The rise and fall of the Italian Renaissance

We will chart the course of the Italian Renaissance, beginning with its medieval origins, the works of the early Renaissance masters and the training and workshop practises. Each week will highlight one of these different areas along with individual lessons dedicated to the work of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, Titian and others.
The course will also venture outside of Florence to look at the Renaissance in Siena, Pisa and Rome. Emphasis will also be put on the media they chose, such as chalk, charcoal, silverpoint and painting methods. This will be achieved by looking at artists’ early careers and influences, including their training and working methods, and the stylistic similarities or differences in their works. Finally, we will look at the lives and works of these great Renaissance masters through the historical and social context in which they worked.