REBUILDING THE RENAISSANCE PODCAST
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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.
Episodes
Episode 96 – An Interview with Nirav Tolia – Part I - Posted: November 18th, 2020
This episode is the first part of a two-part interview with visionary entrepreneur, Nirav Tolia, co-founder of the social media giant Nextdoor. We discuss Nirav's motivation for spending a year in Florence, Italy, teaching a course to Stanford University students about the similarities between the t...
Episode 95 – Florence: Chapel of the Magi (Medici Palace) - Posted: November 11th, 2020
This episode examines the splendid artistic decoration of one of Florence's best hidden gems - the Chapel of the Magi inside of the Medici Palace. Full a sumptuous materials and decorations, the walls of the chapel were beautifully painted by Benozzo Gozzoli in 1459 depicting the voyage of the Magi ...
Episode 94 – Florence: The Medici Palace - Posted: November 4th, 2020
This episode examines the history and architecture of the first Renaissance-style family palace in Florence, Italy. The Medici Palace was not only the home of the family, but also the seat of their political and financial power. Commissioned by Cosimo de' Medici, the palace was an integral part of t...
Episode 93 – Florence: The Medici Dynasty - Posted: October 28th, 2020
Episode Info: This episode examines the rise to power and legacy of one the longest-lasting dynasties in history. From relatively modest beginnings, the Medici family became one of the most wealthy and powerful families of Renaissance Italy, as well as great patrons of the arts....
Episode 92 – Florence: Last Supper by Andrea del Castagno (Sant’Apollonia) - Posted: October 21st, 2020
Episode Info: This episode analyzes one of the best-preserved and influential Renaissance paintings of the Last Supper. Located in the former refectory of a nunnery in Florence, Italy, the painting exhibits various traditional elements typical of the subject, but it also displays numerous innovat...
Episode 91 – Florence: The Convent of San Marco – Part II - Posted: October 14th, 2020
Episode Info: This episode explores the sublime painting decoration of the great Early Renaissance painter Fra Angelico in the convent of San Marco. From his utilitarian paintings in the cloister, to the majestic Crucifixion in the chapterhouse, to his celebrated Annunciation and finally to the ...
Episode 90 – Florence: The Convent of San Marco – Part I - Posted: October 7th, 2020
Episode Info: This episode is the first part of a two-part episode that examines the history and architecture of the first-ever Renaissance style convent. San Marco, which has been described as the most beautiful convent in all of Italy, was designed by Michelozzo and entirely funded by Cosimo De'Me...
Episode 89 – Answers To Open Questions – Part V - Posted: September 30th, 2020
Episode Info: This episode answers some of the questions asked directly by my listeners. From where the striping pattern on Tuscan churches comes from, to what kind of vegetal crown Donatello's bronze David wears, to the orientation of Michelangelo's New Sacristy, to angry looking figures in the Sc...
Episode 88 – Florence: Donatello’s Bronze “David” – Part II - Posted: September 23rd, 2020
Episode Info: This episode is the second part of my two-part episode about Donatello's eclectic statue of David. It examines the unusual iconography of the statue as well as the particular homoerotic culture of Renaissance Florence....
