This book presents Giorgio Vasari as an intellectual, painter, and philosophera rarely explored perspective in existing scholarship. It provides a fresh understanding of how Giorgio Vasari influenced the portrayal of successful artists in 16th-century Italy. His extensive education in classical studies, humanism, and art and his unparalleled intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm, and creative prowess enabled him to formulate a bold and assertive viewpoint on art and its history. With the support of humanists, fellow artists, and the patronage of his era, Vasari transformed the artist's role. Artists came to be perceived as divinely inspired creators of images that convey profound moral and intellectual messages. Their status was elevated from mere artisans to creators whose work brings beauty to the world and makes enduring contributions to cultural heritage.
Liana De Girolami Cheney, PhD, is a Professor of Art History emerita from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA. She received her PhD in Art History from Boston University in Massachusetts, USA. She is the author and co-author of several books on the Italian Renaissance, Mannerism, and Italian Women's painters, notably Botticelli's Neoplatonic Images, Neoplatonic Aesthetics, The Homes of Giorgio Vasari, Giorgio Vasari's Teachers: Sacred and Profane Art, Giorgio Vasari's Prefaces, Giorgio Vasari's Artistic and Emblematic Manifestations, Readings in Italian Mannerism I and II, Giuseppe Arcimboldo: Magical Paintings, Agnolo Bronzino: The Florentine Muse, Self-Portraits by Women Painters, Lavinia Fontana's Mythological Paintings: Art, Beauty and Wisdom, and Barbara Longhi of Ravenna: Art, Grace and Piety.
