This book celebrates wood and forest molecules used in Renaissance tempera painting, sculpture and printmaking, and above all the genius artists of the Renaissance, Piero della Francesca and Albrecht Dürer.

The most beautiful pieces of Renaissance art are all executed on wood, out of wood, or with various molecules from forest trees.  We owe wood and other forest products for the durability of the masterpieces of great artists that we admire to the present day. The fascinating chemistry of wood constituents will help us understand those outstanding properties of wood. 

Professor Tatjana Stevanovic is from Belgrade, Serbia, where she was educated, culminating in a PhD from the University of Belgrade. From 1979 to 1997, she taught Wood Chemistry and Chemical Transformation of Wood at Belgrade University. Later, she assumed the role of a Professor at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada. Since then, she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses centered around green (wood) chemistry and sustainable engineering at the Department of Wood and Forest Sciences. Additionally, she serves as the Director of the Wood Engineering Program. Her research endeavors primarily revolve around the study of lignins and bioactive extractive components of wood. Additionally, she served (from 2010 to 2023)  as the Director of the Wood Engineering Program. Her research endeavors primarily revolve around the study of lignins and bioactive extractive components of wood.