The Italian Renaissance Podcast

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In this monumental 50th episode, join me in discussing a likewise monumental artist of the early Renaissance: Donatello. 

This episode examines the landmark works of the Florentine sculptor, taking a close look at his early life, mature works, and cultural impact. Donatello skillfully navigated the practical world of civic sculpture, then became a sought-after court artist in the elite world of early modern Italy. Looking closely at three sculptures in three mediums, this discussion details Donatello's vast innovations towards embedding life and sensation in his figures, an effect that would pulse through the veins of future Renaissance sculpture thanks to his departures from convention. 

Works Discussed:

David, marble, ca. 1408.
Saint George, marble, 1415-17.
Penitent Magdalene, wood, ca. 1430-50.
Equestrian Monument of Gattamelata, 1453.
David, bronze, 1440-60.

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Undoubtedly one of the most important painters of the Florentine Renaissance, Masaccio broke the barriers of convention, producing the first monumental works in the Renaissance style. This episode discusses Masaccio's life and works, focusing on the famous Brancacci Chapel and his Holy Trinity in Santa Maria Novella.

A close look at these works illuminates the effects of heightened naturalism and linear perspective as artists looked away from the conventions of Gothic painting, particularly in the Holy Trinity, which demonstrated a new mastery over perspectival techniques, paving the way for future Renaissance artists to expand upon Masaccio's genius.

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Works Discussed:
Masaccio, Expulsion from Paradise, Brancacci Chapel, 1425-27
Masolino, Temptation in the Garden, Brancacci Chapel, 1425-27
Masaccio, Tribute Money, Brancacci Chapel, 1425-27
Masaccio, Holy Trinity, Santa Maria Novella, ca. 1427

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The early 1400's in Italy saw the transition from the Gothic to the Renaissance style in painting. In major areas of patronage, be it for churches or wealthy patrons, a new style flourished that was representative of the interconnectivity between European cultures and the wider Mediterranean, one that bridges the Gothic and Renaissance styles - the International Gothic. Looking at two masterworks, one from Lorenzo Monaco and one from Gentile da Fabriano, this episode examines the historical moment and the stylistic factors that unify and separate the Gothic and International Gothic in Italy. 

Further, through Giorgio Vasari, we can look at how historical shifts in artistic style were perceived by later Renaissance writers, who looked to organize the trajectory of Italian art as a series of quantifiable improvements. These two artists help us bridge the end of the medieval period with the developments that will become Renaissance art. 

Works discussed: 
 Lorenzo Monaco, Coronation of the Virgin - https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/coronation-of-the-virgin
Gentile da Fabriano, Adoration of the Magi - 
https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/adoration-of-the-magi

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While the idea of an entirely joyous rise of Renaissance culture might sound apt for a period known for mesmerizing art and literature, history tells a different story, one of war, of plague, and of death. This episode discusses just a small amount of the social issues that contributed to the rise of Renaissance culture in Italy, from the multiple plagues that continued after the Black Death, to the banking crisis in Florence at the dawn of the Hundred Years' War, and Milanese military aggression under Gian Galeazzo Visconti. 

In the 14th and 15th centuries, Italy was a center of trade and multi-branch banking that spanned the Mediterranean and beyond. This discussion looks at the relationship between trade routes and plague outbreaks in the larger picture of Florentine banking and mercantilism as necessary precursors for the rise of civic Humanism. Likewise, it explores the religious and visual implications of post Black Death Italy, and the significance of Florence's unexpected triumph over Milan. 

Images discussed:
Titian, Saint Mark Enthroned, ca. 1510, Santa Maria della Salute, Venice

Triumph of Death, ca. 1440, Palazzo Abetellis, Palermo

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It is time to open the next chapter of our dive into Renaissance history, dialing back to look at the early Renaissance and the Proto-Renaissance. The terminology of periodization is loose and malleable, and brings to light of other renaissances that occurred throughout the Middle Ages. What is the difference between the way classical revival was exercised from the 8th and 12th centuries, and the world of Renaissance Italy? 

