How Renaissance Art was made

With Dr Alan Pascuzzi, professional artist, Renaissance art historian, and author

SILVERPOINT

Silverpoint was the most common drawing tool in the 1400s up to the early 1500s. Artists such as Leonardo, Botticelli and Raphael used silverpoint - literally a silver stylus - to produce some of the most beautiful drawings of the Renaissance. This talk will explore the historical beginnings of silverpoint from the Greeks and Romans up to the Renaissance, how artists prepared their silver stylus and specially prepared paper and how it was used in the creative process.

FRESCO PAINTING

Some of the most important works of Renaissance art, such as the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo, were done in fresco - the painting on damp plaster with water-based pigments. This talk will explore the historical background of fresco from pre-historic times up to the Renaissance and reveal the complex chemistry, general techniques and difficulties involved in making frescoes.

BRONZE CASTING

Renaissance sculptors revived the ancient technique of bronze casting that had been mastered by the Etruscans, Greeks and Romans. This talk will explore the techniques used by Renaissance craftsmen such as Donatello and Benvenuto Cellini to produce their most important works in bronze. Each step of the process will be illustrated through images of a recent bronze commission done for the city of Florence to give an inside look at the creation of the original work in clay, making of moulds, making of the wax positive, and finally casting the final work in bronze.

BOOKING

The event will take place online on Zoom and a link to join the event will be shared in advance by email.

Booking is essential and tickets are £21 for the entire course.