Bernard Berenson’s essay on the Venetian painters, first published in 1894 and revised for this third edition, is one of the founding documents of modern art criticism. He analyses the distinctively sensuous, colour-dominated art of Venice — from the Bellinis and Giorgione through Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese — arguing that Venetian painting’s supreme achievement lies in its evocation of physical life and tactile values.
Berenson’s elegant critical prose transformed how educated audiences looked at and thought about Renaissance painting. The essay remains a classic of art-historical writing and an indispensable guide to the Venetian school.