Giotto

Quilter, Harry, 1851-1907Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 299K words
Chapters: 30

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Giotto by Harry QuilterAuthor: Quilter, Harry, 1851-1907,Language: English, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Mar 17, 2013

Editor's review

This book is Harry Quilter's critical biography of Giotto in English, an introductory work for general readers from the early tradition of art-historical writing. Its value lies chiefly in offering a Victorian scholar's perspective on Giotto: it attends to Giotto's place in the history of painting while carrying the aesthetic judgments and narrative tone characteristic of critics of that era. For today's readers it is not the most current scholarly study, but as a text for understanding the history of Giotto scholarship and the style of early English art writing, it retains some reference value. The book discusses Giotto's works and artistic contributions, and is suitable as supplementary reading alongside Giotto's frescoes or related art-history textbooks. As a public-domain e-book, the text is freely available; it works well as training material for reading English art history, and for readers interested in late medieval painting who wish to learn how earlier generations evaluated Giotto. Read it with historical awareness, treating it as a critical biography bearing the marks of its time rather than as contemporary scholarly consensus.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General art enthusiasts interested in Giotto and late medieval painting
Researchers wishing to understand the style of early English art criticism and biography
Students needing public-domain English art-history materials for reading practice
Readers seeking original critical texts to supplement art-history textbooks

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting cutting-edge contemporary research or the latest scholarly conclusions
Readers who need a Chinese translation and are uncomfortable reading the English original
Those hoping for a large number of high-resolution plates or an album-style reading experience

Reading tips

First learn about Giotto's era and major works, then read the critical biography to reduce background obstacles.
Read the book's judgments against contemporary art-historical discussion, noting the differences of era.
Read closely the chapters on Giotto's representative works; skim the rest.
Prepare a glossary of art terms when reading the English, and note recurring evaluative vocabulary.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a comprehensive research monograph on Giotto?

No. It is an early English critical biography that focuses on introducing and commenting on Giotto's art, carrying the aesthetic standpoint of the author's era. It is better suited as supplementary reading for understanding the history of Giotto scholarship than as a comprehensive contemporary monograph.

What art-historical background is needed to read this book?

Basic familiarity with late medieval Italian painting makes for smoother reading, but it is not essential. General readers may first consult brief introductions to Giotto's life and representative works before entering the text, which helps in better understanding the book's evaluations and discussions.

Is this book suitable as English reading material?

It suits readers with some English reading ability and an interest in art history. The text is a public-domain e-book written in a period style; reading it alongside a glossary and background materials is recommended, as it both practices English and builds art-historical vocabulary.

Comments

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About the author

Quilter, Harry, 1851-1907 Author · British · 1851–1907

Harry Quilter (1851–1907) was a British art critic and writer who served as editor of The Universal Review. Active in late Victorian art criticism, he wrote numerous essays on art and literature, focusing on the traditions of painting and changing aesthetic tastes. One work by him is held in the collection: Giotto, a study of the early Italian master, which reflects his interest in the great painters of the Western tradition. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and the available account rests mainly on his critical writing and editorial career. His prose is primarily critical and discursive, combining literary and artistic perspectives, and may be of interest to readers concerned with the history of British art criticism and with Giotto studies.