Rebuilding The Renaissance

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Episode 211 - Michelangelo's Laurentian Library in Florence Part I Feb 01, 2023

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In 1524, the Medici Pope Clement VII asked Michelangelo to design and build a new library to house the extraordinary collection of manuscripts and books owned by the family. The logical location was the Medici-sponsored complex of San Lorenzo. This episode analyzes the construction history of the library and how Michelangelo once again applied his innovative ideas to architecture.

Episode 210 - Baccio Bandinelli's "Hercules and Cacus" (Florence) Jan 25, 2023

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Although the commission was originally given to Michelangelo in 1508, the eventual carving of the sculpture fell into the lesser hands of Baccio Bandinelli. Symbolic of the new authoritative Medici regime and rule over the city, the sculpture was a strong man image intended to warn Florentines of the consequences of revolt. It is also a prime example of the new Mannerist style which dominated Florentine art in the 16th century.

Episode 209 - Michelangelo's Last Judgment Part IV Jan 18, 2023

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This final episode dedicated to Michelangelo's great fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel addresses the controversy surrounding the explicit nudity in the painting. When formal protests by high-ranking figures in the papal court were made, Michelangelo responded by including one of their portraits in hell. We also discuss the eventual alterations made to the painting after Michelangelo's death.

Episode 208 - Michelangelo's Last Judgment Part III Jan 11, 2023

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This episode analyzes the majestic composition and singular iconography of Michelangelo's fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. From the lack of any architectural elements to the use of ambiguous saint imagery, Michelangelo introduced a revolutionary and surprisingly modern way to represent a popular biblical subject.

Episode 207 - Michelangelo's Last Judgment Part II Jan 04, 2023

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To create a suitable surface for Michelangelo's "Last Judgment," major alterations were made to the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel. This episode examines those physical preparations, as well as the art that was lost in order to make way for Michelangelo's great fresco. It also surveys earlier versions of the subject by artists such as Giotto and Pisano.

Episode 206 - Michelangelo's Last Judgment Part I Dec 28, 2022

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Twenty-four years after completing its ceiling, Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel to paint its altar wall. His gigantic "Last Judgment" took five years to complete and scandalized Rome as many of its holy characters were depicted in the nude. This podcast examines the history of the commission of Michelangelo's great fresco.

Episode 205 - Titian's "Penitent Magdalene" (Pitti Palace) Dec 21, 2022

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In 1531, Titian painted the incredibly sensuous image of Mary Magdalene for Duke Federico II of Mantua who, in turn, gifted it to the celebrated poetess Vittoria Colonna. By combining the two best-known versions of Mary Magdalene – prostitute and penitent – Titian produced a profound image of spiritual sublimation of the physical.

Episode 204 - Titian's "Venus of Urbino" (Uffizi Galleries) Dec 14, 2022

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Titian was the greatest Venetian painter of his age. His reputation and achievements in 16th-century Europe were rivaled only by Michelangelo. Venetian artists introduced their own particular style and vision into Renaissance art, as seen in the Venus of Urbino. Suddenly, female nudity and eroticism exploded onto the scene in a type of soft-core Renaissance pornography. This episode explores the unusual erotic iconography of the Venus of Urbino, and how it depicts a rather straight-forward visual voyeurism between subject and object.

Episode 203 - Answers To Open Questions Part 15 Dec 07, 2022

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From the accuracy of Vasari's "Lives," the dark skin tones of medieval paintings, why Last Suppers appear where they do, whether Caravaggio can be considered a Renaissance artist, 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 202 - Palazzo Te in Mantua - Part IV (The Room of the Giants) Nov 30, 2022

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Giulio Romano's "Room of the Giants" in the Palazzo Te is one of the most dramatic and unique pictorial cycles in history. Depicting the fall of the Titans to the Olympian gods, the colossal-scale figures, rounded corners, and illusionistic architecture create a veritable sense of virtual reality. It is a painting cycle with no beginning or end, where the spectator becomes part of the action, and the traditional subject-object relationship is destroyed.

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