Piero's light : in search of Piero della Francesca : a Renaissance painter and the revolution in art, science, and religion

**In the tradition of __The Swerve__ and __Galileo's Daughter__, Piero's Light reveals how art, religion and science came together at the dawn of the modern world in the paintings of one remarkable artist** In the heart of Tuscany, Piero della Francesca became a painter and mathematician at the dawn of the Renaissance, revealing his innovative mind in some of the best known images from that period, and in his unusual writings on geometry. Yet as a personality, Piero remains a mystery. He leaves an enigmatic legacy that ranges from the merging of religion and mathematics to his use of perspective to make painting a “true science.” In this engaging narrative, Larry Witham transports us to Piero’s tumultuous age, a world of princes and popes, soldiers and schisms. Piero’s Light also reveals how he was part of the philosophical revival of Platonism, an ancient worldview that would shape art, religion, and science’s transition toward modernity. Just sixteen of Piero’s paintings survive, but these images and his writings would fuel some of the greatest art historical debates of all time. Through Witham’s wide research, Piero emerges as a figure who marks a turning point in Western culture. Our past understanding of faith, beauty, and knowledge has been radically altered by a secular age, and the story of Piero helps us understand how this has taken place. The search for Piero has continued among both intrepid scholars and art lovers of all kinds, and it is no wonder: few artists in history take us as deeply into the intellectual excitement of the Renaissance as Piero della Francesca. 8 page color insert An innovative painter in the early generation of Renaissance artists and one of the great enigmas of art history, Piero della Francesca was also a knowledgable scholar on religious topics and a mathematician who wanted to use perspective and geometry to make painting a "true science." Piero lived in a tumultuous age of princes and popes, soldiers and schisms. A skilled geometer, he was also part of the philosophical revival of Platonism, an ancient worldview that would shape our modern revolutions in art, religion, and science. In 'Piero's Light', Larry Witham presents Piero not only as a vivid character in his own time, but as an integral piece of our artistic legacy that takes us from past visions of belief, beauty, and knowledge to a secular age, a time when science is redefining our mental experiences. Although only sixteen of Piero's works survive, few art historians doubt his importance in the Renaissance.--From publisher description

An innovative painter in the early generation of Renaissance artists, Piero dell Francesca was also an expert on religious topics and a mathematician who wanted to use perspective and geometry to make painting a “true science.”
Although only sixteen of Piero’s works survive, few art historians doubt his importance in the Renaissance. A 1992 conference of international experts meeting at the National Gallery of Art deemed Piero “one of the most highly regarded painters of the early Renaissance, and one of the most respected artists of all time.” 
In recent years, the quest for Piero has continued among intrepid scholars, and  Piero’s Light  uncovers the life of this remarkable artistic revolutionary and enduring legacy of the Italian Renaissance. 

An innovative painter in the early generation of Renaissance artists, Piero dell Francesca was also an expert on religious topics and a mathematician who wanted to use perspective and geometry to make painting a ?true science.? Although only sixteen of Piero{u2019}s works survive, few art historians doubt his importance in the Renaissance. A 1992 conference of international experts meeting at the National Gallery of Art deemed Piero ?one of the most highly regarded painters of the early Renaissance, and one of the most respected artists of all time.? In recent years, the quest for Piero has continued among intrepid scholars, and Piero{u2019}s Light uncovers the life of this remarkable artistic revolutionary and enduring legacy of the Italian Renaissance