Caravaggio: The Art of Realism

University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2006. xiii, 183 pages, [88] pages of plates, illustrations (some colour); 26 cm. Firm binding, clean inside copy. The Art of Realism begins with a highly original investigation of the artists studio practices. In subsequent chapters, Varriano discusses Caravaggio's response to the material culture of his day, his use of gesture and expression, and his eroticism and violence as well as other issues central to the painter's legendary realism. Caravaggio: The Art of Realism will appeal to students and the general reader as well as to specialists in the field. Varriano has a gift for presenting complex scholarship in a clear, accessible way. The book contains numerous color illustrations that will help readers experience Caravaggio's art and follow the author's informative discussion of such famed paintings as Love Victorious and David with the Head of Goliath." - Publisher. CONTENTS: Biographical conspectus; Myths of the studio; Imitation and imagination; Eye of the beholder; Physical presences, erotic appetites, wit; Violence; Portraits and portrayals; Gesture and expression; Settings and accessories.. Paperback. Fine. 4to.