Virtual Rome Part II: Treasures of Art and Architecture

INTRODUCTION

We are delighted to announce a new 8-week online course this summer. Our unique, interactive classes combine LECTURES by art historian and National Gallery lecturer Siân Walters with LIVESTREAM BROADCASTED TOURS in Rome, led by art historian and guide Maria Grazia Barbieri. The course includes the world’s first ever livestream tour of the Palazzo Farnese, which is only open to the public on rare occasions and by special appointment. The course also includes a special guest lecture by the award-winning author Sarah Dunant.

FORMAT

All lectures and museum broadcasts are live and interactive, allowing you to ask questions.  Siân and all her expert colleagues are known for their informative but informal approach, combining erudite commentary with an entertaining and approachable delivery.  The lessons, streamed on Zoom Webinar, will enable you to gain special access to cultural sites whilst at the same time providing a wonderful opportunity to travel virtually from home. Our visits will also support both galleries and individuals working in the cultural sector and a percentage of the course price is reserved for supporting other cultural institutions in Rome.

CONTENT: LIVESTREAM GUIDED TOURS (BROADCAST FROM ROME) and WALKS

Our course includes a unique visit to the Palazzo Farnese in Rome where we have been granted a special privilege, allowing us to broadcast the world’s first livestream guided tour from its rooms.  The Palazzo Farnese is the French Embassy’s headquarters and therefore only open to the public by special appointment and on rare occasions. One of the world’s most magnificent Renaissance palaces, its building history involved some of the most important architects of the 16th century including Michelangelo and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger. It is particularly noted for its extraordinary frescoes by Annibale Carracci depicting The Loves of the Gods which we will have a chance to admire during the private opening of the palace.

The eternal city is a great open-air museum and the scenery and architecture of Rome is undoubtedly among the most breathtaking in the world. We will enjoy two walking tours, exploring how the city was transformed architecturally over the centuries . On the first we start at the Corte di Cassazione Palace, built when Rome became the capital of Italy, and learn about the magnificent Castel Sant’Angelo, an ancient mausoleum that became a fortress. We then walk along via della Conciliazione towards Saint Peter’s Basilica, exploring papal history and the architecture of the world’s largest church.   On our second tour we start at the ancient stadium of Domitian and then head to San Luigi dei Francesi and Piazza Sant’Eustachio where we find Borromini’s church of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza, the seat of Rome’s first university. Travel with us from the City of Emperors to the City of Popes as we learn about the most extraordinary temple transformed into a church – the Pantheon  and learn about the history of one of the most beloved churches of Rome – Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

CONTENT: LECTURES

Our lectures include Treasures of the Palazzo Barberini, a session dedicated to the great palace designed by architectural rivals Borromini and Bernini which once belonged to Pope Urban VIII.  It now contains the world-famous art collection of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica and boasts many famous masterpieces including Caravaggio’s Judith Beheading Holofernes, Guido Reni’s Portrait of Beatrice Cenci and Pietro da Cortona’s great ceiling fresco representing The Allegory of Divine Providence and Barberini Power.

There will be time spent studying Caravaggio’s followers in Rome. Caravaggio had no studio or workshop and did not travel outside Italy other than a short stay in Malta. Yet news of this radical young painter travelled fast, and in the words of one of his biographers, “the younger ones flocked to him and praise him alone as the only true imitator of nature, looking upon his works as miracles”.  This lecture looks at artists in Rome such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Gerrit van Honthorst and Jusepe de Ribera, examining to what extent they absorbed and disseminated his style.

In another lecture, entitled Churches of Rome, we take a virtual walk through the city and explore the many artistic treasures of churches such as Santa Maria in Trastevere and Sant’Ignazio, famous for its extraordinary trompe l’oeil frescoes by Andrea Pozzo. There will also be a study of Raphael in Rome, examining his rise to fame in the city from 1508 and his work for Pope Julius II. We will study a variety of his Roman projects, from the designs for the chapel in Santa Maria della Pace to the frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura and architectural projects such as the Villa Madama, learning also about the dramatic story surrounding The Transfiguration which was never completed.**

Our special guest lecture on The Sack of Rome will be given by the award-winning author Sarah Dunant whose novels, set within the Italian Renaissance, weave cutting edge historical scholarship into fast moving popular fiction. In 1527 the unthinkable happened and the city of Rome was invaded. Palaces and homes were occupied and their owners killed and tortured.  Convents and monasteries were sacked and their art and relics destroyed. A story of seismic cultural change and a voyage into the dark side of the Renaissance. This lecture brings alive an extraordinary moment of 16th-century history.

**There will be no crossover with any previous courses, lectures or livestream visits, apart from the lecture on Raphael in Rome which has been given before. All the other sessions are new, so the course can be enjoyed by those who attended Virtual Rome Part 1, as well as newcomers who are always most welcome!

PRACTICAL

Live streamed sessions are on Friday mornings and run from 11.00am – 12.45 (UK time). There is no session on 9th June (half-term). The cost includes museum entrance fees and donations.

Tune in from anywhere in the world or enjoy a recorded version if you cannot watch live. A link to the recording will be sent soon after the end of the session if you cannot attend, enabling you to watch on catch up after the session any time until Monday at midnight (UK time). Please note that recordings are only available to those who miss a live session.

You are welcome to join the course at any point however, please note that you will only be able to see the recording from the previous session if you join after the course start date.

A full course outline and reading list will be emailed to all attendees approximately one week before the first session. Students also receive an informal weekly newsletter with news, reading suggestions, recipes and website links.

Please refer to the Further Information panel below for booking details.

TESTIMONIALS

Scroll down for some comments following recent similar courses.

***

Art History in Focus is proud to have initiated the concept of online tours in many major European museums and historic sites. We are delighted to have developed these collaborations which continue to raise important funds for the galleries and cultural sites as well as those working in the cultural sector.