Venetian art as reflection of its politics

Review of Venice, Lion City: The Religion of Empire by Garry Wills

Giovanni Bellini, Portrait of Doge Leonardo Loredan, 1501

Garry Wills’ book is about Renaissance Venice. It is organized around several themes. In Imperial Disciplines, Wills examines the historical origins and unique structure of its state, which allowed Venice to escape the power struggles that dogged medieval Italy, i.e. unlike the innumerable city states re-fought the same territorial battles every generation under different egomaniacs. Venice had a stable elite structure - an aristocracy that rewarded merit - with a well regulated system for the passage of power. Essentially, the oligarchy elected a Doge (or head of state) for life.

In Imperial Personnel, Wills looks at the various members of society, from the frozen aristocracy (built on the expectation of duty rather than privilege) to the workers who made the city's arsenal such a unique strategic asset as well as the "outsiders," such as the Jews (the word "ghetto," we learn, was coined for Venetian brass foundries). He delineates how the state functioned, who held power, and how it was exercised (in a diffused bureaucratic balance). All this is expertly described while avoiding the heaviness of a comprehensive history.

In Imperial Piety, Wills covers religious iconography and ritual, which in part allowed Venetians the sense of legitimacy they needed to defy Rome and the Pope over centuries. As I was ignorant of this phase of Christian history, this was fascinating and valuable for me, e.g. that St George was a Christianized Hercules, who also "fought" the many plagues that inevitably arose in the Venetian environment.

Finally, in Imperial Learning, there is the Renaissance scholarship that came late to the city, and how it altered the art, politics, book scholarship, and the like – all set in geo-political context.  Throughout – and sometimes with too much descriptive detail for me – Wills interprets the art and architecture of Venice in light of these themes. The result is a masterwork by a great popularizer and philosophical moralist.

Some reviewers criticize Wills for writing about subjects of which he is not a specialist, but in many ways I found that an asset in this book. It is beautifully written – he has a uniquely clear and flowing style of writing that is a continual pleasure – and because he can present the essence of the many subjects he wishes to cover, he rarely gets bogged down in detail. In addition, many of the things that he investigates are wonderful surprises for non-specialized readers, such as myself. For example, the body of St. Mark was stolen by Venetians and set up in a shrine to establish the legitimacy of the city's unusual political culture.

At any rate, this was exactly what I was looking for, and from reading many of Wills' books, what I expected.  It is not for graduate-level academics, but rather for those well informed on European history who are curious to learn more on Venice.

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