Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This text is a chronological and critical account of the paintings and drawings of Correggio. It considers his mythological, erotic and religious paintings and examines the attribution, physical appearance and subject matter of these works.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Correggio is unique in his blending of late Renaissance and Mannerist ideas. Much of the scant information about him is drawn from wills, letters, and other third-party documents and presents a challenge to anyone working on it. Using his doctoral thesis on Correggio's altarpieces as a base, Ekserdjian expands his analytical involvement with the artist's work and explores the influences on him by such icons as Mantegna, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. The text consists of an introduction and 12 chapters in four parts focusing on the full range of the artist's work from his earliest paintings to the cupola of the Parma Cathedral and the mythology paintings. Engaging the scholarship of his predecessors, Ekserdjian documents the arguments that surround the artist's work. There are 299 illustrations throughout, more than half in colorÄenough to satisfy the discerning eye. Much about Correggio has been revealed in the last 20 years, both in research and restoration, making this book appealing to all students of 16th-century painting. Recommended for large public, academic, and museum art collections.ÄEllen Bates, New York (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This lucidly written and beautifully produced book is ample proof that the single-artist monograph still holds a time-honored place in art historical scholarship. Ekserdjian has written an important, multifaceted contextual study of this exceptional painter and draftsman. Eschewing the bulky catalogue raisonne that characterizes the traditional monograph, the author successfully interweaves history, biography, patronage, style, and iconography in a seamless whole (not dissimilar to David Franklin's Rosso in Italy, CH, Jan'95). Ekserdjian discusses the entire career of this innovative artist, devoting special attention to his altarpieces and drawings and offering many insights into the artist's creative process. Ekserdjian is especially sensitive to Correggio's style, carefully planned compositions, and inventive iconography. There is a judicious approach to attribution and iconographic interpretation and an evenhanded treatment of previous scholarship. As one has come to expect from Yale University Press, the book production is extremely high, at an affordable price. The attractive, large-format volume is lavishly illustrated with more than 300 excellent quality illustrations, including more than half in color. As sumptuous as a Correggio picture, this fine book enriches the senses as it educates the mind. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. W. E. Wallace; Washington University