Rebuilding The Renaissance

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Episode 201 - Palazzo Te in Mantua - Part III (The Room of Psyche) Nov 23, 2022

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The Room of Psyche in the Palazzo Te in Mantua, Italy, is one of the most erotic pictorial cycles of the Renaissance. From the 9 ceiling paintings that depict the story of Cupid and Psyche, to the lunettes depicting the labors of Psyche, to the wall paintings depicting examples of divine and bestial love, as well as earthly and divine banquets celebrating the redemption of Psyche, the room is a veritable explosion of sensual and erotic imagery.

Episode 200 - 200th Episode Celebration! Nov 16, 2022

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This milestone celebrates the production of the 200th episode of the Rebuilding the Renaissance podcast. Looking back at the approximately two millennia that we have covered thus far, the various special guests who have appeared in the series, and the particularly important specific episodes, this episode not only retraces our steps, but also maps out the future of the podcast series.

Episode 199 - The Palazzo Te in Mantua Part II Nov 09, 2022

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The pictorial decoration inside of the Palazzo Te in Mantua, Italy, is some of the most inventive and delightful imagery of the Italian Renaissance. From the Room of Ovid, with representations of episodes from the "Metamorphoses," to the Room of the Imprese, with its many coat of arms and playful supporting putti, to the Room of the Sun and Moon Chariots, with its exceptional "di sotto in sù" perspective, to the Hall of the Horses with its many equestrian portraits of Gonzaga prize-winning horses and accompanying images of the labors of Hercules, This episode will begin to unpack the extraordinary decoration inside of the Palazzo Te.

Episode 198 - The Palazzo Te in Mantua Nov 02, 2022

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The Palazzo Te (1526-1535) was both designed and decorated by the great Mannerist artist and pupil of Raphael, Giulio Romano. Built for the Marquis-turned-Duke of Mantua, Federico II Gonzaga, every detail of the building was intended to delight the visitor. This episode explores the history and architecture of this extraordinary pleasure palace.

Episode 197 - Correggio's "Danaë" Oct 26, 2022

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Located in the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Correggio's sensual painting of the amorous relationship between Jupiter and the daughter of the King of Argos is sublime. Based on the account in Ovid's "Metamorphoses,'' Correggio is able to transform a literary metaphor into an equally powerful and erotic visual metaphor. In 1827, the painting was acquired by Cammillo IV Borghese, husband of Paulina Bonaparte, during one of his many trips to Paris, and installed into the family's extraordinary art collection.

Episode 196 - Correggio's Dome Frescoes in Parma Cathedral Oct 19, 2022

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Correggio's breath-taking dome fresco in the dome of Parma cathedral depicts the Assumption of the Virgin(1526). Gigantic painted figures of the apostles stand below an explosion of heavenly clouds and hundreds of angels that create a celestial architecture upon which the Virgin Mary is assumed into heaven. The dramatic energy of the painting is a clear harbinger of the great Baroque paintings of the following century.

Episode 195 - Correggio's Paintings in the National Gallery of Parma Oct 12, 2022

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Parma's National Gallery of Painting houses one of Italy's most important collections of medieval and Renaissance paintings. Amongst its treasures are several altarpieces by the great Correggio. This episode examines these extraordinary paintings and their expressive emotional power, which has inspired some to describe Correggio's work as "proto-Baroque."

Episode 194 - Correggio's Dome Fresco in San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma Oct 05, 2022

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After decorating the apartment of a Benedictine abbess, Correggio was called by the nearby Benedictine monks of Parma to decorate their church of San Giovanni Evangelista. The most spectacular of the paintings is the illusionist dome fresco depicting Jesus and the Apostles in dramatic di sotto in sù perspective.

Episode 193 - Correggio's "Camera di San Paolo" in Parma Sep 28, 2022

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The Camera di San Paolo (1519) was Correggio's first major commission in Parma. In the private quarters of a Benedictine abbess named Giovanna Piacenza, he executed a decorative fresco program filled with mythological and festive motifs. The particularly beautiful illusionistic ceiling decoration was a sort of a warm-up for the stunning domes he would paint in the following years.

Episode 192 - Answers to Open Questions XIII Sep 21, 2022

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From medieval graffiti, Raphael suffering medical malpractice, Siena's many contrade, the damaged part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the four biblical rivers as symbols of the Evangelists, anatomical dissection in the ancient world - 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.

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