The Renaissance was stirred into life by many figures of genius. In this episode Peter meets up with the art historian, Andrew Spira, to talk about three of the great masters in one of the most captivating of years.

In different ways Botticelli, Perugino and Dürer were finding new stories to tell in their paintings. Spira evaluates all of this for us and he detects the emergence of something else that would be of central importance in the emerging Western society. This was a revolutionary new conception: 'the self'.

Andrew Spira is the author of The Invention of the Self: Personal Identity in the Age of Art, among other works. He is also one of the esteemed tour directors at Ace Culutral Tours.

For more, as ever, visit our website: tttpodcast.com.

Scene One: Sandro Botticelli's Mystic Nativity

Scene Two: Pietro Perugino's Resurrection

Scene Three: Albrecht Dürer's Self-portrait

Memento: A Dürer print

Presenter: Peter Moore

Guest: Andrew Spira

Production: Maria Nolan

Podcast partner: Ace Cultural Tours

Theme music: ‘Love Token’ from the album ‘This Is Us’ By Slava and Leonard Grigoryan

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