The two brilliant young Florentine artists Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti first competed to design a set of bronze doors for the Church of St. John the Baptist. The victory went to Ghiberti, who spent fifty years creating the magnificent doors and who cast a second set so exquisite that Michelangelo deemed them worthy to stand at the Gates of Paradise. Brunelleschi took a different path, redefining himself as an architect, rediscovering the techniques of mathematical perspective, and solving the greatest construction problem of his time: the magnificent dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral. Yet the dome was not Brunelleschi's glory alone; he was forced to share the commission with his old archrival Ghiberti, who seemed to haunt his every move.In The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance, Paul Robert Walker breathes life into these two talented, passionate artists, and offers a glorious tour of fifteenth-century Florence, a bustling city on the verge of greatness in a time of flourishing creativity, rivalry, and genius.
The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance
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From Publishers Weekly
Six hundred years ago, Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi finished one and two in a contest to design the decorative bronze doors that now grace Florence's beloved Baptistry. Ghiberti, the youngest entrant, was the victor and subsequent recipient of many of the city's most sought-after projects. Wounded by his loss to the upstart Ghiberti, Brunelleschi (who was better educated and from a more respectable family than his rival) set out to reintroduce the glory of Antiquity in their age. Brunelleschi went on to design the dome that has long symbolized Florence's cityscape and succeeded in popularizing the return to the architectural vocabulary of Greece and Rome. Walker, author of various YA books and Every Day's a Miracle, contends (though too often he simply conjectures) that while fighting for architectural and sculptural commissions and fuming at one another, the two artists brought out the best in each other, their peers and subsequent generations. While that may be so, this book is hurt by the author's attempts to construct his imagined narrative without sufficient evidence to do so convincingly. Descriptions lacking originality and force (Brunelleschi's dome is "a vision of curving red tile and white marble perfection set against the pale blue Tuscan sky") and weak argumentation make this a disappointing popularization of the lives and work of two very talented men.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Drawing on a wealth of original source material and contemporary biographies, this engaging account introduces readers to rivals Filippo Brunelleschi and Lorenzo Ghiberti, the young geniuses whose artistic visions were the beginnings of the Renaissance in Florence. Their lives and works are the main topics of this book, but Walker also interweaves the stories of other famous individuals such as Donatello and the Medicis. He frequently speculates on motivations and activities that might have taken place during undocumented years but reminds readers that he is only offering logical conjectures. He makes note of past events that impacted Florentine life of the day, such as the plague, the Great Schism, and the Guelf/Ghibelline struggle. Use of anecdotes, particularly the tale of an elaborate practical joke, shows the human side of these masters. Eighteen black-and-white photographs, some full page, some very small, show the major works discussed in the text. Extensive source notes are included.
Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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IN THE SUMMER of 1399, a religious movement arose in Lombardy, the northern Italian region around Milan, and began to travel southward toward Rome, attracting thousands of followers on the way. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
IN THE SUMMER of 1399, a religious movement arose in Lombardy, the northern Italian region around Milan, and began to travel southward toward Rome, attracting thousands of followers on the way. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By J. Cameron-Smith
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
.. something so unique and miraculous that it changed our world forever. We call it the Renaissance, a rebirth of ancient art and learning.'
This story begins in the waning days of the 14th century, and tells the story of the competition between Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi to design and produce a new set of bronze doors for the Church of St John the Baptist (The Baptistery) in Florence. Ghiberti won this particular competition, but was largely eclipsed by Brunelleschi who went on to become the architect of the dome of Florence's cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore.
Mr Walker describes the competition between the two as personal and hence as a feud. I see it more as a conflict of ideas rather than purely as a personal feud. Brunelleschi is credited with inventing perspective and used this in his design of the dome. It was this modern approach to engineering that enabled Santa Maria del Fiore to be crowned with a dome of such magnificence and beauty that it has become one of the most enduring symbols of the Renaissance. It seems that Ghiberti, by contrast, created his beautiful work by drawing on the past.
I'm not entirely comfortable with Mr Walker's view of Brunelleschi and Ghiberti as sparking the Renaissance, attractive as it is to think of an artist and an architect ushering in this new age. I prefer to see the Bapistery doors and the Dome symbols of the Renaissance, rather than the catalyst for it.
