Pietà (Michelangelo): Great Art Ep.5

Michelangelo was a visionary artist who thought of himself first and foremost as a sculptor. He dealt as much with spirit as matter in his art, and retold stories everyone knew in ways that forced us to see them with fresh eyes. He took the tradition of the pieta and turned it into something eloquent, […]

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 […]

8 Must-See Paintings At The Uffizi Gallery

1- The Ognissanti Madonna, Giotto Any art enthusiast will appreciate the Uffizi’s varied collection. Giotto’s enormous altarpiece from 1305 is located in Room 2, between two other works of art that have become famous in this space: Santa Trinita Maestà and Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Rucellai Madonna. Along with other outstanding works created in Florence during […]

Drawing the Italian Renaissance: How artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo & Raphael worked

During the Italian Renaissance, generally held to be the period 1400 – 1600, drawing became a much more important part of an artist’s creative process. With paper becoming cheaper as a result of the book printing revolution in the 1500s, an artist could use it wastefully in a more experimental manner. Find out more about […]

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 […]

A Look Inside Michelangelo’s ‘Secret Room’

The BBC gets access to a secret room under the Medici Chapel in Florence, where Michelangelo took refuge during political upheaval. The small chamber, covered in his sketches, has opened to the public recently and offers a rare glimpse into the artist’s mind.

Secrets within Masters’ Paintings

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli and Caravaggio were each brilliant artists, but each also included unexpected features in some of their works. These secret messages and subtleties within their masterpieces went unrecognized for centuries, making the works of art even more astounding than what meets the eye. A prime example is a scientific secret hiding […]

Long-Lost Drawings Found Inside Michelangelo’s Secret Bunke

Historian Dr Michael Scott embarks on an adventure to explore the hidden treasures of Italy’s astonishing cities, bringing a fascinating new insight into 2,000 years of history. In Florence, Dr Scott is delighted to explore a small chamber under the Medici chapels in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. This is believed to be Michelangelo’s secret […]