Art and society in Italy 1350-1500 Book

A well-researched book. Welch has an interesting take on the art and architecture during a time deemed momentous. She gives voice to ordinary artisans, and, instead of merely praising again and again the familiar names of Filippo Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci, and the like, she focuses on the social and political aspects which brought about the notion of arts patronage. As a firm believer in social contexts as origins of events, I found this approach intriguing as I could see art as a form of progress, based on which we can trace back and find explanations for turning points (e.g. the advent of the concept of artist/individualism/creativity), as opposed to fragments emerging from nowhere.

However, I really, really wished Welch carried out more analyses of the artworks and how all the backgrounds she successfully provides are depicted through the works. It seems to me that most of the images serve to illustrate a single detail rather than unify larger/main ideas in a chapter. I was left yearning for more from her.