ArtsVisual Arts

Exploring Art History

Ideas Roadshow

Exploring Art History is a monthly video podcast featuring seriously-entertaining conversations between Howard Burton and a spectrum of art experts, including art historians, museum directors and curators providing captivating insights into both their expertise and artistic journeys. The videos are enhanced with visuals throughout to illuminate the mysteries, discoveries and compelling new interpretations that are under discussion.
*For Howard's art essays, visit: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/
* Ideas Roadshow art films: https://ideasroadshow.com

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11 episodes
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Avg 57 min
English

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August 10 · 1 hr 19 min
Ep. 10. VASARI, RECONSIDERED: A conversation with Sally Cornelison
Art historian Sally Cornelison, Syracuse University, talks with author and filmmaker Howard Burton about the paintings and architecture of Italian Renaissance artist, author, and architect Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) that can still be found in his hometown of Arezzo. Particular emphasis is placed on the Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Pieve, where the newborn Vasari was baptized on 30 July 1511 and whose interior he renovated from 1560 until his death in 1574, when he was buried at the foot of its high altar. A chance encounter with one of Vasari's paintings inspired Sally Cornelison to rigorously reappraise many of his artistic accomplishments, culminating in her latest book Vasari and the Sacred Image: Renovating Santa Maria della Pieve in Arezzo. As always, this video podcast is richly illustrated with images of the artworks under discussion. The music in this video is licensed from Artlist. Connect with us: * Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ * Art essays on our Exploring Art History substack: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/ * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ideasroadshow.bsky.social
July 23 · 1 hr 1 min
Ep. 9. THE ART OF AI: A conversation with Carina Popovici
Carina Popovici is the founder of Art Recognition, a global leader in AI art authentication. In this wide-ranging conversation Carina talks about how the very public art forgery scandal of Wolfgang Beltracchi, who spent years successfully passing off his paintings for lost creations of famous artists, pointed her towards a way to significantly improve artistic authentication practices by harnessing rapidly evolving AI technology in combination with cutting-edge art historical scholarship. Connect with us: * Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ * Substack: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/ * Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ideasroadshow.bsky.social The music in this video is licensed from Artlist.
June 29 · 59 min
Ep. 8. MR WHISTLER'S BEAUTIFUL WORLD: A conversation with Linda Merrill
Professor Linda Merrill, Director of Undergraduate Studies in Art History at Emory University, talks about the witty, provocative “Ten O’Clock” lecture in which Whistler attacked conventional taste and asserted art’s independence from public opinion. Find out about the role Oscar Wilde played and how fashionable London society received this event. Linda Merrill has closely analyzed “Ten O’Clock” and shares thoughtful insights in how it stands as a work of art in itself, illuminating Whistler’s aesthetic philosophy while anticipating the widening divide between fine art and popular culture. This video is richly illustrated with a large variety of Whistler's artworks, including oil paintings, water colours, etchings, drawings, and more.Host: author and filmmaker Howard Burton.The music in this video is licensed from Artlist.Connect with us:Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/Substack: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/ Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ideasroadshow.bsky.social
June 15 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep. 7. BODILY INSIGHTS: A conversation with Jill Burke
Jill Burke, Professor of Renaissance Visual and Material Cultures at The University of Edinburgh, discusses her extensive research on the development of the nude in the Italian Renaissance from both an art-historical and a socio-cultural perspective. Find out about how many artists of the time found men more beautiful and proportional to model for them than women and how that affected the art we admire today. The conversation also examines changing beauty standards for women during the Renaissance related to the newly fashionable statues from Antiquity. This video podcast is illustrated with many images to highlight the wide range of artworks under discussion. Host: author and filmmaker Howard Burton. * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/. Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this podcast is licensed from Artlist.
