Review by Choice Review
A well-established scholar, Büttner (State Academy of Art and Design, Stuttgart, Germany) has written a handy, nearly ideal volume on the much-admired but little-understood Bosch (c. 1450-1516). The author builds the historical context in which to view Bosch's work without drowning readers in superfluous detail. In addition, he offers guidance in understanding how Bosch thought visually without telling readers what to think or frustrating them to the point of throwing up their hands. Bosch emerges as an early moral satirist rather than as a secretive, strange quasi heretic, which is to say as more normal and arguably more artistically important than he has previously been portrayed. Certainly he was a pioneering example of a collectible artist. Captions might have included locations and dimensions of the works pictured, but this is a quibble for a nicely illustrated quarto that neatly finds that sweet spot between casual and serious students of art. Including solid bibliographic guidance, this book is an excellent start to the "Renaissance Lives" series: the biographical element is kept subordinate to the task of studying the drawings, paintings, and even tapestries. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Patricia Emison, University of New Hampshire
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
