Art and dis-illusion in the long sixteenth century

Abstract

"Whereas entire libraries discuss the religious and political history of the sixteenth century in Northern Europe, focused on the Reformation and the rise of nation-states, Larry Silver uniquely traces the dramatic, even traumatic changes of the Reformation era discernible in the visual arts, especially paintings and the new medium of prints. Among the subjects and themes he explores are the destruction of church images, witchcraft, reactions to new voyages of exploration, and issues of vision itself in an age when moral codes and the nature of sin and death were being re-examined."-- On back of cover.

Contents

Chapter 1. The Waning of the Renaissance -- Chapter 2. The Harbinger: Bosch -- Chapter 3. Visual Conflicts of Creeds -- Chapter 4. The Dark Side: Devil and Death -- Chapter 5. Eves of Destruction: Wars -- Chapter 6. East is East: Images of the Turkish Nemesis -- Chapter 7. New Worlds -- Chapter 8. Foolish Mortals -- Chapter 9. Peter Bruegel’s Vision Problems -- Conclusions: Contradictions and Discrepancies.