Burke Peter. The Italian Renaissance Culture and Society in Italy

Princeton University Press, 1987. — 300 p. — ISBN: 0-691-09431-4; ISBN: 0-691-02838-9 (pbk)In this substantially revised edition of his widely acclaimed work, Peter Burke presents a social and cultural history of the Italian Renaissance. He
discusses the social and political institutions which existed in Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and he analyzes the ways of thinking
and seeing which characterized this period of extraordinary artistic creativity.
Developing a distinctive sociological approach, the author is concerned not only with the finished works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and others, but also with the social background, patterns of recruitment, and means of subsistence of this "cultural elite". He thus makes a major contribution both to our understanding of the Italian Renaissance and to our comprehension of the complex relations between culture and society.
Peter Burke has written a substantial introduction to this new edition of his work, and he has revised and updated the text throughout. The book is
richly illustrated. It will have a wide appeal among historians, sociologists, and anyone interested in one of the most creative periods of European
history.Part I. The problem
The Arts in Renaissance Italy
The Historians: the discovery of social and cultural history
Part II. The Arts in their Milieu
Artists and Writers
Recruitment
Training
The Organization of the Arts
The Status of the A rts
Artists as Social Deviants
Patrons AND Clients
Who are the Patronsi
Patrons v Artists
Architecture, Music and Literature
The Rise of the Market
The Uses of Worksoe Art
Religion and Magic
Politics
Art for Pleasure
Taste
The Visual Arts
Music
Literature
Varieties of Taste
Iconography
Par III. The Wider Society
Worldviews: Some Dominant Traits
Views of the Cosmos
Views of Society
Views of Man
Towards the Mechanization of the World Picture
The Social Framework Religious Organization
Political Organization
The Social Structure
The Economy
Cultural and Social Change
Generations
Structural Changes
Comparisons and Conclusions
The Netherlands
Japan
Appendix: The Creative Elite