Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
Giovanni Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert (c. 1476–78) is a masterpiece of Venetian Renaissance art that has inspired generations of visitors to The Frick Collection. This monumental panel painting portrays the beloved Christian saint alone in a mountainous wilderness, stepping forward from his simple shelter into a golden light that seems to transfigure him spiritually. For centuries, viewers have puzzled over the work’s meaning; until recently, however, the artist’s practical conception and realization of this extraordinary vision have remained largely unexplored.
In a New Light presents the collective findings of an unprecedented technical examination of St. Francis in the Desert. The recent discoveries provide a “glimpse over Bellini’s shoulder” and open new avenues of research into Venetian Renaissance painting and its cultural and religious context. A richly illustrated monograph of a single picture, In a New Light comprises essays by leading experts in the fields of paintings conservation, Venetian art, the history of collecting, and Franciscan thought.
"Superbly designed, superabundantly illustrated, uncommonly well-written, and surprisingly affordable volume"—Paul Barolsky, Renaissance Quarterly
"In some cases, a single work is a show in itself. The Frick Collection has such a star and has produced this superb book about it"—Holland Cotter, The New York Times Gift Guide
"This book will be of interest to anyone researching Bellini and the Venetian Renaissance"—Alexander Adams, Cassone
"Deeply absorbing and profoundly instructive"—Patrick McCaughey, The Times Literary Supplement
"With its superb color plates, illuminating close-ups of painting surface, elegantly written essays, and impeccable notes, the book is a model of how to explore an outstanding work of art, demonstrated here with resounding success"—D. Pincus, National Gallery of Art, Choice
Acknowledgments by Ian Wardropper, Susannah Rutherglen and Charlotte Hale
“The Footprints of Our Lord”: Giovanni Bellini and the Franciscan Tradition by Susannah Rutherglen
The Desert and the City: Marcantonio Michiel and the Early History of St. Francis by Susannah Rutherglen
From the Grand Canal to Fifth Avenue: The Provenance of Bellini’s St. Francis from 1525 to 1915 by Anne-Marie Eze, with the assistance of Raymond Carlson
St. Francis in the Desert: Technique and Meaning by Susannah Rutherglen and Charlotte Hale
St. Francis and the Art of Perspective by Joseph Godla and Denise Allen
The Formative Stimulus for Giovanni Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert: History and Literature of the Franciscan Movement in Late Medieval Italy by Michael F. Cusato, O.F.M.
Appendix A, The Technical Examination of St. Francis in the Desert by Charlotte Hale
Appendix B, Detail at the Waist of the Saint’s Habit by Susannah Rutherglen
Notes
Bibliography
Photograph Credits
Index