Rebuilding The Renaissance
279 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 202 ratingsThis podcast will explore the development of the art, architecture, culture and history in Italy, from ancient Roman times through the Renaissance. Listeners will develop an understanding of Italy’s role in the development of Western civilization and an ability to appreciate and understand works of art in their historical context.
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Episodes
Episode 175 - Rome - Raphael's "School of Athens" Part II
May 25, 2022 10:30 - 26 minutes - 24 MBThis episode explores the decorative context of Raphael's famous fresco. From Apollo on Mt. Parnassus, to the allegorical figures of the cardinal virtues, the extraordinary "Disputa", the paintings around the "School of Athens" are fundamental to its meaning.
Episode 174 - Rome - Raphael's "School of Athens" Part I
May 18, 2022 10:30 - 21 minutes - 20.5 MBAlthough Raphael's fresco known as the "School of Athens" is the most celebrated painting of the Stanza della Segnatura, it is actually a part of a much larger program. This episode addresses the original function of the room, which was Pope Julius II's library, and how all of Raphael's paintings are in actuality part of a giant visual card catalog.
Episode 173 - Raphael - The Prince of Painters
May 11, 2022 10:30 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBThis episode examines the extraordinary career of one of the most important painters in history – Raphael Sanzio da Urbino – better known simply as “Raphael.” Along with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raphael heralded in the period known as the High Renaissance. Combining grace, elegance and beauty, Raphael defined the standard for idealized painting.
Episode 172 - Answers to Open Questions XII
May 04, 2022 10:30 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBFrom unfinished church facades, to postponed Palios, to Renaissance giraffes, to Mona Lisa's smile, to the building behind the Trevi Fountain - and much, much more - this episode answers the very questions that you asked me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.
Episode 171 - Rome: Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling Part VI
April 27, 2022 10:30 - 24 minutes - 23.1 MBThe prophets and sibyls that flank the main scenes of the Sistine Chapel ceiling are some of Michelangelo's most impressive figures. Their dramatic poses, expressive, vibrant colors and powerful forms are both inspirational and frightening. Below and between them, Michelangelo filled the spandrels and lunettes with human caricatures, almost as if he were entertaining himself with the often comic and strange figures. This podcast examines these lesser discussed parts of the Sistine Chapel cei...
Episode 170 - Rome: Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling Part V
April 20, 2022 10:30 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBThe last three Genesis scenes of the Sistine Chapel ceiling demonstrate Michelangelo's extraordinary ability to represent complex subjects in incredibly effective ways. But they also reveal the divine artist's haste to complete the ceiling project. This episode closely examines the iconography, style and execution of these final frescoes and their role in the realization of the epic commission.
Episode 169 - Rome: Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel - Part IV
April 13, 2022 10:30 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBBy the time Michelangelo reached the frescoes in the middle of the ceiling, he introduced a major stylistic change, due, most likely, to being able to see the frescoes from the ground. This episode examines the Adam and Eve scenes and how they reflect this stylistic change as well as revealing the major artistic influences on Michelangelo's paintings. Particular emphasis will be given to one of history's most famous paintings - The Creation of Man.
Episode 168 - Rome: Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel - Part III
April 06, 2022 10:30 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MBPainting an 8,000 sq. ft. fresco cycle onto the ceiling of a chapel must have been a daunting task even for an artist of the caliber of Michelangelo. This episode examines the process and order by which Michelangelo executed his frescoes, focusing specifically on the first three painted scenes that depict the stories of Noah and the corresponding prophet and sibyl figures.
Episode 167 - Rome - Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling - Part II
March 30, 2022 10:30 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBAlthough the Sistine Chapel is the Catholic world's most important chapel since it hosts papal conclaves, the subject matter of the ceiling paintings is largely Old Testament mixed with pagan imagery. This episode unpacks the rich and complex iconography of the many paintings executed by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling in Vatican City.
Episode 166 - Rome: Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling - Part I
March 23, 2022 10:30 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBWhen Michelangelo signed the contract with Pope Julius II in 1508 to paint the Sistine Chapel Ceiling, little did he know the turmoil that awaited him. This first of several podcasts dedicated to the world's most famous ceiling will examine the circumstances behind the contract between artist and pope, and the initial steps taken by Michelangelo for the project.
