Taking Positions
On the Erotic in Renaissance Culture
Published on 8. March 1999
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-691-02632-9 (ISBN)
Description
An exploration of the place of the erotic in Renaissance art and culture, focusing on a notorious set of images created by the young Italian master Giulio Romano. In the early 1520s, Giulio made 16 drawings of couples in various sexual positions. Known as "I modi" ("the positions"), the drawings were modelled on classical sources and themselves becam a model for erotica in early modern Europe. This text presents a comprehensive account of the origins, impact, and context of these drawings, discussing such issues as censorship, religious teachings about sex, and the influence of antique culture.
Reviews / Votes
"This beautifully produced book is courageous in addressing aspects of the subject without without moralising or coyness." * Burlington Magazine * "[Talvacchia] does an admirable job of setting the whole extraordinary episode [of Roman printmaking] in its historical context." * Apollo Magazine * "In Taking Positions, Bette Talvacchia pieces together the dispersed fragments of the sixteen Modi, and with the same reconstructive skill she recomposes the society of the 1520s in which they were produced. . . . [A] fine essay."---Ingrid Rowland, The New York Review of Books "Talvacchia has produced a marvelous book of potentially broad interest and import that honors both scholarly rigor and the visual pleasures of eroticism."---Sharon T. Strocchia, Journal of the History of Sexuality "Talvacchia's particular contribution has been to reconstruct the material history of I modi through impeccable research, addressing questions of documentation, authorship, style, and form, and broadening this more canonical approach by integrating critical considerations around the issue of gender and the question of the impact of old and new media in Renaissance Italy. . . . [A] model of interdisciplinary research in the arena of Renaissance studies."---Sara F. Matthews-Grieco, CAA.Reviews "Bette Talvacchia does some adroit scholarly detective work. . . . Taking Positions gives us the era at its mostly engagingly bawdy."---Ann Landi, ArtNewsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
6 color plates 52 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 171 mm
Weight
1049 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-02632-9 (9780691026329)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Bette Talvacchia is Professor of Art History at the University of Connecticut. She has published widely on topics in Renaissance art and gender studies.