The Italian Renaissance Podcast
The Italian Renaissance Podcast takes you on an exciting journey into fifteenth and sixteenth century Italy, stepping beyond the bounds of general overviews of historical themes of the Renaissance, and diving deeply into interpreting how we understand the period today. Each episode provides an analysis of cultural giants, stories of drama and violence, masterworks of literature, but most importantly, the art.
These discussions are curated for not only the adept history lover, but also the general audience, as an engaging and digestible source of information for those interested in enhancing their own understanding of Western history.
Follow us on Instagram for images and updates: @italian_renaissance_podcast
Episodes
56 episodes
Ep. 56: Lucrezia Tornabuoni de' Medici
The Court of Lorenzo de' Medici Part 2: Lucrezia Tornabuoni Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1427-1482) was one of the key figures in both the political and cultural influence of the Medici family during the late 15th century. She served as a d...
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Season 5
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Episode 56
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25:53
Ep. 55: Lorenzo the Magnificent
The Court of Lorenzo de' Medici Part 1: Lorenzo the Magnificent To engage Lorenzo de' Medici's court in Florence, there is no better topic to introduce the subject than the man himself. This episode takes a glance at the life of Lor...
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Season 5
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Episode 55
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30:55
Ep. 54: Rome Reborn - Pope Nicholas V
Rome was a neglected swamp when Pope Nicholas V came to power. An extremely well educated humanist, Medici ally, and frequenter of the classicist circles in Florence and Bologna, Nicholas was elected pope in 1447, arriving in a city whose forme...
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Season 4
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Episode 54
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33:49
Ep. 53: Fra Filippo Lippi
Lustful, unpredictable, and mischievous, Fra Filippo Lippi is a notorious figure of the Italian Renaissance. This episode surveys his life, looking primarily at three artworks: the San Lorenzo Annunciation, the Double Portrait...
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Season 4
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Episode 53
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26:54
Ep 52: San Marco, Florence - Fra Angelico, Michelozzo, and Cosimo de' Medici
San Marco, Florence: Nowhere else does the entirety of Renaissance social history converge in such a dynamic way. Upon returning from exile in 1434, Cosimo de' Medici found himself laden with guilt over the means in which his family had acquire...
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Season 4
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Episode 52
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28:06
Ep. 51: Renaissance Modernity - Michelozzo, Jacopo della Quercia, and Domenico Veneziano
What does it look like across three mediums when a new style harmonizes, and the conventions of the Middle Ages take a new form? Looking at three diverse artists and three different patrons, as well as an example of painting, sculpture, and arc...
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Season 4
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Episode 51
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29:27
Ep. 50: Donatello
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, ma...
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Season 4
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Episode 50
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34:17
Ep. 49: Masaccio
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 o...
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Season 4
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Episode 49
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26:25
Ep. 48: Gothic Painting - Lorenzo Monaco and Gentile da Fabriano
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 betwe...
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Season 4
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Episode 48
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26:52
Ep. 47: Plague and War in the Early Renaissance
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 am...
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Season 4
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Episode 47
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28:41
Ep. 46: Intro to the Early Renaissance - Art, Literature, and the Black Death
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 renaissance...
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Season 4
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Episode 46
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25:56
Ep. 45: Dr. Alan Pascuzzi, Bronze Casting and "Becoming Michelangelo."
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 pa...
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Season 3
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Episode 45
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47:48
Ep. 44: Frank Nero Part 2: San Martino del Vescovo
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 off...
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Season 3
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Episode 44
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45:27
Ep.43: Frank Nero Part 1: Teaching Renaissance Art in Florence, Italy
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 thous...
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Season 3
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Episode 43
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45:51
Ep. 42: The Followers of Raphael Part 2: Giovanni da Udine, feat. Esme Garlake
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 f...
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Season 3
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Episode 42
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32:47
Ep. 41: The Followers of Raphael Part 1: Ecocritical Art History and Giulio Romano, feat. Esme Garlake
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 un...
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Season 3
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Episode 41
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32:31
Ep. 40: Romeo and Juliet: The Italian Renaissance Novella that Inspired Shakespeare, feat. Michael Curtotti
Welcome to the Italian Renaissance Podcast Interview Series!Passionate translator Michael Curtotti joins us on the podcast to discuss the Renaissance novelliere Matteo Bandello and his Romeo and Juliet, which serves as the insp...
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Season 3
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Episode 40
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46:44
Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper
Leonardo da Vinci arrived in Milan around the year 1482. Under the patronage of Duke Ludovico Gonzaga, Leonardo painted his famous Last Supper on the wall of the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Still, his technical application of paint w...
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Episode 39
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24:10
Ep.38: Veronese and the Inquisition
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 completio...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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22:59
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Ep. 37: Renovatio Urbis - Jacopo Sansovino and Pietro Aretino
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 bot...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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24:58
Ep. 36: Gaspara Stampa - Venetian Renaissance Poet
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 i...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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27:54
Ep. 35: Michelangelo in Venice
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 r...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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27:18
Ep. 34: The Titian List, feat. Gee Cooper
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. ...
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Season 2
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Episode 34
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53:13
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Ep. 33: Titian: A Life in Three Paintings
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 a...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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26:18
Ep. 32: Mehmed II and Italian Art in the Ottoman Courts
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...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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26:44
