Season 2 Finale! For the conclusion of this treatment of Renaissance Venice, we discuss Paolo Veronese and his famous painting that enraged the Holy Inquisition: The Supper in the House of Levi. 

Indeed, upon completion of this painting, the forces of the Counter-Reformation descended upon Veronese, bringing him under interrogation to explain what they deemed to be inappropriate in his art. This discussion details the painting itself along with the trial that condemned it within the greater context of the Protestant Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, and the Roman Inquisition as it manifested in Venice. 

All social links: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcast 

Support the show

Touted as the 'triumvirate' of sixteenth century Venice, Titian, Jacopo Sansovino, and Pietro Aretino were cultural megaliths that bolstered the ambitious city development plan under Doge Andrea Gritti. This episode explores the presence of both Aretino and Sansovino in Venice. 

Aretino was a famed writer, open homosexual, and merciless critic of the famed nobles of Italy. His court presence was one of high drama and unease, his pen a fearsome instrument of both mockery and flattery. Sansovino was a renowned architect, one who brings design ideals of the Roman Renaissance to the very heart of Venice. This discussion explores their joint presence as outsiders in the Venetian Lagoon who rise to prominence among the cultural elite. 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcast

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

Gaspara Stampa is among the most important poets of the Renaissance. Living in Venice, she was a central figure in the music and literary scene thriving during the sixteenth century. Her Rime, published the year of her death, give us insight to the brilliant mind of an upper class socialite with a complicated love life, far flung from the rigid confines of what we might expect from a Renaissance woman in a male dominated world.

Looking at her life and two sonnets, this discussion elaborates her role within the larger context of the Italian literary tradition, especially through Petrarch, and how these modes and tropes can be adapted and reworked through the culture of the Venetian Renaissance. 

Instagram/Facebook: italian_renaissance_podcast
Tiktok: @italianrenaissancepod
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

In 1494 upon the expulsion of the Medici from Florence, Michelangelo Buonarotti left his native city for the Republic of Venice. His stay there was brief and mostly undocumented. Yet, close comparison of source material and stylistic analysis reveals that perhaps Michelangelo was more influenced by his time in Venice than previously considered.

The master all'antica marble sculptor Tullio Lombardo had likely completed his masterpiece Adam the year before Michelangelo's arrival. Was the divine Michelangelo inspired by a Venetian Renaissance master before creating his own large-scale Bacchus, a marble nude figure modelled on antiquity? In this episode, we unpack the layers of influence that appear to manifest in Michelangelo's work as a potential result of Venetian influence. 

Instagram/Facebook: italian_renaissance_podcast 
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

With great pleasure, I welcome Gee Cooper back to the show to discuss the afterlife of Titian. Given his proliferation and international appeal, the works of Titian and his role as court painter had a ripple effect in courts throughout Europe. Among the most important figures is Charles I of England who looked to expand the Royal Collection after a visit to Spain where he saw Titian's poesie series and was permanently changed. The Titian List is the inventory of his works by Titian until his execution and the dispersal of his collection. 

Charles I wanted a Titian of his own. He employed Antony Van Dyck as his court painter, who would emulate Titian, reproduce his works, and adjust his own style to the preference of the King.  

In this conversation, we cover essential aspects of the poesie series in Spain to understand the impact that it had on Charles I. We then look at two types of Imperial portraiture to determine the direct influence of Titian's work in the seventeenth-century, not merely as items in an inventory, but as a highly praised style that infiltrated courtly painting. 

Instagram: italian_renaissance_podcast 
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop 

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

Known as the greatest master of the Venetian Renaissance, Titian's painting career spanned most of the sixteenth century. This episode aims to give an overview of his life and works, focusing on three paintings from three different genres: an altarpiece, a portrait, and a  mythological scene. 

Just as they represent different genres, the paintings discussed serve as timestamps in his career, marking his earliest masterpiece, the height of his career, and one of his last works. By doing this, Titian's variety of skill and talent is put on full display, sorting through the variances in his style, and how he positions himself as the forerunner of conventional change in European painting. 

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop
Instagram: italian_renaissance_podcast

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

The conquest of Constantinople placed the Ottoman Empire at the center of the Mediterranean world. Sultan Mehmed II thrived under the cultural pluralism of his new court, procuring artists from both sides of his world: Italy and Persia. However, the Italianization of the Ottoman Empire is locked within Mehmed's reign, as the greater Ottoman court did not share his appreciation for European art and design. 

Gentile Bellini arrived in Istanbul around 1479. This episode looks at his experience and works produced during his stay, elaborating them in relation to Mehmed II and his artistic taste. 

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop
Instagram/Facebook: italian_renaissance_podcast

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

I sat down with Julia Bender, a student and researcher of Islamic and medieval art, to discuss the relationship between the Venetian Republic and the Islamic powers that competed for mercantile control of the Mediterranean.

Looking at the Mamluks and Ottomans, two major dynasties that coincide with the Renaissance period, we discuss what exchanges were being made, how Venice served as a transition point for Eastern goods into Europe, and the major influence of Islamic innovations in Venice. This episode also covers essential information about Aldus Manutius, his printing press, and the proliferation of printed goods as it relates to Venetian mercantilism. Further, we discuss the stylistic influences of Islamic lands on European art production, primarily through the oriental carpet trade.

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop
Instagram: @italian_renaissance_podcast

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

In our third and final discussion on Giorgione, this episode covers his final work, the Sleeping Venus, which was finished by Titian upon his death. A close look at the history of this painting helps understand the development of Titian's style in light of Giorgione, which ultimately arrives at his most famous work, the Venus of Urbino.
This conversation compares the two paintings, understanding Titian's masterpiece as a result of Giorgione's influence.

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop
Instagram/Facebook: italian_renaissance_podcast 

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show

I sat down with Venetian Renaissance expert Monika Schmitter to discuss the enigmatic Tempest by Giorgione. Why is this image so difficult to define? What is the current state of scholarly interpretation of its form and function? This interview covers the complicated history of the painting, in part responding to Prof. Schmitter's recent publication on the work, available here: https://www.academia.edu/98650605/Describing_Giorgiones_Tempest_Iconography_Genre_Interpretation

Prof. Schmitter is also the author of "The Art Collector in Early Modern Italy: Andrea Odoni and his Venetian Palace," available here:
https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/arts-theatre-culture/western-art/art-collector-early-modern-italy-andrea-odoni-and-his-venetian-palace?format=HB&isbn=9781108844086

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShop
Instagram/Facebook: italian_renaissance_podcast

The Florentine Renaissance Course

Support the show