Who Was Giotto and Why Was He So Important?

A fly that a Tuscan boy named Giotto may have painted, once, set the Italian Renaissance abuzz. It was so true to life, according to the art historical legend that trails Giotto to this day, that Cimabue, the master painter he was apprenticed to, believed it was an actual pest. “Returning to his work, he […]

Divine elegance, Simone Martini’s The Annunciation

A conversation with Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris in front of Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi, Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus, 1333, tempera on wood, gold background, 184 x 168 cm (Uffizi, Florence) Read more about Simone Martini: Simone Martini influential in Gothic style

Lavinia Fontana Masterpiece Rediscovered After 150 Years in Museum Storage

A small museum in northern France has announced the surprise discovery of a new masterpiece by Lavinia Fontana, one of the most celebrated woman painters of the Italian Renaissance. The lost work had been languishing in storage for over 150 years, long credited to a male Flemish painter, but an expert now claims it is […]

Cimabue: Grandfather of the Italian Renaissance

Often considered one of the early pioneers of the Italian Renaissance, Cimabue’s life, work, and influence continues to be misrepresented or, perhaps, misunderstood. Historically Cimabue has been overshadowed by his pupil Giotto, a narrative which was promoted by Renaissance literary stalwarts ranging from Vasari to Dante. However, Cimabue’s work is finally being viewed in a […]

Michelangelo’s Drawings for the Sistine Chapel Visit the U.S. for the First Time

Dozens of drawings Michelangelo made while planning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel will go on view at the Muscarelle Museum of Art after a monumental feat in networking and logistics by the Williamsburg, Virginia museum ahead of the Renaissance master’s 550th anniversary. Curator Adriano Marinazzo, an architect and Michelangelo expert, has organized a show […]

Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (Raphael): Great Art Ep.7

In 1504, Raphael goes to make a name for himself in the city of Florence, already inhabited by the giants Michelangelo and Leonardo. The young artist is soon given the opportunity to work on the Pope’s Rooms in Rome, and creates a masterpiece on every wall. The “Stanza della Segnatura” is dedicated to four intellectual […]

On Renaissance, Great Art Ep.1

What makes the Renaissance great? Why are the Big Three practically considered saints, and how much did Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael really transform art? Join us as Columbia Professor David Rosand explains the poetry in the paintings of these Italian High Renaissance masters, and shows us how the stories depicted in some of […]

Sandro Botticelli: The Renaissance Visionary Who Painted the Soul

Sandro Botticelli, widely regarded as a master of the Italian Renaissance, has been described as the “Dante of painting,” a comparison made by art historian Annalisa Di Maria. Just as Dante Alighieri captured the complexity of human emotions in his poetry, Botticelli conveyed spiritual depth and intellectual ideas through his artwork. Central to his artistic […]

The Secrets of Botticelli’s Drawings

Bringing a new perspective on the beloved Renaissance artist, “Botticelli: Rhythm of the Line” reveals the central role that drawing played in Sandro Botticelli’s art and practice. This short documentary takes viewers through the streets of Florence, where the artist lived and worked, to the Uffizi galleries, home of Botticelli’s most striking masterpieces. The story […]

The Hidden Meanings in a 16th-Century Female Nude

How a rarely-seen drawing of the Three Graces by Raphael reveals the era’s ideas about nudity, modesty, shame – and the artist’s genius. It’s part of an exhibition, Drawing the Italian Renaissance – at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace – of drawings from 1450 to 1600, the biggest of its kind ever shown in the […]