Reviews for Signs of Literature: Language, Ide

The average rating for Signs of Literature: Language, Ide based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-04-25 00:00:00 Amy Busby This is probably the most interesting monograph on Titian's mythological paintings and it focuses primarily on the late cycle of 'Poesie' painted for Phillip II of Spain. Rather than focusing primarily on a theoretical and visual analysis of the paintings, Puttfarken begins with a first section "On the Status of Painting in the Renaissance" -- which considers painting poetry, the status of painting as a liberal art, and the meaning of "tragedy." The second section concerns Titian's art. In addition to discussion of the cycle of 'Poesie,' the 'Four Sinners' become a moralizing cycle for Binche, and the final works are discussed in terms of style and subject matter. The earlier cycle for the Camerino of Alfonso d'Este is discussed more briefly. Though fascinating in scope, the organization of this book did present some problems. There is a good degree of interrelated discussion, chapters apart. The first section felt too long, and some passages were repetitive throughout (the Flaying of Marsyas is noted as being signed in two sequential paragraphs, for instance). In essence, the author seeks to elevate Titian's mythological nudes as belonging to a genre higher than Renaissance soft-core pornography, in light of their tragic interpretations. But he still acknowledges that they might simultaneously quench more carnal desires, and the discussion of the 'Poesie' is uneven. The tragic nature of 'Danae' is evident only in her coloration suggesting impending doom, while other pictures reveal a more comprehensive narration (of beginnings, middles, and ends, and whether this is required of a tragedy I emerge uncertain). It is a shame that the author considered the Prado 'Danae' as belonging to the 'Poesie' and not the London version, which is now believed to be the corresponding version. The 'Three Ages of Man' was not mentioned, but might have provided further evidence for the author, and also the 'Allegory of Prudence.' The most interesting assertion in the book came at the end, with the author suggesting that meeting with Titian in Venice before the second edition of his 'Lives' may have influenced Vasari to reconsider his preference for images that reveal themselves from afar, as opposed to up close. The theoretical discussion in the first section on painting, morality, and tragedy is very useful. The book is also somewhat outdated in its consideration of Titian's late style.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-03-27 00:00:00 Yasuhiro Nonaka Very interesting, and an excellent overview of how & why attitudes towards art & artists in 16th Century Europe were changing, and how Titian was right in the middle of it, and was very much both a protagonist and a beneficiary of that change. Lots of pretty pictures too.