Renaissance and Baroque Art

Renaissance and Baroque Art includes essays on keystone paintings like Diego Velazquez's 'Las Meninas', as well as works by artists such as El Greco, Caravaggio and Mantegna. Because Steinberg's prose style is almost conversational - lively, literate and accessible - and his insights rarely less than revelatory, there's plenty here for the general reader. -- Eric Gibson * Spectator * Among the most adept and provocative practitioners of art history in its widest definition, Steinberg often began his inquiries by questioning what a painting represents, moved on to explore its possible meanings, and concluded with something one likely never imagined. He wrote with rare wit and precision, crafting prose that incisively captured overlooked aspects of artwork. Joining two other collections of posthumously published work-Michelangelo's Sculpture and Michelangelo's Painting, also both edited by Schwartz-the present volume presents a variety of topics from Mantegna to Caravaggio, Guercino, Velazquez, and Steen. . . . Each essay rewards with unexpected insight about a painting in a context of associated works, human behavior, cultural practice, and history. This is a trove of close looking and closer reading, revealing as much about methodology as about images. . . . Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE * Sheila Schwartz, an art historian who worked closely with Steinberg, has edited these essays with a discernment that's matched by the elegance of the volumes, which are among the most beautifully produced art books of recent years. * New York Review of Books * Steinberg is a treasure for visual and verbal artists and critics. Schwartz, the editor, has done a wonderful job with this project. This is one of five beautiful volumes of Steinberg's writing about art, and the University of Chicago Press should be commended. * Renaissance and Reformation *