A 98-page account of Mantegna that expounds the views of Proust as well as those of the Paduan intellectual milieu in the 1430-1450s may seem rather academic. But comparing Squarcione to Pinocchio’s Mangiafuoco, intertwining the visual shocks of the Quattrocentro with images from film, comparing the cherubs on frescoes to “little Tarzans swinging on garland vines through history” – now there’s a way to give a fresh new image to art history. Enjoyable for all.