The Lives of the Artists Audiobook

These biographies of the great quattrocento artists have long been considered among the most important of contemporary sources on Italian Renaissance art. Vasari, who invented the term "Renaissance," was the first to outline the influential theory of Renaissance art that traces a progression through Giotto, Brunelleschi, and finally the titanic figures of Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael.

This new translation, specially commissioned for the Oxford World's Classics series, contains thirty-six of the most important lives. Lives of the Artists is an invaluable classic to add to your collection.

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"In reading/listening to this very long history of the lives of artist in the renaissance, and a bit later, one realizes that it is going to be a very long read. It is like undertaking a lengthily maybe one or two years of art history. One must realize that the book was written in the 1500s and that is absolutely amazing that we have that information from then until today. The author is a definite master of his time and uses the word beautiful for far too many times, as if there were no other word to describe what he is writing about. He has also got his favourite and not so favourite artist as he writes with prejudice Concerning certain ones. One must be very patient to listen to the menu details/descriptions of time, architecture, daily, living, and the actual paintings that were done in these times. It is quite amazing as one listens to imagine the author writing these descriptions that one can read today . It is a slow and very thorough history. "

— Ani (4 out of 5 stars)