In a New Light: Giovanni Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert" - Hardcover

Rutherglen, Susannah; Hale, Charlotte

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1907804390 ISBN 13: 9781907804397

Publisher: GILES, 2015

Synopsis

Giovanni Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert (c. 1476 78) is a masterpiece of Venetian Renaissance art that has inspired generations of visitors to The Frick Collection. This monumental panel painting portrays the beloved Christian saint alone in a mountainous wilderness, stepping forward from his simple shelter into a golden light that seems to transfigure him spiritually. For centuries, viewers have puzzled over the work’s meaning; until recently, however, the artist’s practical conception and realization of this extraordinary vision have remained largely unexplored.

In a New Light presents the collective findings of an unprecedented technical examination of St. Francis in the Desert. The recent discoveries provide a glimpse over Bellini’s shoulder” and open new avenues of research into Venetian Renaissance painting and its cultural and religious context. A richly illustrated monograph of a single picture, In a New Light comprises essays by leading experts in the fields of paintings conservation, Venetian art, the history of collecting, and Franciscan thought.

About this title

About the Author:

Susannah Rutherglen is a Fellow of the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and former Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow at the Frick Collection. She co-curated the exhibition In a New Light: Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert with Charlotte Hale and Denise Allen at the Frick in 2011.

Charlotte Hale is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Paintings Conservator; she oversaw the recent technical study of St Francis in the Desert (2010)

Review:

"Superbly designed, superabundantly illustrated, uncommonly well-written, and surprisingly affordable volume"—Paul Barolsky, Renaissance Quarterly

"In some cases, a single work is a show in itself. The Frick Collection has such a star and has produced this superb book about it" Holland Cotter, The New York Times Gift Guide

"This book will be of interest to anyone researching Bellini and the Venetian Renaissance" Alexander Adams, Cassone

"Deeply absorbing and profoundly instructive" Patrick McCaughey, The Times Literary Supplement

"With its superb color plates, illuminating close-ups of painting surface, elegantly written essays, and impeccable notes, the book is a model of how to explore an outstanding work of art, demonstrated here with resounding success" D. Pincus, National Gallery of Art, Choice



"Superbly designed, superabundantly illustrated, uncommonly well-written, and surprisingly affordable volume"—Paul Barolsky, Renaissance Quarterly

"In some cases, a single work is a show in itself. The Frick Collection has such a star and has produced this superb book about it"―Holland Cotter, The New York Times Gift Guide

"This book will be of interest to anyone researching Bellini and the Venetian Renaissance"―Alexander Adams, Cassone

"Deeply absorbing and profoundly instructive"―Patrick McCaughey, The Times Literary Supplement

"With its superb color plates, illuminating close-ups of painting surface, elegantly written essays, and impeccable notes, the book is a model of how to explore an outstanding work of art, demonstrated here with resounding success"―D. Pincus, National Gallery of Art, Choice

About this edition

• Publisher: GILES
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1907804390
• ISBN 13: 9781907804397
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 232