Vasari: the founder of The History of Art. His book on Lives of the artists of the Italian Renaissance (full title: The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, written by Giorgio Vasari, Painter and Architect of Arezzo) set a template for art history books that lasted for over 400 years and his grading or ranking of those artists has largely stood the test of time. His original publication stretched through three volumes but I read the penguin classics translation that selected some of the best mini biographies from each of the three periods covered in the original. Giotto, Brunelleschi, Piero della Francesca, Masaccio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Titian are names that will be familiar to many people who have a passing knowledge of Renaissance art and they are all included here.

Vasari was a successful artist himself, a pupil and later a friend of Michelangelo and so we have the advantage of an insiders knowledge, especially those artists of the third period that Vasari would have met either first or second hand. He would have been able to call on the memories of people who knew artists from the second period and would have read commentaries on artists from the first period. He would have been able to see the frescoes, paintings, sculptures and buildings that proliferated in his native Florence and those at Rome, he also boasts of a collection of drawings by many of the artists that he would have had easy access to, because of his position as head of his own workshop. Perfectly placed then to write a history of art, with the added bonus that his free flowing writing style translates well enough for the modern reader.

Having said that I do not think this is a book for the general reader, whose eyes may glaze over at descriptions of works that have little meaning for us today. It is however an amazing read for anyone interested in primary sources, Italian Renaissance or the history of art. The biographies are not of equal length, some are only a few pages while the longest on Michelangelo is over 100 pages. Vasari is primarily interested in the works of art which he is able to describe; sometimes in detail, but this can result in a list of works that will have little meaning to those people without prior knowledge of them or of the history of art. He does however give readers his views on their success as works of art and he describes their style and any advances on previous efforts. There are some biographical details, but rarely any context of political or social history, however there are some amusing anecdotes and Vasari is not adverse to putting the world too rights with his own comments.

The most fascinating aspect of ‘The Lives’ is Vasari’s own propaganda for the idea of the artist as a person of importance, even of genius; he wanted to enhance the reputation of the artist not only for the people who would read his work in the 16th century, but also for future generations and in this respect he has been enormously successful. He saw the Italian Renaissance as a rebirth from the medievalism of previous history. The rediscovery of antiquity (in sculpture, literature and architecture) helped to fuel the renaissance movement first made prominent by 13th and 14th century artists such as Cimabue and Giotto. This was further developed in the second period and reached its zenith in Vasari’s own time with Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael. His views were largely accepted by influential Victorian critics/historians such as Jacob Burckhardt and John Addington Symonds and it is only more recently that Vasari’s motives have been examined in more detail. For example Italian painters of the first and second period were seen largely as craftsmen, on a par with goldsmiths and cabinet makers and as such would be guided in subject matter and interpretation by the patrons who commissioned their work. Vasari was at pains to give the impression that it was the artists themselves who were the guiding lights.

Vasari’s ‘Lives’ gives the reader his view (the artist) on what makes good art: it is a connoisseurs view. He spells it out in his introduction to each volume: correct underdrawing, thorough knowledge of perspective, use of colours, knowledge of works from antiquity and most importantly a true representation of nature. He laid down the basic tenants for the Academies of Arts that flourished right up to modernism of the 20th century. His most high ranking artists were those that demonstrated these techniques, culminating in Michelangelo who achieved a perfection over nature itself.

In Vasari’s own words:
“I have endeavoured not only to record what the artist has done, but also to distinguish between the good the better and the best, and to note with some care the methods, manners, styles, behaviour and ideas of the painters and sculptures…… to understand the sources and origins of various styles and the reasons for improvement or decline…..”

Vasari had a good eye and an excellent knowledge of art and although the writing is somewhat old fashioned it is still a delight to be led by the hand through one of the greatest periods of art history and for those of us confused by the listed works of art there is always the internet to magic up an image. His insiders knowledge cannot fail to give readers a unique flavour of the times and his anecdotes, his snatches of remembered conversation and extracts from letters and documents make this a fascinating read. His biography of Michelangelo although something of a panegyric is worth the price of admission. The penguin classics edition has a useful introduction and an end piece that comments on Vasari’s text artist by artist, therefore we are told of works that are still in existence and those where we think Vasari may have been misinformed. A fascinating aspect is reading about works of art that Vasari did see and which have now been lost. For me this was a five star read. ( )