Podcasts-2 - Rocky Ruggiero

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Rebuilding The Renaissance podcast will explore the development of the art, architecture, culture and history in Italy, from ancient Roman times through the Renaissance. Listeners will develop an understanding of Italy’s role in the development of Western civilization and an ability to appreciate and understand works of art in their historical context.

"No one brings the Renaissance to life better than Rocky"

- Treskovich

"No one brings the Renaissance to life better than Rocky"

- Historywrocky

"No one brings the Renaissance to life better than Rocky"

- Valoreev

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Episodes

Cities Artists Theory Answers to Open Questions Interviews

Episode 245 – Titian’s “Venus Blindfolding Cupid” (Borghese Gallery, Rome)

Posted: September 27th, 2023

Painted around 1565, this exquisite painting exemplifies Titian’s later style with its loose brushstroke, sophisticated use of color, and delicate tonal transitions. The meaning of the painting is somewhat controversial as it does not fall into any traditional iconographical schemes and has conseq...

Episode 244 – Paolo Veronese’s “Feast in the House of Levi” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: September 20th, 2023

In 1573, Paolo Veronese was commissioned by the Dominicans at the church of Saints Giovanni and Paolo in Venice to paint a “Last Supper” to replace an earlier version by Titian that had been destroyed by fire. The result was a massive image full of numerous figures engaged in a hedonistic celebr...

Episode 243 – Paolo Veronese’s “Wedding Feast at Cana” (Louvre, Paris)

Posted: September 13th, 2023

In 1562, Veronese was commissioned to paint a massive painting of the “Wedding Feast at Cana” to adorn the end wall of the refectory of the Benedictine monastery of San Giorgio in Venice, Italy. What he produced was an extraordinary impression of typical Venetian revelry in the late 16th century...

Episode 242 – Paolo Veronese’s Church of San Sebastiano in Venice

Posted: September 6th, 2023

Paolo Veronese is the third member of the great Venetian late Renaissance trio that also includes Titian and Tintoretto. The church of San Sebastiano in Venice was decorated over 15 years with paintings exclusively by Veronese and is a veritable shrine to the genius of this great painter. ...

Episode 241 – Tintoretto’s Scuola di San Rocco 5 (Chapter Hall Paintings Continued)

Posted: August 30th, 2023

This episode addresses the paintings in the second half of the Chapter Hall of the Scuola, which focus specifically on the theme of food with scenes of “Manna Falling from Heaven” and the “Last Supper.” ...

Episode 240 – Tintoretto’s Scuola of San Rocco 4 (The Chapter Hall Paintings)

Posted: August 24th, 2023

Once he completed his paintings for the Albergo, Tintoretto continued the decoration of the Scuola with a series of paintings for the Chapter Hall. These paintings are some of Tintoretto’s best and demonstrate his revolutionary approach to painting. ...

Episode 239 – Tintoretto’s Scuola di San Rocco P. 3 (The Albergo Paintings)

Posted: August 16th, 2023

Tintoretto’s paintings in the Albergo (board room) of the Scuola of San Rocco are dramatic representations of the Passion of Jesus Christ. From his tragic “Ecce Homo” all the way to his Hollywood-style “Crucifixion,” Tintoretto produced some of the most innovative and theatrical paintings ...

Episode 238 – Tintoretto’s Scuola di San Rocco P. 2 (The Competition)

Posted: August 9th, 2023

In 1564, the Scuola of San Rocco announced a competition for the commission for the ceiling paintings of the Albergo (board room) of their meeting house. True to his nature, Tintoretto surprised and outwitted all his competitors. Find out how in this episode! ...

Episode 237 – Tintoretto’s Scuola of San Rocco (Venice)

Posted: August 3rd, 2023

The Scuola Grande of San Rocco in Venice, Italy, is the only active “scuola,” or confraternity, in the city. It has maintained its original appearance and magnificent decoration – nearly all of which was by Tintoretto - for the last five centuries. This podcast explores the history of the scuo...

Episode 236 – Answers to Open Questions XVII

Posted: July 27th, 2023

From the original location and patron of Donatello’s “Mary Magdalene,” to the influence of Giotto on Taddeo Gaddi, to the original meeting hall of the Florentine government, to the dome of St. Peter’s, to the authenticity of the recently discovered “Flaget Madonna” attributed by some t...

Episode 235 – Gallery of the Maps (Vatican Museums)

Posted: July 19th, 2023

Stretching 120m in length with its walls covered entirely in 16th century maps of various Italian city states, principalities, and islands, the Gallery of the Maps is one of the most spectacular spaces in the Vatican Museums. ...

Episode 234 – Giambologna’s “Rape of the Sabine” (Piazza della Signoria, Florence)

Posted: July 12th, 2023

Still located in the Loggia dei Lanzi where it was installed in 1583, the “Rape of the Sabine” was produced for Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici. While the group of three figures may seem like a fitting representation of the mythological event where Roman men took Sabine women as their wives, th...