I enjoyed reading this book: it added to my understanding of Florence during this period.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
This story begins in the waning days of the 14th century, and tells the story of the competition between Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi to design and produce a new set of bronze doors for the Church of St John the Baptist (The Baptistery) in Florence. Ghiberti won this particular competition, but was largely eclipsed by Brunelleschi who went on to become the architect of the dome of Florence's cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore.
Mr Walker describes the competition between the two as personal and hence as a feud. I see it more as a conflict of ideas rather than purely as a personal feud. Brunelleschi is credited with inventing perspective and used this in his design of the dome. It was this modern approach to engineering that enabled Santa Maria del Fiore to be crowned with a dome of such magnificence and beauty that it has become one of the most enduring symbols of the Renaissance. It seems that Ghiberti, by contrast, created his beautiful work by drawing on the past.
I'm not entirely comfortable with Mr Walker's view of Brunelleschi and Ghiberti as sparking the Renaissance, attractive as it is to think of an artist and an architect ushering in this new age. I prefer to see the Bapistery doors and the Dome symbols of the Renaissance, rather than the catalyst for it.
I enjoyed reading this book: it added to my understanding of Florence during this period.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
By Keith Neuman
Format:Hardcover
This isn't the type of book I'd be inclined to read, but heard about it from a friend, and when I came across it in a bookstore I decided to give it a try. I'm not one to get excited about art history, but I found this a wonderful story and by the time I finished it I developed a new interest in renaissance art and a desire to visit Florence and see in person what was so vividly described in this book. I think the author did a great job in his research to present a credible but engaging story that I suspect is little known or appreciated outside of art history circles. Perhaps the fact that he is not an art historian by profession helped make this much more readable than what might have come from the pen of a "true expert." The story does take time to develop, but worth sticking with. A few more pictures of some of the art described would have been nice. I'm looking forward to reading what Paul Robert Walker tackles next.
Format:Paperback
More than six months passed after my wife and I visited Florence before I discovered Paul Robert Walker's The Feud that Sparked the Renaissance. The book caught my attention and held it. Maybe because I had been to that historical center; equally likely it was because of the story he tells about the emergence of a three dimensional world and the creation of the magnificent dome of the Cathedral of Florence.
I had taken art history courses in college and I had some idea of the major movements in western civilization. Giotto loomed from the darkness; Michelangelo and Raphael and Leonardo basked in bright sunlight. I had only vague memories of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, two artists who walked the streets of Florence early in the 15th century. Walker changed that for me. He drew such an exquisite picture of the times that I felt drawn into the community. I felt a part of the street scene. I felt the heat and the passion of the times. And I felt the competition between these two key figures that helped focus shafts of light on Florence.
They changed the world by what they saw. Ghiberti's doors are exquisite; Brunelleschi's dome is incomparable. What appeared to be an uncommon feat when I sat at a cafe table and admired the curve of the dome turned into an architectural and engineering marvel. Walker leads the reader through the political and cultural history of Florence, weaving tales of skirmish and battle that eventually bring us to the emergence of a new era. The story is not a simple one. Readers will have to work a bit to reach beyond the surface. But it is worthy of the effort. The author will not let you down. When you feel the need for additional explanation he provides it. And through it all he reminds us that the efforts of these key artists of the early Renaissance helped set the stage for the modern world.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
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5.0 out of 5 stars
When Art Really Mattered
This is a thoroughly engaging account of a key period in world cultural history. While most Americans tend to think of the Renaissance in terms of Leonardo and Michelangelo,... Read more
Published on April 28 2004
2.0 out of 5 stars
Brunelleschi = Genius. Ghiberti = Well-connected hack.
If you've read the title of my review, you don't need to bother with this book. It's not about a feud; I didn't think the author even substantiated the existence of a feud, much... Read more
Published on Mar 25 2004
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Three Dimensional March
Mr. Walker demands respect for his authentic recreation
of the characters and intrigue chiseled from stone
and history to bring to life a time and personality
that... Read more
of the characters and intrigue chiseled from stone
and history to bring to life a time and personality
that... Read more
Published on Jan 29 2003
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