Episode 165 - Rome: The Basilica of St. Peter
March 16, 2022 10:30 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBAfter 120 years of construction, the reign of 18 different popes, and the direction of 12 different architects, St. Peter’s Basilica was finally consecrated in 1626. Measuring more than two football fields in length, it was by far the largest church in Christendom, and a fitting monument to the burial place of the first pope. This episode explores the dramatic construction history of the great church and the architectural contributions of its various architects.
Episode 164 - Michelangelo and the Tomb of Julius II
March 09, 2022 11:30 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBWhen Michelangelo was called to Rome in 1506 by the Pope Julius II, it was to design and carve the mother of all tombs. Intended to stand four stories in height and directly over the tomb of St. Peter, and to accommodate 40 over-life-sized statues, it was a direct reflection of both the pope’s megalomaniacal tendencies and the artist’s overreaching ambition. The Sistine ceiling was the first of a series of interruptions to a project whose contract would be reworked three more times over near...
Episode 163 - Venice - Titian's "Assumption" and "Pesaro Altarpiece" in the church of the Frari
March 02, 2022 11:30 - 23 minutes - 21.3 MBTitian's two great altarpieces in the great Franciscan basilica of Venice known as the "Frari" marked a turning point in the artist's career. These were his first two public commissions and allowed all of Venice to appreciate the extraordinary talent of a young artist who was still only in his twenties. This episode explores the history, style, and patronage of the two great paintings and how they clearly demonstrate Titan's unique approach to painting.
Episode 162 - Titian's "Allegory of Sacred and Profane Love"
February 23, 2022 11:30 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBThis episode examines one of the milestone masterpieces of Renaissance painting. Baffling art historians for centuries as regards its iconography, the early work by Titian is one of the treasures of the Borghese Gallery.
Episode 161 - Venice: Giorgione's "Tempest" and "La Vecchia"
February 16, 2022 11:30 - 19 minutes - 18 MBNotwithstanding that his life and artistic career were cut short by plague in 1510 while the artist was in his thirties, Giorgione revolutionized European painting by his introduction of enigmatic and unconventional iconography. This episode examines two of Giorgione's most important paintings, both of which are located in the Accademia Gallery in Venice.
Episode 160 - Venice - Vittore Carpaccio's "The Legend of St. Ursula"
February 09, 2022 11:30 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBCarpaccio's extraordinary visual narrative of the life of St. Ursula is one of the most celebrated examples of cyclical Venetian Renaissance painting. Recently restored, the nine large canvases are now on display in the Accademia Gallery of Venice and present a vivid snapshot of life in Venice at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. This podcast will examine the entirety of the cycle and analyze the artistic style of one of the major artistic protagonists of the Venetian Renaissance.
Episode 159 - Venice: Gentile Bellini, Vittorio Carpaccio and the Relic of the True Cross
February 02, 2022 11:00 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBAt the end of the 15th century, large-scale-cyclical-narrative paintings became quite popular in Renaissance Venice. One of these cycles illustrates in spectacular fashion the legends of the relic of the True Cross that was owned by the Scuola Grande of St. John the Evangelist. This episode examines the three most important paintings of this cycle, which were executed by two of Venice's most important painters.
Episode 158 - Venice: Giovanni Bellini's "St. Job Altarpiece"
January 26, 2022 11:30 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBThis episode examines the first great Venetian painting of the Renaissance. Although the Venetian school of painting appeared almost a full century after that of Florence, the extraordinary genius of Venetian painters such as Giovanni Bellini rapidly made it the major rival of central Italian Renaissance painting.
Episode 157 - Answers to Open Questions XI
January 19, 2022 11:30 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBFrom Botticelli and the Bonfires of the Vanities, to the extraordinary collection of artists' portraits and self-portraits in the Uffizi Gallleries, to the use of AI in art authentication, to Botticelli's $92M "Portrait of a Young Man with a Medal," to the Virgin Mary's thoughts in Michelangelo's Pietà, this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.
