Ep. 16: Botticelli's Primavera

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 painter in the Renaissance techniques. He walks us through his technical process, looking closely at his recent allegorical bronze group for Florida State University in Florence. Our conversation drifts to the monumental Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini, where Alan talks us through the relationship between the casting process in the Renaissance and the modern age. We conclude our conversation around Alan's methodology in his book, "Becoming Michelangelo: Apprenticing to the Master and Discovering the Artist Through His Drawings," where he recounts the insight learned by copying 135 of Michelangelo's drawings from his early career, a unique blending of studio art and art historical scholarship. To purchase "Becoming Michelangelo:" https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Becoming-Michelangelo/Alan-Pascuzzi/9781950994373Follow us on Instagram for images: @italian_renaissance_podcastGet additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 offering a glimpse into the everyday of Florentine life in the Quattrocento. The oratory frescoes depict scenes of the deeds of the buonuomini, painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop. Nero gives us a detailed history of the foundation and function of the space, as well as a captivating explanation of the fresco cycle found within. Instagram: italian_renaissance_podcast Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 thousands of students during his career, myself included. The first part of this interview departs from our typical mode of discussion, and looks at the living legacy of Renaissance art from the perspective of someone who teaches it outside of the classroom. Not only does Nero provide inside information on the structure of international education through the American university system, the good and the bad (also the ugly), but also tells hilarious stories and experiences that come with hauling students through crowded historical sites across Italy. ***Nero calls by my familiar name, Reed instead of Lawrence... or Reedy, because he's a funny guy. Instagram: italian_renaissance_podcast Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShopGet additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 fascination with accurately depicting the natural world, which we discuss via his drawings, but had a substantial role in decorating Agostino Chigi's Villa Farnesina in Rome alongside Raphael and Giulio Romano.Beyond the Renaissance, Esme provides valuable perspective on climate activism in museum spaces, and the role of art in how we envision the sustainability of our planet. For more of Esme's work: Blog: https://medium.com/@esme.garlakeArticle: https://envhistnow.com/2023/05/04/towards-an-ecocritical-art-history/Research Profile: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/art-history/esme-garlake Linktree: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcast     Podcast Instagram: @italian_renaissance_podcast Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 under Raphael, Giulio Romano and Giovanni da Udine.  How do animals manifest in their works, and what does it tell us about the social history of sixteenth century Italy? Part one focuses on establishing how an ecocritical approach is used to analyze Renaissance art via Raphael before turning to the Palazzo Te in Mantua, and Giulio Romano's Sala dei Cavalli and the Banquet of Cupid and Psyche. For more of Esme's work: Blog: https://medium.com/@esme.garlakeArticle: https://envhistnow.com/2023/05/04/towards-an-ecocritical-art-history/Research Profile: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/art-history/esme-garlake     Podcast Instagram: @italian_renaissance_podcast Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 inspiration to the famous play by William Shakespeare. Curtotti has recently published a new translation of Bandello's novella, a must read for all lovers of Renaissance literature.  Purchase the book here:English only: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMPFGPCJ English-Italian Parallel Language Edition: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0645844608For more information on Michael Curtotti: https://beyondforeignness.org Get additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 was a failure, causing almost immediate damage to the famous work. Between his inadequate innovation, the wars with Napoleon, and WWII, the Last Supper fresco has absorbed an excessive amount of damage. This discussion looks at the history of Last Supper depictions leading up to Leonardo, from the Early Christian catacombs to Byzantine mosaic.  It explores how his innovative approach to art elaborated a traditional theme, making it more in line with the ideals of Renaissance Humanism. Although the application was a grave error, the technical design of the work and rich symbolism position this work as among the most important paintings of the Renaissance. Support the show! All socials linked here: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcastGet additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 completion of this painting, the forces of the Counter-Reformation descended upon Veronese, bringing him under interrogation to explain what they deemed to be inappropriate in his art. This discussion details the painting itself along with the trial that condemned it within the greater context of the Protestant Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, and the Roman Inquisition as it manifested in Venice. All social links: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcast Support the show

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 both Aretino and Sansovino in Venice. Aretino was a famed writer, open homosexual, and merciless critic of the famed nobles of Italy. His court presence was one of high drama and unease, his pen a fearsome instrument of both mockery and flattery. Sansovino was a renowned architect, one who brings design ideals of the Roman Renaissance to the very heart of Venice. This discussion explores their joint presence as outsiders in the Venetian Lagoon who rise to prominence among the cultural elite. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/italian_renaissance_podcastGet additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show

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 insight to the brilliant mind of an upper class socialite with a complicated love life, far flung from the rigid confines of what we might expect from a Renaissance woman in a male dominated world.Looking at her life and two sonnets, this discussion elaborates her role within the larger context of the Italian literary tradition, especially through Petrarch, and how these modes and tropes can be adapted and reworked through the culture of the Venetian Renaissance. Instagram/Facebook: italian_renaissance_podcastTiktok: @italianrenaissancepodEtsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItalianRenShopGet additional content by becoming a Patron: patreon.com/TheItalianRenaissancePodcast Support the show