Episode 233 – Vasari’s “Last Judgment” (Florence Cathedral)

Posted: July 5th, 2023

The dome frescoes of Florence Cathedral cover nearly an acre of dome surface, making it the world’s largest fresco. Begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1572 and completed by Federico Zuccari in 1579, the main subject of the fresco is the Last Judgment and incudes some strikingly graphic imagery in the Hell...

Episode 232 – Ammannati’s “Neptune Fountain” (Piazza Signoria, Florence)

Posted: June 28th, 2023

Commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici for the marriage of his son Francesco to Johanna of Austria, the massive fountain occupies the northwestern corner of the Palazzo Vecchio. Portraying the duke as the god of the sea, the fountain imagery was intended to glorify the Medici dynasty, but was no...

Episode 231 – Titian’s “Perseus and Andromeda” (Wallace Collection, London)

Posted: June 21st, 2023

This painting is the last of six paintings that make up Titian’s extraordinary “Poesie” series for King Philip II of Spain. Of all six, it is in the worst state of conservation and went through major compositional changes while it was being painted. Nevertheless, the “Perseus and Andromeda�...

Episode 230 – Titian’s “Rape of Europa” (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston)

Posted: June 14th, 2023

One of the greatest masterpieces of Italian Renaissance painting, Titian’s painting depicts the abduction of the nymph Europa by Jupiter, who has disguised himself as a bull. Titian employs all of his painterly skill to create a dazzling array of textures, colors, and images that coalesce into a h...

Episode 229 – Titian’s “Diana and Callisto” (National Galleries, London and Edinburgh)

Posted: June 7th, 2023

Part of Titian’s magnificent “Poesie” series which he painted for King Philp II of Spain in the 1550s, the “Diana and Callisto" represents the exposure of the pregnancy of the nymph Callisto who had been loved by Jupiter. ...

Episode 228 – Titian’s “Diana and Acteon” (National Galleries, London and Edinburgh)

Posted: May 31st, 2023

The third of six paintings constituting Titian’s famous “Poesie” series for King Philip II of Spain, “Diana and Acteon” represents a mythological account of divine punishment. A hapless hunter named Acteon stumbles upon Diana, goddess of chastity and of the hunt, and is punished for violat...

Episode 227 – Titian’s “Venus and Adonis” (Prado Museum, Madrid)

Posted: May 17th, 2023

Part of Titian’s six mythological paintings for King Philip II of Spain known as the “Poesie,” the innovative and sensual “Venus and Adonis” was the most popular. We know this because some 30 versions of the painting exist today, all of which can be traced back to 2 main prime types – th...

Episode 226 – Titian’s “Danaë” (Capodimonte Museum, Naples)

Posted: May 15th, 2023

In 1544, Titian produced the first of at least six versions of the Danaë subject for Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, nephew of Pope Paul III. Shortly thereafter, a second version was painted and sent to King Phillip II of Spain. The immense popularity of Titian’s sensual painting style combined with...

Episode 225 – Titian’s “Poesie” Paintings

Posted: May 10th, 2023

Titian’s six “poesie” – or “painted poems” – depict subjects from classical mythology and were painted for King Philip II of Spain. The paintings represent a landmark in the history of western art and exemplify the Venetian master’s late style that was characterized by dramatic subj...

Episode 224 – Tintoretto’s “Finding of the Body of St. Mark” (Brera Gallery, Milan)

Posted: May 3rd, 2023

Another of the great canvases for the Scuola Grande of San Marco dramatically depicts the episode where the body of the evangelist was discovered. The dark painting is dominated by theatrical chiaroscuro and showcases unconventional characters and gestures....

Episode 223 – Tintoretto’s “Stealing of the Body of St. Mark” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: April 26th, 2023

Fourteen years after exploding onto the art scene in Venice, Tintoretto produced another dramatic work for the Scuola Grande of San Marco. The intense painting depicts the legendary story of two Venetian merchants stealing the body of St. Mark away from Alexandria in the 9th century....

Episode 222 – Tintoretto’s “Miracle of the Slave” (Accademia Gallery, Venice)

Posted: April 19th, 2023

The Venetian painter Tintoretto exploded onto the art scene in his native city with this large canvas depicting St. Mark rescuing one of his devotees from a horrific death. With its dramatic proscenium characterized by strong foreshortening and dramatic spotlighting, as well as a surprising and dari...

Episode 221 – Michelangelo’s Tomb (Santa Croce, Florence)

Posted: April 12th, 2023

Although he died in Rome, the nearly-89-year-old Michelangelo was buried in a tomb in the great Franciscan Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. Discover the tomb monument that celebrates the genius of the divine artist in this episode....

