The magnificent frescoes in chapels, town halls, and palaces across Italy together represent one of the greatest achievements of Renaissance art. Commissioned both by private patrons and by the Church, artists such as Giotto, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Mantegna, and Annibale Carracci responded with images of matchless beauty. Leading scholars of Renaissance art and culture treat the works selected for this series in their artistic and historical contexts; each cycle is illustrated with a complete set of the highest quality color reproductions.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest draughtsmen of all time, Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) is celebrated for his naturalism. Born in a time when the elegant deformations and exaggerations of Italian mannerism were still in vogue, Carracci turned instead to nature as his principal inspiration. Much attuned to the everyday world around him, he took as much interest in studying a man bowling, a butcher weighing a piece of meat, or a street entertainer with his monkey as he did in the preparatory studies for his grand mythological and religious paintings. The fruit of this intensive study is abundantly evident in his magnificent drawings of the human figure - from his early works in Bologna to those made in preparation for his greatest commission, the decoration of the Farnese Gallery in Rome. This stunning publication brings together a plethora of Carracci's masterful drawings to provide a unique insight into the technique and skill of one of the premier artists of his time.

Annibale Carracci (1560-1609) fu una delle figure chiave (1560-1609) nello sviluppo dell'arte barocca italiana, e tuttavia la sua arte può sembrare problematica per diversi aspetti. Questo volume analizza la sua carriera dagli esordi a Bologna fino alle opere successive a Roma, il cui apice è raggiunto con il suo capolavoro, gli splendidi affreschi della Galleria Farnese. Il volume indaga inoltre il linguaggio religioso fortemente espressivo che sviluppò nelle pale d'altare, adeguate espressioni dei princìpi della Contro-Riforma, e i suoi importanti contributi all'evoluzione del paesaggio classico. Annotation Supplied by Informazioni Editoriali