Giorgio Vasari wrote the first edition of the Lives of the Most Excellent Architects, Painters, and Sculptors in 1550, initiating an interest in the lives and personalities of artists and sparking imitators throughout the early modern era. Vasari, in addition to discussing the genius and skill of Italian artists, displayed a great interest in their often violent and eccentric behavior. This side of Italian artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods has captured the curiosity and imagination of countless scholars—most importantly Margot and Rudolf Wittkower in Born under Saturn. These panels will focus on the violence of early modern Italian artists—conceived broadly as brawling, murder, bad behavior, sexual violence, and intense rivalry. The panels will investigate what violence meant to the lives and status of artists. Was it connected to their personality? Was it related to competition for patronage? Was it part of the greater social system of Italian cities?

Paper proposals are invited for the 59th Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America April 4-6, 2013 in San Diego. The panels are open to all disciplines, and will focus on Italian artists from 1350 to 1650. Please send a brief abstract (150 words) and a one page CV to John Hunt (john.huntunf.edu) and Tamara Smithers (t.smitherstemple.edu) by June 1.