In Search of Utopia
Art and Science in the Era of Thomas More
J. Van der Stock
9789462984073
416 pages
Amsterdam University Press
Overview
Thomas More's Utopia marked its five-hundredth year in 2016, and it remains as fascinating and influential as ever. More wrote the book out of frustration at the conditions of his time, in an England where corruption and misrule were rampant. But from the very earliest days it resonated far beyond England's borders, challenging and inspiring readers from all over Europe, and, eventually, throughout the world. This book offers an unusual perspective on Utopia: it gathers masterworks by a large number of prominent northern European artists who were inspired by the book, including Hans Holbein, Jan Gossaert, Albrecht Dürer, and Quentin Matsys, into a stunning volume that reveals the power of More's imagination and ideas.
Author Bio
Jan Van der Stock is a professor of Medieval Art, Graphic Arts, Iconography and Iconology at the University of Leuven in Belgium.
