Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Architectural theory abounded in the Renaissance. And the Holy Grail of Renaissance architecture was the creation of an “Ideal City.” Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where he will examine the quest for an ideal city in both painting and architecture by various artists througho...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While the Renaissance began in Florence around the year 1400, it did not begin in Venice and Rome until around 1500. But once it did, these two cities rapidly sought to surpass Florence as cultural capitals. While the popes sought to lure Italy’s most celebrated artists, such ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

According to tradition, it was Cosimo “the Elder” de’ Medici who coined the expression “Ogni pittore dipinge sè.” (Every artist paints himself.) This practice has been labeled “automimesis,” literally meaning “self-imitation,” and refers to an artist who creates himself involu...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

After escaping his prison cell in Malta where he had been arrested for assaulting one of his superiors, Caravaggio fled to Sicily. There he produced some of his most hauntingly beautiful paintings. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar, where he will examine Caravaggio’s Sicilian pa...

"Of the People, by the People, for the People": Lorenzetti's "Allegory of Good and Bad Government" in Siena
Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s frescoes in Siena’s medieval “Oval Office” – the Room of the Nine in the Palazzo Pubblico – clearly spell out the recipe for and the consequences o...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Michelangelo’s extraordinary artistic career owes much to the Medici family. From his early days when he was invited to live in the Medici Palace by Lorenzo “il Magnifico,” to his magnificent commissions for the Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII, it is impossible to think abo...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

There were so many great sculptors active during the Italian Renaissance, such as Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini – just to name a few. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he counts down his list of the 10 greatest sculptors that defined this period of unparalleled artisti...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Sculptural doors were one of the highest expressions of beauty in the Renaissance. Artists such as Nicola Pisano, Andrea Pisano, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Donatello, Jacopo della Quercia, and Filarete all produced stunning examples of relief sculpture for the doors of some of Italy’s...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where he will explore the great ancient monuments of Italy. From the Pantheon and Colosseum in Rome to the great temples, amphitheaters, and triumphal arches of the rest of Italy, discover how many great ancient treasures Italy has to offer.

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

The emergence of large-scale narrative paintings in late 15th-century Venice was a conscious response to contemporary fresco cycles by central Italian painters in Florence and Rome. The two most-sought-after pictorial storytellers of Renaissance Venice were Gentile Bellini and...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Michelangelo spent about half his life in his native city of Florence, where he produced some of his greatest artistic masterpieces. And while he considered himself a Florentine, his relationship with Florence was often love-hate. Join Dr. Rocky as he explores Michelangelo’s r...

The Sistine Chapel of Orvieto: Luca Signorelli's Frescoes in the San Brizio Chapel

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

On his many trips to Rome, Michelangelo often stopped in the Umbrian town of Orvieto, which is located about halfway between Florence and Rome. There in the San Brizio Chapel in Orvieto Cathed...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

In the first half of the 14th century, Siena was Florence’s main political, economic, and artistic rival. Sienese painters such as Duccio, Simone Martini, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti were members of one of Europe’s most important schools of painting. Join Dr. Rocky for thi...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Ancient Rome was a city without equal. To immortalize themselves and their legacies, Roman emperors commissioned the construction of some of history’s greatest monuments. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he counts down the greatest ancient monuments of the Eternal City.

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Each year the number of visitors to Florence, Italy, increases dramatically. And while museums such as the Uffizi and Accademia Galleries are unbearably crowded, many of the city’s greatest artistic treasures actually go unseen. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he takes you ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

No other museum in the world possesses as many paintings by the great Caravaggio as the Borghese Gallery in Rome, Italy. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where he will explore the amazing collection of masterpieces from the early, middle, and late career of the volatile Baroque...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

With the deaths of Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael in 1519 and 1520 respectively, Michelangelo soon became the predominate artist of 16th-century Europe. Yet, there were many talented young artists in Italy who were trying to make a name for themselves. Andrea del Sarto, Jacopo ...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

While usually celebrated for its lofty beauty, Italian Renaissance art also often incorporates light-hearted and comic motifs. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar where he will examine the humorous side of the Italian Renaissance.

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

No building better represents the role of finance in the Renaissance better than Orsanmichele in Florence, Italy. The grain market-turned-church was taken over by the city’s guilds who used art to show the world their wealth and power. Join Dr. Rocky as he explores the role of...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar and get into the holiday spirit by counting down the top 10 most beautiful representations of the “Nativity” by Italian Renaissance artists.

In the second half of the 15th Century, Italian Renaissance artists moved beyond mere stylistic imitation of Greco-Roman Antiquity. With the rediscovery of Classical literature, a whole new world of iconography appeared involving the myths and deities of the ancients. Many of the most iconic work...

Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

In 1504, three of history’s greatest artists were all in Florence at the same time – Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Few moments in history are more compelling. Join Dr. Rocky for this webinar as he examines this magical moment in human history when the stars aligned in F...