In a New Light: Giovanni Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert - Hardcover

by Susannah Rutherglen (Author), Charlotte Hale (Author)

Giovanni Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert (c. 1476-78) is a masterpiece of Venetian Renaissance art that has inspired generations of visitors to The Frick Collection. This monumental panel painting portrays the beloved Christian saint alone in a mountainous wilderness, stepping forward from his simple shelter into a golden light that seems to transfigure him spiritually. For centuries, viewers have puzzled over the work's meaning; until recently, however, the artist's practical conception and realization of this extraordinary vision have remained largely unexplored.

In a New Light presents the collective findings of an unprecedented technical examination of St. Francis in the Desert. The recent discoveries provide a "glimpse over Bellini's shoulder" and open new avenues of research into Venetian Renaissance painting and its cultural and religious context. A richly illustrated monograph of a single picture, In a New Light comprises essays by leading experts in the fields of paintings conservation, Venetian art, the history of collecting, and Franciscan thought.

Author Biography

Susannah Rutherglen is a Fellow of the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and former Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow at the Frick Collection. She co-curated the exhibition "In a New Light: Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert" with Charlotte Hale and Denise Allen at the Frick in 2011.
Charlotte Hale is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Paintings Conservator; she oversaw the recent technical study of "St Francis in the Desert" (2010)