Author(s): Richard Stemp

Art

The mind of the Renaissance artist differs from our modern mind in its habit of encoding meanings into symbols - everything from beehives to centaurs. Often these meanings drew upon a traditional symbolic repertoire available to Renaissance man but now largely disused. However, sometimes a more esoteric meaning was encoded in a painting, sculpture, building or other visual artefact, or in a text - perhaps even a hidden political message or an expression of heretical faith. The Secret Language of the Renaissance peels back these layers of meaning in three distinct, detailed sections. Part One is a vivid immersion in the culture of this remarkable period, encompassing literature, painting, sculpture and the decorative arts. Part Two offers a wide-ranging guide to the essential elements of symbolic language in Renaissance art, including colour, geometry, light and shade, proportion, perspective and body language. Part Three, the heart of the book, analyses more than 40 works arranged in a theme-by-theme guide to the symbolism.
Each major work is shown in all its glory and then deconstructed - or decoded - to reveal the symbols that it contains and interpret their enigmatic meaning in that particular context. Punctuating these three parts there are fascinating boxed features that shed light on themes and topics of the time, from guilds and confraternities to the original 'bonfire of the vanities'. For all those who relish secret symbolism and conspiracies, as well as all lovers of the art of Renaissance Italy, this book will instruct and delight in equal measure.