June 1 · 59 min
Ep. 6. INVESTIGATING ANCIENT ARCHAEOLOGY - A conversation with Samuel Holzman
Ancient Greek architectural historian Sam Holzman, Princeton University, discusses his personal journey through the world of ancient Greek architecture and the many wonderful experiences it offers him while also presenting him with lots of challenges. This conversation provides you with captivating details of the numerous architectural details hiding in plain sight – from 'bilingual' capitals of Ionic columns, to curiously angled stones to aesthetically compelling restoration efforts – from which we can discover a wealth of information about marvellous ancient buildings and the many dedicated individuals who made them. The conversation also provides behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of Holzman's recent book, Retrospective Columns: Ionic Capitals and Perceptions of the Past in Greek Architecture (PUP), which offers an innovative study of how and why ancient Greek builders sometimes combined older and contemporary carving styles when making capitals. Host: author and filmmaker Howard Burton. * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/. Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this podcast is licensed from Artlist.
May 18 · 59 min
Ep. 5. VISUAL LITERACY - A History of Illustration: A conversation with D.B. Dowd
Illustrator, writer and scholar D.B. Dowd, Washington University, discusses fascinating aspects of the historical development of illustration as an integral part of the reading experience, often serving to visualize, enhance, or respond to a text. This richly illustrated conversation begins with an examination of relief prints and woodcuts in ancient China and Japan before moving to printing and platemaking in early modern Europe, followed by an exploration of the role of illustration linked to more recent developments such as the illustrated news, recreational reading, ad-driven consumer culture, advertising, social media and propaganda based on Dowd's recent book Reading Pictures: A History of Illustration. *Host: Howard Burton Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:36 D.B Dowd's motivations and unique perspective to write a history of illustration 19:50 Illustrations in Japan and China, colonialism and mixed moments across history 25:29 Caricaturists, Charles Dickens and Robert Seymour 38:25 Belle Époque posters, Japanese prints, movable type and xylography 42:46 Japan opens up to the West, Japonisme and its effect on French illustrations 47:27 Late 19th-century racial stereotyping, Darwin and pseudoscience 53:07 Making illustrations more visible while examining the harm that illustration has caused * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/. Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this podcast is licensed from Artlist.
May 4 · 52 min
Ep 4. MICHELANGELO: Contemporary Artistic Impact - A conversation with Bill Wallace, Part 2
Renaissance artist Michelangelo was both influenced by, and strongly influenced, other great artists from his contemporary world. In this illustrated video podcast Michelangelo scholar Bill Wallace, Washington University in St. Louis, discusses his research on the artistic relationship between Michelangelo and the great Venetian master Titian and how we can use the power of imagination in combination with art historical knowledge to understand the artists' time. You'll also learn about the different colourists - Pontormo, da Volterra, Venusti - that Michelangelo worked with, his collaboration with Del Piombo, Titian's daughter Lavinia who was a great artist herself, Vasari's divergent descriptions of Michelangelo and Titian in his Lives of Artists and more. Host: Howard Burton Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Michelangelo's The Fall and Titian's The Jealous Husband 8:20 Michelangelo's Rebellious Slave and Titian's St. Sebastian 9:58 The power of informed imagination to understand an artist's time 14:52 Documentary evidence on Michelangelo's encounters with Titian and his art 19:37 Michelangelo's use of influences to create radically original art 28:05 The effects of the collaboration between Michelangelo and Del Piombo 31:40 Colourist collaborators of Michelangelo: Pontormo, da Volterra, Venusti 37:45 Michelangelo's influences on Titian 39:44 Vasari's Lives of Artists and Titian's Judith and Holofernes 43:22 Titian's daughter and painter Lavinia and attribution 46:16 It's too bad Venetians never learned how to draw * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/. Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this podcast is licensed from Artlist.
April 28 · 1 min
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April 20 · 1 hr 4 min
Ep. 3 MICHELANGELO: The Making of Art - A conversation with Bill Wallace, Part 1
