Rebuilding The Renaissance

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Episode 151 - The Divine Michelangelo Part VI - The David (Part II) Dec 08, 2021

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This 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) Dec 01, 2021

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This 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 149 - The Divine Michelangelo Part IV - The Pietà Nov 24, 2021

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The Pietàwas 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 III - The Bacchus Nov 17, 2021

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Michelangelo 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 have indeed been rejected by its original patron.

Episode 147 - Answers to Open Questions - Part X Nov 10, 2021

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From 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 Nov 03, 2021

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This 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 Oct 27, 2021

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Michelangelo 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 Oct 20, 2021

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This 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 Oct 13, 2021

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This 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 Oct 06, 2021

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This 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.

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