Episode 220 – Michelangelo’s “Rondanini Pietà” (Sforza Castle Museum, Milan)

Posted: April 5th, 2023

Abandoned by Michelangelo just six days before he died in 1564, this is the great artist’s last sculpture – and perhaps his most personal. This podcast explores the history of this unusually frail work and how it reflects the final dramatic years of the divine Michelangelo....

Episode 219 – Michelangelo’s “Bandini/Florence Pietà” (Museo dell’Opera, Florence)

Posted: March 29th, 2023

At about 75 years of age, Michelangelo began carving his second “Pietà” statue. Michelangelo was clearly trying to up his game by carving a group of four figures from a single block of marble. But the most intriguing aspect of this statue is that the extensive visible damage was inflicted by Mi...

Episode 218 – Michelangelo – God’s Architect (The Building of St. Peter’s)

Posted: March 22nd, 2023

At the ripe old age of 71, Michelangelo took over the direction of the most important building project in Europe – the Fabbrica of St. Peter’s Basilica. Michelangelo redesigned the great building and saw construction through to the base of the cupola. This project would occupy the last 17 year...

Episode 217 – Michelangelo’s “Crucifixion of St. Peter” (Pauline Chapel)

Posted: March 15th, 2023

Shortly after completing the “Conversion of St. Paul” fresco in the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the 70-year-old Michelangelo began his complimentary “Crucifixion of St. Peter.” While the image of St. Peter crucified in an upside-down position was quite common in Ro...

Episode 216 – Michelangelo’s “Conversion of St. Paul” (Pauline Chapel)

Posted: March 8th, 2023

Even before completing “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Paul III had chosen Michelangelo to decorate the walls of his new namesake chapel – the Pauline Chapel. Used as an antechamber to the Sistine Chapel, the Pauline Chapel contains Michelangelo’s last two paintings. This epi...

Episode 215 – Cellini’s “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” (Florence)

Posted: March 1st, 2023

In 1545, the goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini was commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici to create a large bronze statue of the Greek hero Perseus and Medusa. The resulting work was one of the most beautiful and famous of the Renaissance. This episode examines the history, style, and importance of Ce...

Episode 214 – Answers to Open Questions Part XVI

Posted: February 22nd, 2023

From the type of snake that appears in Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment,” to the suspected poisoning of Pico dell Mirandola and Angelo Poliziano, to Lorenzo Lotto’s unorthodox “Annunciation,” to Brunelleschi’s role in the development of linear perspective, and much, much more - this episo...

Episode 213 – Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library in Florence Part III

Posted: February 15th, 2023

This episode analyzes the extraordinary reading room of Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library in Florence, Italy. Faced with having to reduce the weight of the building, Michelangelo designed a type of structural cage into which he inserted layered walls, elegant architectural elements, and handsome f...

Episode 212 – Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library in Florence Part II

Posted: February 8th, 2023

This episode analyzes Michelangelo’s visionary architectural design for the vestibule - better known as the “Ricetto” – of the Laurentian Library. Dominated by the famous staircase which Michelangelo claimed appeared to him in a dream, the space perfectly expresses Michelangelo’s radical n...

Episode 211 – Michelangelo’s Laurentian Library in Florence Part I

Posted: February 1st, 2023

In 1524, the Medici Pope Clement VII asked Michelangelo to design and build a new library to house the extraordinary collection of manuscripts and books owned by the family. The logical location was the Medici-sponsored complex of San Lorenzo. This episode analyzes the construction history of the li...

Episode 210 – Baccio Bandinelli’s “Hercules and Cacus” (Florence)

Posted: January 25th, 2023

Although the commission was originally given to Michelangelo in 1508, the eventual carving of the sculpture fell into the lesser hands of Baccio Bandinelli. Symbolic of the new authoritative Medici regime and rule over the city, the sculpture was a strong man image intended to warn Florentines of th...

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"I can say that Rocky Ruggiero is the best among the very best. I have yet to encounter a more precise, informative and commanding teacher or conductor through the beauty and magnificence of Florence and Italy"

Peter Weller

Actor, Director, Writer, Musician, Scholar

"We recently traveled to Florence with our twin daughters and we wanted them to experience the rich art history of Florence in a more personalized basis. We were grateful that Rocky agreed to this assignment. His Knowledge, love and enthusiasm for the arts was contagious. It was the highlight of our trip!"

Alan L. Rivera

CFO and General Counsel, Millbrook Capital Management, Inc.

"Rocky is a favorite and one of the best art historians we’ve ever used. He has led our family on occasion where are high school and college kids praised how Rocky made art "interesting" and "relevant", while his interactive style held everyone’s attention"

Michael Chesser

President and Founder Chesser Group Inc., Los Angeles CA