Practical Discourses on the Most Noble Art of Painting

By Jusepe Martinez

Book Overview

Jusepe Mart nez's Practical Discourses on the Most Noble Art of Painting (ca. 1673-75), though little known today, was highly influential on art, artists, and artistic practice and theory in Spain long after its publication. This volume is the first English translation of the Discourses, which, while circulated in manuscript copies, was not even published until the mid-nineteenth century.

Mart nez wrote the Discourses toward the end of his life as a well-traveled professional artist who had studied and worked in Italy and the major artistic and literary centers of Spain; his ideas were especially enriched by his participation in the elevated cultural life of his native Aragonese school. His discussions on art offer anecdotal knowledge from his friendships with many of the principal artists of Spain's Golden Age, including Diego Vel zquez and Alonso Cano, as well as writers and intellectuals of the period.

Mart nez's text stands out for a nuanced humanism that is rare in practical treatises. Along with his original ideas on handling, pictorial aesthetics, and the vocation of painting, his work has even more affinities with philosophical discourses than with artists' practical instructional books. Zahira V liz's introduction and notes provide historical context and situate Mart nez's ideas in his rich cultural milieu.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1606065289
• ISBN13: 9781606065280
• Release Date: July 2017
• Publisher: Getty Research Institute
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.0" x 10.0"