Giorgio Vasari

Who is Giorgio Vasari and why am I reading his book?  Giorgio Vasari was a painter, architect, and biographer who was apprenticed to Michelangelo in Florence. The first edition of his book, Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, was published in 1550.  There were very few art books at the time and Vasari did not have any references guide him, so writing his book must have been a formidable challenge.  Even attempting such a daunting task deserves admiration.  Relying on his visual memory and oral tradition, Vasari explained the evolution of Italian Renaissance art. 

Vasari's interpretations transformed the status of the artist during the Renaissance.  Previously, artists were considered laborers because they worked with their hands.  Vasari believed in the value of artistic education, and saw the artist as a scholar, a man of learning.  During the Renaissance, the artist's status changed from a craftsman to a divine artificer.  Vasari revolutionized the concept of artist as genius.  He believed that artists should have a concept or idea behind the art that they created, a notion that is still prevalent today.