Illuminating the Renaissance

Flaptekst

Published in conjunction with an exhibition organised by the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Royal Academy of Arts and The British Library, this comprehensive and richly illustrated catalogue focuses on the finest illustrated manuscripts produced during the Renaissance by Flemish illuminators. In the works of these artists the art of book painting was raised to a new level of sophistication. Sharing inspiration with the celebrated panel painters of their time, Flemish illuminators achieved astonishing innovations in the handling of colour, light, texture and space. They also created a naturalistic style that dominated tastes throughout Europe.
Centring on such remarkable artists of the period as Simon Marmion, the Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy, Gerard David, Gerard Horenbout and Simon Bening, this catalogue examines both devotional and secular manuscript illumination within a broad context: the place of illuminators within the visual arts, including artistic exchanges between book painters and panel painters; the role of court patronage and the development of aristocratic libraries; and the international appeal of the new Flemish illumination style.