmiths who thrived in Florence under the rule of Cosimo I and Francesco I de Medici, the author sheds light on how these visual arts practitioners embraced the literary medium to address concerns intertwined with their primary professions. By exploring a milieu where many visual artists appropriated the language of poetry to express their artistic visions, New Apelleses and New Apollos emerge as a significant contribution to the growing scholarly discourse on the intellectual life of artists in early modern Italy. The book reveals how poetry serves as a rich source of insights, offering fresh perspectives on art-theoretical debates, patronage dynamics, workshop cultures, issues of professional identity, and the intricate networks of personal relationships within the artistic community. This insightful exploration of the interplay between poetry and the visual arts provides a fresh and dynamic understanding of the creative processes and cultural contexts of the Italian Renaissance, enriching our appreciation of this remarkable period of artistic flourishing.

Weight: 1082g
Dimension: 182 x 247 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783110743555