The Humanistic Tradition Volume I: Prehistory to the Early Modern World - Book Report/Review Example

The book kindled my curiosity on issues related to the functioning of the human mind. During the second reading, many issues became clear and it was possible for me to appreciate the greatness of the book. Just because the book contains unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary, the same cannot be ignored. It is the duty of the student of literature/history or for that matter, any subject, to get familiarized with the concepts, by interacting with the knowledgeable people well-versed in such subjects and as for vocabulary, the meaning of words is available in the dictionary and it is a fascinating experience to learn new words.

The book under discussion for this paper is “The Humanistic Tradition Volume I: Prehistory to the Early Modern World” by Gloria K. Fiero and the relevant chapter (17) is “Renaissance Artists: Disciples of Nature, Masters of Invention.” This chapter also makes a tough reading viewed from all ends and deals with specialized subjects and famous personalities who created history in their respective fields. Does it detail how the models of art and its support changed as the Middle Ages went into oblivion with the emergence of the Renaissance?

The revolutionary concept about the statue of Donatello’s David and how does it articulate the Renaissance models of carving and why other sculptors showed indulgence for the nude? The relationship of Renaissance architecture and classical Greco-Roman architecture. The emergence of portraits in art, like Van Eyck’s Marriage of the Arnolfini, Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, etc. The articulations/books by Renaissance Artist-Scientists like Masaccio and Leonardo da Vinci. The features of Renaissance music and modernisms introduced in it.

The role of technological innovations during the period of the Renaissance. The chapter makes tough and laborious reading, but it is worth the effort to understand the progress of humankind in various branches of knowledge, during the period of Renaissance, some of which have been mentioned in the preceding paragraph.