Episode 156 - The Divine Michelangelo Part VIII - The Doni Tondo
January 12, 2022 11:30 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBThis episode examines the only painting by Michelangelo in Florence, and one of only two finished paintings executed by the artist before he decorated the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In many ways the vibrant, expressive colors and sculptural plasticity of the figures in this painting anticipated the revolutionary style of the Sistine ceiling a few years later.
Episode 155 - Leonardo vs. Michelangelo- The Battle of the Battles - Part II
January 05, 2022 11:30 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBIn 1504, Florence found its two greatest artists in the city at the same time. Not wanting to miss this rare opportunity to have them test their talents against each other, massive murals were commissioned from each in the great hall of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. This second part of a 2-part podcast will explore what we know about the great murals planned by both artists and that portion that was actually executed by Leonardo da Vinci. Finally, we shall discuss the search for the lost Leona...
Episode 154 - Leonardo vs. Michelangelo- The Battle of the Battles - Part I
December 29, 2021 11:30 - 18 minutes - 17 MBIn 1504, Florence found its two greatest artists in the city at the same time. Not wanting to miss this rare opportunity to have them test their talents against each other, massive murals were commissioned from each in the great hall of Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. This first of a two-part series will examine the historical context of the commission and the subject matter of the paintings.
Episode 153 - Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
December 22, 2021 11:30 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBWhen Leonardo began painting the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of the wealthy cloth merchant Francesco del Giocondo, in 1503, little did he know just how much employment he would generate for future art historians. From theories concerning her enigmatic smile, to the painting being a self-portrait of Leonardo in drag, to her possibly being pregnant, just about everything that could possibly have been written about the Mona Lisa seems to have been written about her. In addition to analyz...
Episode 152 - The Divine Michelangelo Part VII - The David (Part III)
December 15, 2021 11:30 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBThis episode is the third and final part of a three-part podcast on the world's most celebrated statue. From the lack of Goliath's head, to the sling and hard-to-see stone in David's hands, to the expressive body language of the statue, this podcast will examine the unique iconography and local civic value of The David.
Episode 151 - The Divine Michelangelo Part VI - The David (Part II)
December 08, 2021 11:30 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBThis episode is the second of a three-part podcast on the world's most celebrated statue. From the original contract drawn up in 1463 - 12 years before Michelangelo was even born! - to Michelangelo's sculptural inheritance and eventual triumphant completion of the statue, to the city-wide commission convened to decide what to do with the great statue, this podcast will examine the history of the commission of The David.
Episode 150 - The Divine Michelangelo Part V - The David (Part 1)
December 01, 2021 11:30 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBThis episode is the first of three-part podcast on the world's most celebrated statue. From its original location in Piazza della Signoria, to its move in the 19th century to a newly built museum, to the centuries of erosion and damage that the sculpture has suffered, this podcast examines the provenance of the statue and its state of conservation.
Episode 150 - The Divine Michelangelo Part VI - The David (Part 1)
December 01, 2021 11:30 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBThis episode is the first of a three parts on the world's most celebrated statue. From its original location in Piazza della Signoria, to its move in the 19th century to a newly built museum, to the centuries of erosion and damage that the sculpture has suffered, this podcast examines the provenance of the statue and its state of conservation.
Episode 149 - The Divine Michelangelo Part V - The Pietà
November 24, 2021 11:30 - 29 minutes - 27.7 MBThe Pietà was Michelangelo’s first “number one hit.” At the ripe old age of 23, he produced one of the greatest statues of all time. The innocence, sensitivity, and technical virtuosity of this particular early work would never be achieved again in Michelangelo’s entire 72-year career. This podcast explores the imagery, meaning and tradition of the “Pietà” subject in art and why Michelangelo’s statue is the most famous interpretation of the subject.
Episode 149 - The Divine Michelangelo Part IV - The Pietà
November 24, 2021 11:30 - 29 minutes - 27.7 MBThe Pietà was Michelangelo’s first “number one hit.” At the ripe old age of 23, he produced one of the greatest statues of all time. The innocence, sensitivity, and technical virtuosity of this particular early work would never be achieved again in Michelangelo’s entire 72-year career. This podcast explores the imagery, meaning and tradition of the “Pietà” subject in art and why Michelangelo’s statue is the most famous interpretation of the subject.
