Irene Earls – författare

This dictionary is a quick and useful reference source for identifying and understanding the Renaissance art of Italy and northern Europe. Arranged in alphabetical sequence, the more than eight hundred entries provide basic information about topics that were common subjects in painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period. Additionally, entries on characteristic schools, techniques, media, and other terminology have been included as background information as well as to provide an art history vocabulary necessary for comprehending or clarifying certain topics. Supplemental information on various related topics is cross-referenced for easy access, and the reader is provided with an even more complete location of topics and other entries with see references and a subject index. As an aid to further study, a list of northern and Italian Renaissance artists, which includes life dates and nationalities, has been included. A bibliography is also provided for further reference.

The major topics painted and sculpted during the 17th century are featured here. Baroque artists chose stories not only from the Bible but also from mythology; these are not included in art history texts. In this volume, one finds the primary sources: The Golden Legend, the Bible, Ovid, and Plutarch, to name a few. Each entry concludes with an example of a work depicting the topic under examination (Diana Hunting, Lot and His Daughters, for instance) along with a readily available source where the work is pictured. The only reference of its type for art students, this is a companion piece for the author's earlier (Greenwood, 1987).The turbulent 17th century resulted in two main artistic styles: an expressionistic, sensual kind of emotional outpouring and a silent, classical mode of the highest possible decorum. These styles focused on topics that were mostly mythological or religious: maenads, satyrs, and nymphs pouring wine, carrying baskets of flowers, and lounging at a mythological event; angels shown in the heavens or with the characters on earth. Art students until now have not had a single source that attempts to describe the topics of this intensely artistic age with artists as different in approach as Bernini and Rembrandt. Direct quotes from primary sources including the ^IBible^R and Ovid enrich the descriptive material. Extensive cross-referencing adds to the user-friendly aspect of the dictionary.

Thirteen musicians from diverse cultures, time periods, and stations in life are presented here as examples of what gifted and determined young people have achieved in their artistic careers before they turned 25 years old. Students will be inspired as they read the life stories of these musicians, who often had to overcome such obstacles as poverty and racism in order to create and to share their works. Teachers and librarians looking for biographies of truly gifted young people for their students will find an inspiring collection of both classical composers and modern-day talents—some for which little information has been published previously.Students will meet such individuals as Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, the classical giants who practiced and composed for hours each day in their early childhood to create the standards of perfection in music to which all composers aspire, as well as people like Ray Charles, who overcame blindness and severe poverty to become a best-selling singer and songwriter, and such popular performers as Charlotte Church and Midori. Entries have been carefully selected to represent men and women of various backgrounds, nationalities and talents to provide a well-rounded sampling. Each entry concludes with a bibliography of resources for students who wish to explore the subject further.