Activities

Both Florence and Venice were proud to call themselves Republics, whatever the reality of their political systems. Each made use of art to emphasise its claims with buildings like the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence and the Doge’s Palace in Venice designed to overwhelm the visitor. In reality, power lay with wealthy individuals whose patronage of art for their own aggrandisement was sometimes subtle, sometimes explicit. The Medici and the Strozzi in Florence, and families such as the Vendramin in Venice, filled their homes and parish churches with art to establish their status both in this world and the next. With these lectures, Chantal Brotherton Ratcliffe will explore the relationship between art, artists and patrons as she helps us understand something of the effect that the works of art were originally intended to have.

Part 1 will focus on “Public” Art

Part 2 will focus on “Private” Art