The Renaissance Times

Jan 07 2022 688

The Renaissance Times Podcast artwork

Starting in Florence in the 14th century, a new era began to emerge in the West. People like Petrarch, who re-discovered Cicero’s lost letters, and the new humanists - who valued the study of classical antiquity - ushered in a rebirth, or as we know it today, a “renaissance" - in the study of the arts, the sciences, philosophy, and the theatre. They rediscovered what it meant to be human.

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#138 – Toby Lester, Da Vinci’s Ghost – Leonardo da Vinci Part 27

Jan 07 2022 59 mins

Our guest today, Toby Lester, has worked as a refugee affairs officer for the United Nations, helped with programmes in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, undertaken Peace Corps work in Yemen. He has written also extensively for national publications, including the Smithsonian, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The American Scholar, The Wilson Quarterly, BBC Magaz

#136 – Julia & The Vatican

Dec 10 2021 78 mins

Taking a short break from Leonardo, our guest today is Julia Charity, an official Vatican tour guide! Julia, who originally hails from the UK, tells us how she ended up as a Vatican tour guide and about some of her favourite art on display in the Pope’s fortress, including “The Last Judgment” by Michelangelo, the “Transfiguration” by her “Renaiss

#120 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 13 – Curtis Wong

Apr 29 2021 71 mins

Curtis Wong has had an incredible career. He has produced critically acclaimed educational CD-ROMs at Corbis and the Voyager Co., as well as the definitive editions of feature films for the Criterion Collection. He ran the Content Group at Intel, and was granted many patents at Microsoft Research. Today he joins us to tell some stories from his career, including his groundbreaking

#118 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 11 – Matthew Landrus

Mar 31 2021 76 mins

We chat with one of the world’s leading authorities on Leonardo da Vinci – Matthew Landrus from Oxford University, author of Leonardo da Vinci’s Giant Crossbow.

Where are rest of the episodes?

Dec 31 2020 1 mins

If you’re wondering “where are rest of the episodes?”, they are on our website as part of our membership program.

#111 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 4 – Manscaping Jesus

Dec 23 2020 61 mins

Leonardo’s earliest surviving work of art is a landscape sketch of Vinci in his notebook dating from 1473 when he was 21 years old. The earliest surviving painting is BAPTISM OF CHRIST, a collaboration with his old master, Verrocchio (as seen in Marketing The Messiah). On this episode, we go deep on both works of art, looking at what made Leonardo da Vinci different from his co

#110 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 3 – Frankenstein’s Monster

Dec 12 2020 63 mins

Leonardo’s first known artwork is a Frankenstein monster and he invents sfumato.

#109 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 2 – Back And To The Left

Nov 26 2020 53 mins

We examine Leonardo’s writing style, and his apprenticeship at age 14 to Andrea del Verrocchio, an Italian painter, sculptor, and goldsmith, because even geniuses need a master to learn from (despite what The Queen’s Gambit would have you believe).

#108 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 1 – A Complete Bastard

Nov 17 2020 51 mins

“Extraordinary power … conjoined with remarkable facility, a mind of regal boldness and magnanimous daring.” That’s how Vasari described Leonardo da Vinci. But how much do we really know about the world’s most famous artist? And how much of what we think we know is myth?

#107 – Savonarola Part 14 – Savonarola Burns

Oct 29 2020 50 mins

Savonarola was notified that he and his closest colleagues had been condemned to die. His most ardent believers had faith that the Lord would save him at the last minute, but, yet again, God didn’t show up for work. At 1pm, May 23, 1498, they were degraded then burned in the Piazza della Signoria. And now Florence needs to get its shit together. Do they bring back the Medici?