A-Level: Renaissance in Italy—Portraits in 2D or 3D in Florence + Rome + Venice

videos + essays

Titian, <em>Venus of Urbino</em>
Titian, Venus of Urbino

The female nude emerged as a genre in the Renaissance.

Botticelli, <em>Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo il Vecchio de’ Medici</em>
Botticelli, Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo il Vecchio de’ Medici

Touch an artwork? Sandro Botticelli’s Portrait of a Man with a Medal helped viewers to think about touch and physical experience.

Donatello, <em>Equestrian Monument of Gattamelata</em>
Donatello, Equestrian Monument of Gattamelata

The secrets of large-scale casting were lost for a thousand years, but bronze horses were no sweat for Donatello.

Fra Fillippo Lippi, <em>Portrait of a Man and Woman at a Casement</em>
Fra Fillippo Lippi, Portrait of a Man and Woman at a Casement

Who said beauty is skin deep? In the Renaissance, good looks and pale skin signaled interior virtue and purity.

Raphael, Portrait of Pope Julius II
Raphael, Portrait of Pope Julius II

A florin for your thoughts, Pope. As the aging patron sits musing, he clenches his teeth and grips a handkerchief.

Leonardo, <em>Mona Lisa</em>
Leonardo, Mona Lisa

Seductive—or maternal? Smiling—or just smug? Sure, we all know this woman, but we’ve yet to figure her out.