Overview of Course No. 7140: The Renaissance in Italy

The Renaissance is a pivotal era in art history, renowned for its remarkable achievements and profound influence on Western culture. This course delves into the artistic developments during the Early and High Renaissance in Italy, spanning from approximately 1400 to 1520. Through 36 engaging lectures, students will explore the works of over 40 influential artists, including Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, with insightful commentary from Professor Kloss.

Course Structure

1. Italy and the Renaissance

This lecture examines the features of late medieval culture in Italy that paved the way for the Renaissance. In painting, Giotto di Bondone evolved a proto-Renaissance style in contrast to the prevailing late-Gothic style.

Duration: 32 min

2. From Gothic to Renaissance

Around 1400, a European-wide style known as International Gothic flourished in Italy. Artists including Lorenzo Monaco and Gentile da Fabriano retained this style, while others, such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, developed a new style that we call Renaissance.

Duration: 30 min

3. Brunelleschi and Ghiberti in Florence

Architecture is central to understanding the birth of the Renaissance, and it was in Florence that the first great buildings of the Renaissance were constructed. This lecture looks at the buildings of Filippo Brunelleschi and the famous bronze doors of Lorenzo Ghiberti.

Duration: 30 min

4. Donatello and Luca della Robbia

The most influential visual artist in Italy in the 15th century was Donatello. This lecture traces his work until he moved to Padua in 1443, alongside Luca della Robbia, whose superb choir gallery for the Florence Cathedral is in direct competition with Donatello’s choir gallery for the same church.

Duration: 29 min

5. Masaccio

The first of two lectures on Masaccio examines his Pisa Altarpiece and his monumental fresco The Trinity, focusing on his introduction of one-point perspective.

Duration: 30 min

6. Masaccio – The Brancacci Chapel

This lecture looks at Masaccio’s principal frescoes for the Brancacci Chapel, emphasizing their melding of style and narrative content.

Duration: 31 min

7. Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi

Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi were the most important painters in Florence after the death of Masaccio. Fra Angelico switched between a late medieval style and a more realistic Renaissance manner, while Fra Filippo Lippi’s paintings combine charm and inward quietness.

Duration: 31 min

8. Three Specialists

This lecture examines paintings by three contrasting artists in Florence: Paolo Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, and Domenico Veneziano, each contributing unique perspectives to the art of the time.

Duration: 29 min

9. Donatello and Padua

Continuing the career of Donatello, this lecture covers his move to Padua to work on a bronze equestrian statue, Gattamelata, and his other Paduan works.

Duration: 31 min

10. Piero della Francesca – Individual Works

The first of two lectures on Piero della Francesca explores works painted between about 1445 and 1470, including his Baptism of Christ and the famous Resurrection.

Duration: 30 min

11. Piero della Francesca – Legend of the True Cross

This lecture covers Piero’s great fresco cycle, The Legend of the True Cross, depicting the story of Jesus’ cross from its origin to its rediscovery by Saint Helena.

Duration: 28 min

12. Pageant of Life in Renaissance Florence

Benozzo Gozzoli and Domenico Ghirlandaio incorporated the civic life of Florence into their narrative paintings, continuing the Renaissance exploration of pictorial space.

Duration: 31 min

13. The Heroic Nude

This lecture considers two artists of the male nude: Antonio del Pollaiuolo and Luca Signorelli, examining their contrasting approaches to depicting the human form.

Duration: 31 min

14. Sculpture Small and Large

This lecture looks at four important sculptors and their contributions to Renaissance art: Antonio Pisanello, Francesco di Giorgio, Antonio Rossellino, and Andrea del Verrocchio.

Duration: 27 min

15. Botticelli – Spirituality and Sensuality

The first of two lectures on Sandro Botticelli focuses on the Birth of Venus and Primavera, two of the most discussed paintings in Renaissance art.

Duration: 30 min

16. Botticelli and the Trouble in Italy

In his later career, Botticelli produced works such as the disquieting Calumny of Apelles, reflecting the influence of the Puritanical preacher Savonarola.

Duration: 32 min

17. Filippino Lippi

Filippino Lippi, son of Fra Filippo Lippi, completed the fresco cycle in the Brancacci Chapel left unfinished by Masaccio, noted for his poetic softness and melancholy.

Duration: 31 min

18. Leonardo da Vinci – Portraits and Altarpieces

Two lectures are devoted to Leonardo da Vinci, covering his major works including Ginevra de’ Benci, the unfinished Adoration of the Magi, and the Mona Lisa.

Duration: 32 min

19. Leonardo da Vinci – The Last Supper

This lecture sketches the history of Leonardo’s The Last Supper, contrasting it with other representations of the subject.

Duration: 31 min

20. Michelangelo – Florentine Works

The first of three lectures on Michelangelo covers his early career, featuring sculptures like Bacchus, the Pieta, and David.

Duration: 30 min

21. Michelangelo – Roman Projects

In the early 1500s, Michelangelo was summoned to Rome to design a massive papal tomb, creating some of his greatest figures, including Moses.

Duration: 31 min

22. Michelangelo – The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Professor Kloss discusses the symbolic and theological story in the ceiling frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, showcasing Michelangelo’s unparalleled inventiveness.

Duration: 30 min

23. Raphael – Madonnas and Portraits

The first of two lectures on Raphael studies his interpretations of the Madonna and Child theme, as well as his superb portraiture.

Duration: 31 min

24. Raphael – History Paintings

Raphael was a master of grand narrative painting, with monumental frescoes for the papal stanzae, including the School of Athens.

Duration: 32 min

25. Urbino – Microcosm of Renaissance Civilization

This lecture explores Urbino’s palace-fortress, focusing on the Studiolo, one of the most famous rooms of the Renaissance.

Duration: 30 min

26. Andrea Mantegna in Padua and Mantua

The course moves to Northern Italy, discussing Andrea Mantegna’s individualistic style and his notable works.

Duration: 31 min

27. Venice – Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance

The first of eight lectures on Venice surveys its setting and history, focusing on its architectural marvels.

Duration: 32 min

28. Celebrating the Living City

Vittore Carpaccio and Gentile Bellini celebrated Venice’s beauty in their works, showcasing the city’s virtues.

Duration: 30 min

29. Giovanni Bellini – The Early Years

The first of three lectures on Giovanni Bellini studies his Madonnas and moving images of the Pieta.

Duration: 30 min

30. Antonello da Messina and Giovanni Bellini

This lecture traces the influence of Antonello da Messina on Bellini, exploring their significant works.

Duration: 30 min

31. Giovanni Bellini – The Late Years

This lecture explores Bellini’s serene style in his later years, highlighting his notable paintings.

Duration: 31 min

32. Giorgione

Giorgione’s masterful use of oils and ambiguous subject matter has made him one of the most admired artists of his age.

Duration: 30 min

33. Giorgione or Titian?

This lecture explores the question of attribution regarding several paintings left unfinished by Giorgione.

Duration: 28 min

34. Titian – The Early Years

Titian’s influence has reverberated through art history; this lecture examines eight of his masterpieces.

Duration: 31 min

35. A Culture in Crisis

This summary lecture compares works from the Early and High Renaissance, reflecting the political turmoil of the period.

Duration: 28 min

36. The Renaissance Reformed

The Renaissance was succeeded by Mannerism, illustrated by Parmigianino’s distorted Madonna of the Long Neck, with a final look at interpretations of The Last Supper.

Duration: 32 min