Born Under Saturn

A rare art history classic that The New York Times calls a “delightful, scholarly and gossipy romp through the character and conduct of artists from antiquity to the French Revolution.” “This book is fascinating to read because of the abundant quotations which bring to life so many remarkable individuals.”–The New York Review of Books Born Under Saturn is a classic work of scholarship that presents, in the words of the great art historian Meyer Schapiro, “an enthralling story of the changing behavior of artists through the centuries.” Here Rudolf and Margot Wittkower explore the idea of artistic madness. It is an idea, as the Wittkowers demonstrate, that comes into its own in the Renaissance, as part of the new bid by visual artists to distinguish themselves from the mere craftsmen with whom they had been lumped together in the past. The alienated artist, the Wittkowers show, is very much a creation of the modern era. Of course, not all artists have been mad, and what makes the Wittkowers’ book so much fun to read is that it’s crammed with anecdotes about all kinds of artists, famous, infamous, and utterly obscure. Suicide, celibacy, weird hobbies, crime, brawling, miserliness, licentiousness, and much more illustrate a book that is a comprehensive, quirky, and endlessly stimulating resource for every student and lover of the arts.