The Art of the Renaissance Venice

Useful online lecture from the National Gallery looking at art in Renaissance Venice.

Sian Walters gave a good overview of the main themes in art in the city as a taster for an upcoming course either in Italian cities or one of their stories of art courses. She mainly concentrated on the emergence of secular art in the city from portraits, though great city scenes and to how art was used as propaganda.

She did also touch on religious art mentioning Titian’s “Assumption of the Virgin” which I always have to go and see when I’m in the city.

I love the city and have been there often so there wasn’t a lot that was new to me in the talk but I did learn that only 5% of the lagoon is deeper than 5m which is why it is so easy to defend.

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