Italian Frescoes: The Age of Giotto, 1280-1400 Hardcover – October 1, 2005

I wonder how many people who buy a book like this, actually read it. It took me six months before I had the courage. And now that I have - and have three more volumes to go - I admit that I would have preferred a somewhat more pedestrian approch, perhaps - I should say - a somewhat more Anglosaxon (or American) approach. Because this book is definitely written in the German tradition, which goes especially for the several general introductions to the volume.Short as they are, they are hard to read and a lot is taken for granted. I am an art lover, am well at home in the nineteenth century, but am less acquainted with the art of the middle ages and early renaissance, whereas on the other hand I know the general history of the period reasonably well. And although I have already visited many of the churches and chapels, frescoes and mosaics, described in the book, I still find parts of the introductory texts hard to follow. Commenting on fhe frescoes in the Assisi upper church, one of the highlights in the volume, Poeschke writes: "As for their innovate artistic qualities in general, these are already seen in the unified overall conception into the built architecture, in part by illusionistic means, and extend to the well balanced pictorial strucure, the clearly defined volumes and body language of the figures, a heightened presence of everything being represented, and an extension and refinement of the color spectrum. More than ever before, a compositional calculus asserts itself in these paintings (...)." (p.64) Which may all be very true of course, but which is also very dull, and in a way also very abstract. And whereas the layout of plates, diagrams and figures is cristalclear, I find the texts about them a lot less orderly.Why not, before every church, a small historical introduction, and than a running and systematic textual commentary on the plates? And why not, for instance, systematically add the text of Bonaventura, on which the frescoes are based? This book has a strange way of taking its reader seriously, and at the same time not seriously enough. Where `s the editor? Where Poeschke does give an extended description of a fresco, he does so in an excellent way. But why not systematically combine the texts on the plates with the plates itself? I don't think this is really a quibble. It is a bit of a waste to produce a great looking book, without really thinking of the reader. It is easy to leaf through this book and say: "hey, this looks great", which it does, but I found reading it not always a pleasure.But then, these are also wonderfull volumes, one has to admit. The quality of the photographs is excellent, the extensive coverage of many of the Italian medieval churches and chapels is a pleasure to behold. One may whine now and then at the tedious style, there is also an immense amount of knowledge assembled here. Would' nt it be great to have a very small pocketversion of an improved version of this book, just to take along to Italy?

This will forever be one of my FAVORITE books now on my shelf. Extremely high quality images; of entire compositions and close up details. Perfect companion for every art historian.

I'll confess that I was more interested in the color plates than in the text, which I'll eventually read but this book is beautiful. You're swimming in huge, full-page details and exceptional reproductions and fine printing. If you're a painter looking to see these pieces, this is as close as you'll get to the real thing with a plane ticket.

i want the whole series!

It is everything I hoped it would be. this is a fantastic series of books from Abbeyville.

Excellent book, very good text, nice color photographs, fine paper and you know the great quality of Abbeville Press. I recommend it.

One word describes this book - brilliant! This is the best book on the market for early Italian frescoes with a happy marriage of the finest photography and finest text. Congratulations and thanks.

The latest in the set of now four brilliant works on the frescoes of the Italian renaissance, "The Age of Giotto" is a masterwork that is worthy of a museum. From the Giotto, Simon Martini, Pietro Lorenzetti, and Cimabue wall paintings in the fascinating double church in Assisi, to the lesser known (and nearly disappeared) work by Cavallini in Santa Cecilia en Trastevere, the commentary is enlightening and the photography stunning. You will not find a better book on the early examples of this wonderful art form than this one. See the other three books - "The Early Renaissance", "The Flowering of the Renaissance" and "The High Renaissance and Mannerism" - for the compete, magnificent look at 200 years of fresco masterpieces.

This is the first book in a series of five devoted to Italian Frescoes. The approach to the subject could not be better. Illustrated with the best colour reproductions the author has made a significant reference work as well as an enjoyable book to own. I have ordered the other volumes in this series as well as Italian Mosaics by Joachim Poeschke.