Rebuilding The Renaissance

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Episode 221 - Michelangelo's Tomb (Santa Croce, Florence) Apr 12, 2023

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Although he died in Rome, the nearly-89-year-old Michelangelo was buried in a tomb in the great Franciscan Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. Discover the tomb monument that celebrates the genius of the divine artist in this episode.

Episode 220 - Michelangelo's "Rondanini Pietà" (Sforza Castle Museum, Milan) Apr 05, 2023

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Michelangelo worked on the unfinished "Rondanini Pietà" (1552-1564) until the last days of his life. Tragic and frail in appearance, the sculpture is often interpreted as reflecting the fragile state of mind of an extraordinary artist in the twilight of his life. The "Rondanini Pietà" is on display at Sforza Castle in Milan, Italy.

Episode 219 - Michelangelo's "Bandini/Florence Pietà" (Museo dell'Opera, Florence) Mar 29, 2023

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At about 75 years of age, Michelangelo began carving his second "Pietà" statue. Michelangelo was clearly trying to up his game by carving a group of four figures from a single block of marble. But the most intriguing aspect of this statue is that the extensive visible damage was inflicted by Michelangelo himself, allegedly for his dissatisfaction with the work. This episode unpacks the complex personal history behind this wounded sculpture.

Episode 218 - Michelangelo – God's Architect (The Building of St. Peter's) Mar 22, 2023

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At the ripe old age of 71, Michelangelo took over the direction of the most important building project in Europe – the Fabbrica of St. Peter's Basilica. Michelangelo redesigned the great building and saw construction through to the base of the cupola. This project would occupy the last 17 years of his life and consume nearly all his creative energies. This episode examines Michelangelo's role in the realization of the great basilica, as well as analyzing his revolutionary architectural style that paved the way for Baroque-style architecture in the next century.

Episode 217 - Michelangelo's "Crucifixion of St. Peter" (Pauline Chapel) Mar 15, 2023

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Shortly after completing the "Conversion of St. Paul" fresco in the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the 70-year-old Michelangelo began his complimentary "Crucifixion of St. Peter." While the image of St. Peter crucified in an upside-down position was quite common in Rome, it was unusual to see him in process of being hoisted upwards as Michelangelo depicted. This episode analyzes this late painting of Michelangelo and the various interpretations associated with it.

Episode 216 - Michelangelo's "Conversion of St. Paul" (Pauline Chapel) Mar 08, 2023

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Even before completing "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Paul III had chosen Michelangelo to decorate the walls of his new namesake chapel – the Pauline Chapel. Used as an antechamber to the Sistine Chapel, the Pauline Chapel contains Michelangelo's last two paintings. This episode discusses the history and function of the chapel, as well as the first of the two frescoes executed by a 67-year-old Michelangelo.

Episode 215 - Cellini's "Perseus with the Head of Medusa" (Florence) Mar 01, 2023

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In 1545, the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini was commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de' Medici to create a large bronze statue of the Greek hero Perseus and Medusa. The resulting work was one of the most beautiful and famous of the Renaissance. This episode examines the history, style, and importance of Cellini's bronze masterpiece.

Episode 214 - Answers to Open Questions Part XVI Feb 22, 2023

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From the type of snake that appears in Michelangelo's "Last Judgment," to the suspected poisoning of Pico dell Mirandola and Angelo Poliziano, to Lorenzo Lotto's unorthodox "Annunciation," to Brunelleschi's role in the development of linear perspective, and much, much more - this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists and history of the Italian Renaissance.

Episode 213 - Michelangelo's Laurentian Library in Florence Part III Feb 15, 2023

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This episode analyzes the extraordinary reading room of Michelangelo's Laurentian Library in Florence, Italy. Faced with having to reduce the weight of the building, Michelangelo designed a type of structural cage into which he inserted layered walls, elegant architectural elements, and handsome furniture. His creative wood ceiling and terracotta floor designs also are part of the overall decorative scheme of this beautiful building.

Episode 212 - Michelangelo's Laurentian Library in Florence Part II Feb 08, 2023

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This episode analyzes Michelangelo's visionary architectural design for the vestibule - better known as the "Ricetto" – of the Laurentian Library. Dominated by the famous staircase which Michelangelo claimed appeared to him in a dream, the space perfectly expresses Michelangelo's radical new vision for Renaissance architecture.

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