Lives of the Artists

Volume 2

Introduction by George Bull
Translated by George Bull
Notes by Peter Murray
In his Lives of the Artists of the Italian Renaissance, Vasari demonstrated a literary talent that outshone even his outstanding abilities as a painter and architect. Through character sketches and anecdotes he depicts Piero di Cosimo shut away in his derelict house, living only to paint; Giulio Romano's startling painting of Jove striking down the giants; and his friend Francesco Salviati, whose biography also tells us much about Vasari's own early career. Vasari's original and soaring vision plus his acute aesthetic judgements have made him one of the most influential art historians of all time.
Giorgio Vasari was born in 1511 at Arezzo in Tuscany. While still a boy he was introduced to Cardinal Silvio Passerini who put him to study in Florence with Michelangelo—who later became a close friend—then with Andrea del Sarto. He left Florence when his patron, Duke Alessandro, was assassinated, and wandered around Italy filling his notebooks with sketches; it was during this period that he conceived the idea of the Lives. By then, in his thirties, Vasari was a highly successful painter and when his Lives were published they were received enthusiastically. He returned to Florence in 1555 to serve Duke Cosimo who appointed him architect of the Palazzo Vecchio. After a grand tour of Italian towns he published the revised and enlarged edition of his Lives in 1568. Vasari spent the rest of his life in a glow of self-satisfaction and public recognition, and in 1571 he was knighted by Pope Pius V. He died in 1574. View titles by Giorgio Vasari

Introduction
Vasari's Lives
Vasari and the Renaissance Artist
Translator's Note
The Lives
Preface to the Lives
Cimabue
Giotto

Preface to Part Two
Uccello
Ghiberti
Masaccio
Brunelleschi
Donatello
Piero della Francesca
Fra Angelico
Alberti
Fra Filippo Lippi
Botticelli
Verrocchio
Mantegna

Preface to Part Three
Leonardo da Vinci
Giorgione
Correggio
Raphael
Michelangelo
Titian
Notes on the Artists
Further Reading

About

In his Lives of the Artists of the Italian Renaissance, Vasari demonstrated a literary talent that outshone even his outstanding abilities as a painter and architect. Through character sketches and anecdotes he depicts Piero di Cosimo shut away in his derelict house, living only to paint; Giulio Romano's startling painting of Jove striking down the giants; and his friend Francesco Salviati, whose biography also tells us much about Vasari's own early career. Vasari's original and soaring vision plus his acute aesthetic judgements have made him one of the most influential art historians of all time.

Author

Giorgio Vasari was born in 1511 at Arezzo in Tuscany. While still a boy he was introduced to Cardinal Silvio Passerini who put him to study in Florence with Michelangelo—who later became a close friend—then with Andrea del Sarto. He left Florence when his patron, Duke Alessandro, was assassinated, and wandered around Italy filling his notebooks with sketches; it was during this period that he conceived the idea of the Lives. By then, in his thirties, Vasari was a highly successful painter and when his Lives were published they were received enthusiastically. He returned to Florence in 1555 to serve Duke Cosimo who appointed him architect of the Palazzo Vecchio. After a grand tour of Italian towns he published the revised and enlarged edition of his Lives in 1568. Vasari spent the rest of his life in a glow of self-satisfaction and public recognition, and in 1571 he was knighted by Pope Pius V. He died in 1574. View titles by Giorgio Vasari

Table of Contents

Introduction
Vasari's Lives
Vasari and the Renaissance Artist
Translator's Note
The Lives
Preface to the Lives
Cimabue
Giotto

Preface to Part Two
Uccello
Ghiberti
Masaccio
Brunelleschi
Donatello
Piero della Francesca
Fra Angelico
Alberti
Fra Filippo Lippi
Botticelli
Verrocchio
Mantegna

Preface to Part Three
Leonardo da Vinci
Giorgione
Correggio
Raphael
Michelangelo
Titian
Notes on the Artists
Further Reading

Books for Native American Heritage Month

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month this November, Penguin Random House Education is highlighting books that detail the history of Native Americans, and stories that explore Native American culture and experiences. Browse our collections here: Native American Creators Native American History & Culture

Read more

2024 Middle and High School Collections

The Penguin Random House Education Middle School and High School Digital Collections feature outstanding fiction and nonfiction from the children’s, adult, DK, and Grupo Editorial divisions, as well as publishers distributed by Penguin Random House. Peruse online or download these valuable resources to discover great books in specific topic areas such as: English Language Arts,

Read more

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more