In this illustrated video podcast Michelangelo scholar Bill Wallace, Washington University in St. Louis, discusses fascinating and often surprising aspects of how Michelangelo created his masterpieces and the materials he used. Being an internationally recognized authority on Michelangelo, Bill Wallace is able to break down the many stereotypes that exist and provide us with a deep sense of Michelangelo's world and art. Find out about Michelangelo's inexplicable, genius ability to master different techniques and the methods he used to create his drawings, frescoes, sculptures, including his non finito or unfinished works, architectural designs and buildings plus the wide variety of challenges he faced and overcame. Host: author and filmmaker Howard Burton. CHAPTERS: 0:00 Introduction 1:28 From the Louvre to visits to Italy, Wallace's journey to become a Michelangelo expert 4:16 Breaking down stereotypes about Michelangelo 7:25 The difficulties of carving marble to explain Michelangelo's unfinished, non finito works 8:58 Unfinished, non finito art by Michelangelo and stereotypes created by scholarly literature 12:34 Visiting Michelangelo's quarry in Carrara and the story of his work in the quarries 19:23 Drawings made in companionship, his creative process and attribution 27:38 Frescoes: from spending a minor time in Ghirlandaio's to painting the Sistine ceiling 33:40 The aspiration to lift the labouring process of making sculptures into sublime art 40:21 God's Architect: Michelangelo and the complexity of building Saint Peter's Basilica 52:44 The function and misunderstandings about architectural models in the Renaissance 1:01:18 Michelangelo's difficulties and courage in dealing with design errors as a professional builder * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/ * Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this video is licensed from Artlist.
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April 6 · 1 hr 2 min
Ep. 2. THE ART OF MAPS: A history of Rome in maps - A conversation with Jessica Maier
In this illustrated video podcast art historian Jessica Maier, Mount Holyoke College, talks passionately about her extensive research into the history of Rome through the eyes of mapmakers and artists who have reimagined, reconstructed, and represented Rome and its landmarks over the course of the past three millennia, as The Eternal City changed on the ground.Host: author and filmmaker Howard Burton. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:21 From an antique map store to an academic career in maps 6:30 Flexible membership to the map historian's club 12:56 Alberti's synthesizing treatises on maps in the 15th century 15:39 Detective work to reconstruct Francesco Rosselli's maps 22:21 The Bufalini map of Rome, a hybrid of science and imagination 29:39 Renaissance fashion of mapping past and present together 36:33 A close look at Nolli's satellite-like map and the art framing it 40:35 Vasi's panoramic-style Prospetto map and the stories it tells 47:04 Piranesi's representations of Rome and the Forma Urbis Romae 51:19 Surprising new interpretations of maps and the process of discovery 55:26 Maps as communication tools for news * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/ * Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this video is licensed from Artlist.
March 30 · 1 hr 6 min
Ep. 1. ALBRECHT DÜRER: Islamic themes in Dürer's prints - A conversation with Susan Dackerman, UCLA
In this illustrated video podcast UCLA print specialist Susan Dackerman and host Howard Burton discuss Dürer's most enigmatic print projects - The Sea Monster, The Knots, and Landscape with Cannon - which all feature Muslim subjects, figures and artifacts. Rather than looking through the mirror of conflict and war, Dackerman places those artworks within a broader historical context that reflects Dürer's astute knowledge of the productive collaborations between Christendom and Islam, from the artistic and commercial to the ideological and political. Dackerman's research is captured in her compelling book Dürer's Knots (2024, Princeton University Press). Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:28 Dürer's depictions of Muslim figures and decorations in his prints. 4:28 The Ottoman siege of Constantinople and Gutenberg’s printing. 7:26 The Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Mamluk Sultanate. 9:04 Exchanges between 15th-16th century Venice and Nuremberg. 11:50 Looking at a broader historical context during war and conflict. 17:31 Dürer's The Sea Monster and the Queen of Cyprus Caterina Cornaro. 32:07 Unraveling Dürer''s Knots.37:58 A comparison between Dürer's knots and Leonardo da Vinci's knots. 41:44 A re-interpretation of Dürer's Large Landscape with Canon. 57:37 The reception of Dackerman's new readings of Dürer's prints. * For essays about art by Howard Burton, visit our Exploring Art History blog: https://ideasroadshow.substack.com/ * Website: https://ideasroadshow.com/ The music in this video is licensed from Artlist.

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