Curated Video
The Renaissance Was it a Thing - Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about the European Renaissance. European learning changed the world in the 15th and 16th century, but was it a cultural revolution, or an evolution? We'd argue that any cultural shift that occurs over a...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: Why is the Mona Lisa so famous? | Noah Charney
More than 500 years after its creation, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is arguably the world's most famous painting. Many scholars consider it an outstanding work of Renaissance art— but history is full of great paintings. So, how did...
Crash Course
Florence and the Renaissance: Crash Course European History
The Renaissance was a cultural revitalization that spread across Europe, and had repercussions across the globe, but one smallish city-state in Italy was in many ways the epicenter of the thing. Florence, or as Italians might say,...
Curated Video
Why Aren't Angels Scary Anymore?
As beings that mediate between heaven and earth, angels have been the focus of both fascination and fear for centuries. In the past, they’ve been described as fireballs, forms without substance, or massive beings that collect blood or...
Amor Sciendi
Arcimboldo's Composite Portraits
A history and analysis of Arcimbolo's composite portraits
Amor Sciendi
Allegory of Calumny: Changing the Canon of Art History
Here is our argument that Botticelli's Calumny of Apelles is the greatest example of the High Renaissance. Another example of resurrection in 15th century.
Curated Video
Michelangelo's David: Great Art Explained
"What a brilliant series this is" - Stephen Fry on Twitter 12 December 2020 "Thoroughly researched and cleverly presented, with stunning visuals, Great Art Explained makes you realise that familiarity with a work of art sometimes makes...
Amor Sciendi
St. Peter's Bascillica Explained
A history of the largest religious structure on earth: St. Peter's Bascillica
Curated Video
Caravaggio's Taking of Christ: Great Art Explained
The Taking of Christ is a painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The subject is the moment that the son of God is betrayed with a kiss, and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Caravaggio’s approach to religious art was shocking...
Curated Video
Why is the Background of the Mona Lisa Unique?
Leonardo da Vinci's understanding of the natural world and the forces that shape it influenced every aspect of his artwork, from the foreground to the background. Learn how aerial perspective and the horizon line create the illusion of...
Curated Video
Mona Lisa del Giocondo
In 1550, art historian Giorgio Vasari noted in his book on Renaissance artwork that, "Leonardo undertook to execute, for Francesco del Giocondo, the portrait of Mona Lisa, his wife." But there was dispute about Mona Lisa's true identity...
Curated Video
Mona Lisa: the Universal Portrait
Leonardo da Vinci once said that "art is never finished, just abandoned." Art, science, and the natural world were not separate subjects for da Vinci. He was a man who never stopped learning and it seems fitting that we never seem to...
Curated Video
What Technique and Materials Did da Vinci Use to Create the Mona Lisa?
Why do Mona Lisa's eyes seem to be looking at us, no matter where we stand? The answer has to do with a set of meticulous artistic choices that da Vinci used for this portrait. Learn how Leonardo da Vinci used the verdaccio, chiaroscuro,...
Curated Video
The Mona Lisa: Introduction to the Painting and the Painter
Leonardo da Vinci was a prolific artist and scientist. His intricate anatomical illustrations informed the structure of his most famous painting - the Mona Lisa. It is a painting of an ordinary woman that has inspired extraordinary...
Curated Video
Who Stole the Mona Lisa?
In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. The theft drew more attention to the portrait at the same time that photography brought copies of the image to people all around the world. This surely raised the Mona Lisa's popularity,...
Curated Video
What is Mona Lisa Wearing?
Or rather, what is she not wearing? Mona Lisa's simple clothing and lack of jewelry ensure that viewers focus on the face, rather than her clothing. How many copies were made of the Mona Lisa? Learn how Leonardo da Vinci used the...
Curated Video
Mona Lisa's Eyes and Intricacies of Her Smile
Leonardo da Vinci spent a lot of time dissecting cadavers and studying the structure of muscles in the body. He had a particular interest in how emotions are translated into expression using the facial muscles. He was also interested in...
Curated Video
Pyramid Shape Composition of the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa's stature and expression seem normal today, but were rather groundbreaking at the time. Portraits of Italian women usually depicted them in profile or looking down. Never looking at the audience as da Vinci does with Mona Lisa....
Amor Sciendi
The Flagellation of Christ: A Formal Analysis | AmorSciendi
This video is a formal analysis of the composition of Piero della Francesca’s painting The Flagellation of Christ. It moves through competing theories regarding the subject of the painting, and then does a geometric analysis of the...
Amor Sciendi
Il Duomo Explained | The Florence Cathedral | AmorSciendi
The city of Florence set a goal so ambitious that they needed to transform their city in order to accomplish it. This is the story of the Florence Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore.
Curated Video
Exploring French Optical Illusions
This video explores the fascinating world of French optical illusions, also known as Tromp L'oleil. From Renaissance paintings to stage theater set designs and even cartoons, these illusions create the appearance of three-dimensional...
Amor Sciendi
il Duomo: The Florence Cathedral Explained
The history of the Florence Cathedral is the history of the Florence Renaissance
Amor Sciendi
The Portraits of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
An explanation of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's paintings