FRA FLIPPO; LIFE AND WORK

Fra Filippo Lippi (c.1406-69) is one of the greatest artists of the early Renaissance in Italy. A pioneer of psychological realism, he developed unique and daring means of representation, discarding medieval traditions about the role of colour in painting. His intensely personal, richly expressive characters are a compelling revelation of Renaissance attitudes towards human experience.

Jeffrey Ruda's work, first published in 1993, was the first full-scale study of Lippi to be published for many years, and provided an important reassessment of his life and work. It also attempted to define the nature of Lippi's greatness as a portrayer of the subtleties of human feeling, and to place his achievement in the wider context of early Renaissance art.

Ruda's landmark survey - still an invaluable work of reference - is now being reissued in an abridged paperback format, so that those who do not require the full art-historical analysis of the original catalogue section can enjoy its beautiful colour plates and fascinating narrative text at an amazingly competitive price.

Jeffrey Ruda is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of California, Davis.