Episode 148 - The Divine Michelangelo Part IV - The Bacchus
November 17, 2021 11:30 - 23 minutes - 22.5 MBMichelangelo arrived in Rome for the first time in 1496 at the age of 21. His first important patron was the fabulously wealthy Cardinal Riario who wanted the young sculptor to carve a statue of the Roman god of wine that he could pass off as an antique. Surprisingly, Riario did not accept the finished sculpture which ended up in the collection of another patron. This episode explores the history, iconography and importance of Michelangelo's earliest-known sculpture commission and why it may...
Episode 148 - The Divine Michelangelo Part III - The Bacchus
November 17, 2021 11:30 - 23 minutes - 22.5 MBMichelangelo arrived in Rome for the first time in 1496 at the age of 21. His first important patron was the fabulously wealthy Cardinal Riario who wanted the young sculptor to carve a statue of the Roman god of wine that he could pass off as an antique. Surprisingly, Riario did not accept the finished sculpture which ended up in the collection of another patron. This episode explores the history, iconography and importance of Michelangelo's earliest-known sculpture commission and why it may...
Episode 147 - Answers to Open Questions - Part X
November 10, 2021 11:30 - 28 minutes - 26 MBFrom contemporary theories about Brunelleschi's dome, to Ghirlandaio's frescoes in Santa Trinita, to the abandoned design of semi-circular chapels on the outside of Santo Spirito, to Bernini's extraordinary early sculpture of Aeneas, this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.
Episode 146 - The Divine Michelangelo Part II - Madonna of the Stairs / Battle of the Lapiths
November 03, 2021 10:30 - 21 minutes - 20.6 MBThis episode explores two of Michelangelo's earliest known sculptures that were produced while the teenage sculptor was still part of the Medici household. The sculptures reflect the influence of Donatello on a young Michelangelo, but also the later sculptor's obsession with the male nude form.
Episode 145 - The Divine Michelangelo - Part I
October 27, 2021 10:30 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBMichelangelo Buonarroti’s artistic career spanned more than seven decades, during which time he produced some of the most extraordinary works of art in human history. This episode will examine the early years of the artist from his birth through his apprenticeship to his earliest teachers and his sojourn in the home of Lorenzo "il Magnifico" de' Medici.
Episode 144 - The Brera Gallery in Milan, Italy
October 20, 2021 10:30 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBThis episode explores the extraordinary collection of Italian Renaissance paintings in Milan's most important painting museum, which houses masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael, Piero Della Francesca, Tintoretto, Bellini and Mantegna.
Episode 143 - Salvator Mundi and Leonardo da Vinci
October 13, 2021 10:30 - 24 minutes - 23.1 MBThis episode addresses the world's most expensive painting that sold for nearly a half billion dollars in 2017. Although the attribution to Leonardo da Vinci is not certain, the astonishing cost, murky provenance and uncertain current location of the painting have made it one of the most famous works of art in history.
Episode 142 - Leonardo da Vinci's Sala delle Asse
October 06, 2021 10:30 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBThis episode examines one of the most unique decorative programs in history. A room in the Sforza Castle in Milan whose walls and vault are covered with illusionistic trees that form a natural pergola. We also discuss how Leonardo's expression of arboreal architecture has been brought back to life with the help of modern technology.
Episode 141 - Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper - Part 2
September 29, 2021 10:30 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBThis is the second of a two-part episode on Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" which is considered the first work of the High Renaissance. From the meticulously constructed linear perspective, to the theatrical gestures of the apostles, to the singular dramatic moment that Leonardo almost seemed to "capture" rather than "depict," we shall examine all aspects of one of the most extraordinary paintings in history.
Episode 140 - Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper - Part 1
September 22, 2021 10:30 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBThis episode will introduce Leonardo's famous work. From its location, to the rather complicated process of making arrangements to see it, to its poor state of conservation, discover the surprising reality behind one of the most famous paintings in the world.
Episode 139 - Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man
September 15, 2021 10:30 - 21 minutes - 20.8 MBThis episode examines one of the most famous drawings in the world - Leonardo's "Vitruvian Man." From the meaning of the subject, to those artists who influenced Leonardo, to how the drawing has come to symbolize the historical period known as the Renaissance, we shall unpack the extraordinary image that put humanity back at the center of the universe.
