Fame and Reputation in Art

Promoting and Self-Advertisement of Artists in the 14th to 18th Centuries

May 22, 2009

Contrary to the popular belief that artists were humble introvert craftsmen who lived and worked content in their anonymity, artists systematically advertised their work.

There are several factors that have contributed to the change in the status of artists. The development in the perception of artists between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries is particularly interesting as this period saw the emergence of the artist as a recognized individual to the notion of the artist whose name is the main attraction for the purchase of his works.

One of the most important factors in establishing an artist's renown is art historical writing. The reputation of many Italian artists was founded in the treatises of Giorgio Vasari and Lorenzo Ghiberti. Italy was the centre of art historical writing and this explains why the artists of Italian Renaissance are the most renowned.

Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), an Italian painter and architect born in Arezzo, Tuscany is regarded as the founder of ar history and his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects (Le Vite delle Piu eccellenti pittori, scultori, ed architettori) as the predecessor of the modern monograph. It became one of the most influential piece of art historical writing and one that has served as an important source of information on Renaissance art and artists to this day. Artists mentioned in the Lives, subsequently enjoyed the benefits of such publicity as their name and achievements were celebrated during their lifetime and long after.

Art Historian's Personal Values

The character of an art historical treatise was also inevitably influenced by the personality of the writer, his origins, his personal nterests and his own professional ambitions.Vasari was a Tuscan native and his Lives are heavily biased towards Tuscan, and in particular Florentine art.

Another aspect of Vasari's personality that shaped his written work was the fact that he was an active art practitioner who studied and emulated Greek and Roman art. The qualities derived from the sculpted reliefs of Roman republican and imperial art that he admired most: detailed narration, multi-figural compositions, representation of human psychology and technical virtuosity.

There is evidence that artists themselves actively sought to construct specific forms of self-image. These were several types of self-portraits and inclusion of signatures in their works.

As early as the 14th century, artists wanted to present themselves as religiously conscious and learned individuals. When depicting learned themes from history, literature, mythology or religion, they often included Latin inscriptions and texts within their works. Possibly aimed at audiences, in this way artists may have wished to attract patronage from educated and wealthy viewers.

At this time, self-portraits became more frequent, again, in order to impress a potential patron for being able to produce one's own likeness would have required great skill.

The invention of printing opened new possibilities for artists to advertise their work. Many renowned paintings were transformed into numerous reproductions. Printing was cheaper in terms of materials, allowed faster production and endless reproduction. Large-scale distribution made the famous images available to wider and less well-off audience. Of course, the name of the artist would be circulated too.

Art Market

The decades following following the Renaissance period saw the continuation and significant increase in art collecting. Newly rich middle-class burghers, predominantly merchants, started acquiring works of art. New prosperity brought with it new strands of market economy with art critics, art dealers and art collectors. In the contemporary art market, art and artist's name became a new item of marketable goods.

This trend continued into the 18th century when the name of the artists himself became the principal commodity on the art market. This time, it was not prestige or reputation but on the contrary, the artist's unfamiliarity and rarity that was an incentive for collectors.

The copyright of the article Fame and Reputation in Art in Classical Art History is owned by Zuzana Minarikova. Permission to republish Fame and Reputation in Art in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.