In writing about the process by which Renaissance artists came to terms with what had become a completely alien system of thought and representation, Bull (Seeing Things Hidden
) brilliantly shows classical antiquity's material nearness (its remnants were scattered about an explosively growing set of Italian city-states) and its psychological distance—a distance that artists set out to close, transforming their own culture in the process. The result is a terrific god-by-god account of the Renaissance's reimagining of mythology, undertaken in successive chapters; Hercules, Jupiter, Venus, Bacchus, Diana and Apollo are bookended by chapters on "Sources," "Objects" and "The Mirror." Bull's anecdotes are compelling and his prose light and clear, but his text is primarily a scholarly one, copiously footnoted and written for an audience willing to immerse itself in a world constructed of texts and art. Allusions and remarks on re-representations of classical figures and works make up the bulk of the book; portions on studio and patronage practices seem a bit like digressions from the main show. With 200 b&w reproductions threaded in throughout and a 16-page color insert, a good many of the works under discussion are shown. Expert or layperson, one cannot come away from this book without a much deepened appreciation of the achievement of Renaissance art. (Jan.)