Episode 138 - Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine
September 08, 2021 10:30 - 19 minutes - 19.2 MBThis episode examines one of Leonardo da Vinci's most celebrated portraits, the subject of which was Cecilia Gallerani, mistress of Ludovico Sforza. In this beautiful portrait, today located in Krakow, Poland, Leonardo introduced further innovations to the genre of Italian portraiture particularly by figuring out how to bring the portrait to life.
Episode 137 - Leonardo da Vinci and the Bronze Horse
September 01, 2021 10:30 - 26 minutes - 24.9 MBDuke Ludovico Sforza’s principal motivation for bringing Leonardo to Milan was most likely Leonardo’s experience in working with bronze. The duke was hoping to apply Leonardo’s experience and talent to the realization of a colossal equestrian monument in honor of his father Francesco Sforza. This episode examines the complex 20-year history of this never-realized monument.
Episode 136 - Answers to Open Questions - Part IX
August 25, 2021 10:30 - 21 minutes - 21.2 MBFrom the disproportions in Botticelli's "Birth of Venus", to the origins of the name "Colosseum", to the original decoration on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel, this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.
Episode 135 - Hugo van der Goes' "Portinari Altarpiece" (Uffizi Gallery, Florence)
August 18, 2021 10:00 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBThis episode examines the exquisite Flemish masterpiece which was painted for a prominent Italian patron. Located in the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, the "Portinari Altarpiece" exhibits all those aspects typical of the early Flemish Renaissance period, but with an Italian twist to suit the patron's tastes.
Episode 134 - Piero della Francesca's "Madonna of the Egg" (Brera Gallery, Milan)
August 11, 2021 10:00 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBThis episode examines one of the most important paintings of the early Renaissance, which is also known as the Montefeltro or Brera Altarpiece. Painted between 1472-74, the painting was most likely commissioned to celebrate the birth of the son of the Duke of Urbino, and displays an extraordinary precision as regards the architecture and sublimely beautiful figures.
Episode 133 - Pienza: The Ideal Renaissance Town
August 04, 2021 10:00 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBIn 1459, Pope Pius II transformed the provincial town of his birth, Corsignano, into an ideal Renaissance urban town and renamed it after himself - Pienza. His architect, Bernardo Rossellino, was a follower of Leon Battista Alberti, and applied both medieval and classical architectural principles to his design. This episode explores the history and architecture of this exquisite and charming example of Renaissance urbanism.
Episode 132 - Florence: Strozzi Palace
July 28, 2021 10:00 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBThis episode explores the architecture and history of one of the largest family palaces in Florence, which was built for the illustrious Strozzi family. After nearly a half century of exile for their failed attempt at exiling the Medici, the fabulously wealthy banker Filippo Strozzi was the first of his family to return to Florence. His palace was a very public statement that the Strozzi had returned!
Episode 131 - Florence - Rucellai Palace
July 21, 2021 10:00 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBThis episode examines the architecture, authorship and history of one of Florence's most important early Renaissance family palaces. Perhaps the most classically inspired of the 15th-century palaces in the city, the Rucellai Palace is a true Renaissance architectural gem.
Episode 130 - Florence (Santa Maria Novella): The Tornabuoni Chapel Frescoes by Domenico Ghirlandaio
July 14, 2021 10:00 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBThis episode examines the extraordinary early Renaissance fresco cycle in the family chapel of Giovanni Tornabuoni, who was the uncle of Lorenzo the Magnificent de' Medici. It was while Ghirlandaio was working on these frescoes in Santa Maria Novella in the 1480s that a 13-year-old apprentice named Michelangelo Buonarroti entered his workshop, who may have left his mark in the paintings.
Episode 129 - Leonardo da Vinci's 2 "Virgin of the Rocks" (Paris and London)
July 07, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBIn 1483, the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception commissioned Leonardo da Vinci and Ambrogio and Evangelista de Predis to paint an altarpiece for their chapel in the church of San Francesco Grande in Milan. Due to a controversy regarding payment to the artists, it appears that the painting was never delivered. This episode will examine the controversy surrounding the two versions of the same subject – one in the Louvre, the other in the National Gallery in London.