Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) was an Italian painter, architect, and writer whose most important contribution to painting was his book Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. The first edition was published in 1550, and a second, expanded edition in 1568. First translated into English in 1685 and still in print today, Lives is a crucial (albeit not unbiased) source of information on Renaissance artists.
Vasari is regarded by many as the first art biographer or art historian, depending on your view of what art history ought to focus on. The only living artist he included was Michelangelo, who he considered to be a genius
Vasari established five criteria for judging the quality of a painting:
- Disegno, good design or draughtmanship
- Natura, imitation of nature
- Grazia, grace
- Decoro, artistic decorum
- Maniera, style of an individual painter or group of artists
You can read extracts from Vasari's Lives online at the Medieval Sourcebook (hosted by Fordham University).
