Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, Rome would produce some of the Renaissance’s greatest masterpieces. Join Dr. Rocky for this free webinar as he explores the extraordinary art, architecture, and history of these two cities and decides which of the two shoul...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he counts down the most beautiful representations of the Annunciation theme in Italian Renaissance art. Artists such as Giotto, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Tintoretto and Titian all represented the Annunciation and contributed ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

In 1507, Pope Julius II began growing a beard as a sign of mourning when French troops occupied the papal city of Bologna. Later, Pope Clement VII grew a beard to mourn the sack of Rome in 1527. His successor, Pope Paul III, just thought it looked good. And for the next two ce...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While most people realize the Renaissance was a revival of ancient Greco-Roman culture, few realize how much Renaissance art was simply a rehashing of ancient works of art. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he examines the influence of ancient art on Renaissance masterpieces!

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While most people appreciate Michelangelo's Sistine chapel ceiling for its beauty, the ceiling is also one of the most complex iconographic programs of the Renaissance. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he examines the complex symbolism and hidden meanings of the paintings of...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Rome was the birthplace of the Baroque, so it’s no surprise that the Eternal City is home to some of the world’s most outstanding Baroque creations. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he counts down Rome’s 10 greatest Baroque monuments!

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

In 1525, the extraordinary Mannerist painter Jacopo Pontormo was commissioned to decorate the Capponi Chapel in Santa Felicita in Florence. Pontormo painted the dome and its surrounding pendentives, a side wall fresco of the “Annunciation” and an altarpiece whose beauty is bey...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Get ready for Halloween by joining Dr. Rocky as he celebrates those things “that went bump in the night” in the Italian Renaissance art. From Giotto to Botticelli to Leonardo to Michelangelo, discover the dark side of Renaissance genius!

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While Donatello is best known for his sublime bronze “David” in the Bargello Museum, his greatest innovation was the development of a technique known as “rilievo schiacciato.” The great Renaissance biographer, Giorgio Vasari wrote, “ And in this genre too Donato [ie Donatello...

As tourist season kicks off into high gear, the streets, museums, and restaurants of Florence, Italy, will be filled to the breaking point. Fortunately, there are still many beautiful places in the city that social media has not discovered. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he explores the hidde...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

No other artist in history blurred the line between art and life more than Caravaggio. Was his art so shockingly realistic and violent because he was a sociopath, or do we think he was sociopath because of his art? Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he counts down the top ten ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

In 1482, a 30-year-old Leonardo da Vinci was summoned to Milan by the city’s ruler Ludovico “the Moor” Sforza. While the primary reason was for Leonardo to realize a massive equestrian monument in honor of Ludovico’s father, Leonardo ended up producing many other masterpieces ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

American museums are home to some of Caravaggio greatest masterpieces. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he explores the paintings by Caravaggio located in museums throughout the US!

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Papal tombs became a means by which Renaissance popes could leave behind a visual testimony of their piety, power, and politics. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he surveys the greatest papal tombs of the Italian Renaissance!

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

From the worldwide media attention given to the theft and recovery of the “Mona Lisa” in 1911 and 1913 respectively, to the never-solved theft of Caravaggio’s “Nativity” in 1969 in Palermo, to the shocking theft of a Raphael and two Piero della Francesca paintings in 1975 from...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

The Italian Renaissance produced many of the world’s most beautiful depictions of women. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he explores the representation of female beauty in the works of Renaissance masters such as Giotto, Lippi, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, R...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While a majority of Italy’s most famous museums are in Florence and Rome, northern Italy is also home to some of the world’s greatest art collections. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he explores the great museums northern Italy, which contain masterpieces by, amongst others...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Twice a year, on July 2 and August 16, the Tuscan city of Siena transforms its central medieval square into an arena of unbridled fury. Ten bareback horses and their respective jockeys race three laps at breakneck speed around a dirt-covered piazza filled with fifty-thousand p...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Few legends are as remarkable as the legend of the “True Cross” - the alleged cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. Derived from wood from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, worshipped by the Queen of Sheba, preserved by King Solomon, and ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Alessandro Botticelli revolutionized the Italian art world with his introduction of mythological themes. And while his “Primavera” and iconic “Birth of Venus” are his best-known works, Botticelli produced many other mythological paintings. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where he will examine the spectacular drawings and other works of art by Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael in the two concurrent exhibitions taking place in London in 2025. From the 160 works from the royal collection on display at the King’s ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Many of history’s most famous works of art were intended to decorate altars, hence the term “altarpiece.” Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he counts down his TOP 10 altarpieces of the Italian Renaissance!

In 1495, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned to paint a “Last Supper” on the north wall of a Dominican refectory in Milan. The result was a revolutionary painting that many claim was the first work of the High Renaissance. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where he will explore and analyze Leonardo’...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Masaccio are the three artists are credited with first introducing what we today define as Renaissance art in their respective fields of sculpture, architecture, and painting. Yet, beyond their artistic prowess, these artists also shared an extraor...