This episode provides the fundaments of the earliest years of the Renaissance in Florence. The discussion links the literary developments of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio to the art developments of Cimabue and Giotto. Did the Black Death, that devastating plague that swept through Italy in 1348, have an impact on intellectual development? What did the early phases of Humanism look like, before the late 15th century?  

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I am joined by the Florence based artist and art historian Dr. Alan Pascuzzi for a thrilling interview about his career as an artist following the techniques of the Renaissance masters. We first discuss the process of becoming a sculptor and painter in the Renaissance techniques. He walks us through his technical process, looking closely at his recent allegorical bronze group for Florida State University in Florence. Our conversation drifts to the monumental Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini, where Alan talks us through the relationship between the casting process in the Renaissance and the modern age. 

We conclude our conversation around Alan's methodology in his book, "Becoming Michelangelo: Apprenticing to the Master and Discovering the Artist Through His Drawings," where he recounts the insight learned by copying 135 of Michelangelo's drawings from his early career, a unique blending of studio art and art historical scholarship. 

To purchase "Becoming Michelangelo:" https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Becoming-Michelangelo/Alan-Pascuzzi/9781950994373

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Join me in conversation with Frank Nero, who takes us on a journey to a hidden gem in Florence, San Martino del Vescovo. This oratory serves as a fascinating case study of the intersections between Medici power and art patronage, as well as offering a glimpse into the everyday of Florentine life in the Quattrocento.

The oratory frescoes depict scenes of the deeds of the buonuomini, painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop. Nero gives us a detailed history of the foundation and function of the space, as well as a captivating explanation of the fresco cycle found within. 

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It is with great pleasure that I welcome Frank Nero to the podcast. Nero is an art historian, award-winning educator, and former director of Florida State University Florence. He specializes in on-site lectures, having taught and inspired thousands of students during his career, myself included. 

The first part of this interview departs from our typical mode of discussion, and looks at the living legacy of Renaissance art from the perspective of someone who teaches it outside of the classroom. Not only does Nero provide inside information on the structure of international education through the American university system, the good and the bad (also the ugly), but also tells hilarious stories and experiences that come with hauling students through crowded historical sites across Italy. 

***Nero calls by my familiar name, Reed instead of Lawrence... or Reedy, because he's a funny guy. 

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Join me in the continuation of my conversation with ecocritical art historian and climate activist Esme Garlake. In the second part of our interview, we discuss the works of Raphael's pupil, Giovanni da Udine. Giovanni not only had an intense fascination with accurately depicting the natural world, which we discuss via his drawings, but had a substantial role in decorating Agostino Chigi's Villa Farnesina in Rome alongside Raphael and Giulio Romano.

Beyond the Renaissance, Esme provides valuable perspective on climate activism in museum spaces, and the role of art in how we envision the sustainability of our planet. 

For more of Esme's work: 
Blog: https://medium.com/@esme.garlake
Article: https://envhistnow.com/2023/05/04/towards-an-ecocritical-art-history/
Research Profile: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/art-history/esme-garlake 

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Join me in conversation in two parts with Esme Garlake, an ecocritical art historian and climate activist who centers her research on the interaction between the artist and the natural world. We are talking about two artists who were trained under Raphael, Giulio Romano and Giovanni da Udine.  How do animals manifest in their works, and what does it tell us about the social history of sixteenth century Italy?

Part one focuses on establishing how an ecocritical approach is used to analyze Renaissance art via Raphael before turning to the Palazzo Te in Mantua, and Giulio Romano's Sala dei Cavalli and the Banquet of Cupid and Psyche.

For more of Esme's work: 
Blog: https://medium.com/@esme.garlake
Article: https://envhistnow.com/2023/05/04/towards-an-ecocritical-art-history/
Research Profile: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/art-history/esme-garlake 

    
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