Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty

Last updated

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty
Starring Charles Dance
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Original release
Network British Broadcasting Corporation (UK)
PBS (USA)

Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty is a three-part BBC docu-drama series starring Charles Dance as Michelangelo Buonarroti.

Contents

Premise

The series looks at the atmosphere of power politics and rivalry within which some of the greatest works of art of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. [1]

Cast

Production

The three-part series is made by the BBC in collaboration with US network PBS . The series features actor Charles Dance as the artist Michelangelo. The script uses language taken directly from Michelangelo’s correspondence. Dance's part in the series was filmed in Islington, London. [2] [3] [4] The series has contributions from contemporary artists such as Antony Gormley, Alison Lapper, and David LaChapelle as well as other experts. [5]

The series has Sophie Okonedo as the narrator, and also features Eddie Mann as young Michelangelo, Jonny Glynn as Leonardo da Vinci, Joshua Duffy as Raphael with Laurent Winkler as Pope Julius II, Barnabás Réti as Ludovico Sforza, Károly Hajduk as Girolamo Savonarola and Ferenc Pataki as Lorenzo de' Medici. [6]

In October 2024, the series was acquired by Movistar+ in Spain. [7]

Broadcast

The series premiered in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2024 on BBC Two . [8]

Reception

In The Guardian Hollie Richardson called it a "classy documentary drama series". [9] Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph praised the performance of Dance as Michelangelo, describing him as "great, bringing all the gravitas and wisdom you would expect", but questioned the decision not to have speaking parts for the actors portraying Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael. [10] Dan Einav in The Financial Times favoured the documentary aspect of the series mentioning that some viewers will enjoy being "eruditely guided through some of the world’s most extraordinary paintings and sculptures by a line-up of art historians, biographers and artists". [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonardo da Vinci</span> Italian Renaissance polymath (1452–1519)

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on his achievements as a painter, he has also become known for his notebooks, in which he made drawings and notes on a variety of subjects, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, cartography, painting, and palaeontology. Leonardo is widely regarded to have been a genius who epitomised the Renaissance humanist ideal, and his collective works comprise a contribution to later generations of artists matched only by that of his younger contemporary Michelangelo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lorenzo de' Medici</span> Italian statesman and de facto ruler of Florence (1449–1492)

Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was an Italian statesman, the de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic, and the most powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Lorenzo held the balance of power within the Italic League, an alliance of states that stabilized political conditions on the Italian Peninsula for decades, and his life coincided with the mature phase of the Italian Renaissance and the golden age of Florence. As a patron, he is best known for his sponsorship of artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo. On the foreign policy front, Lorenzo manifested a clear plan to stem the territorial ambitions of Pope Sixtus IV, in the name of the balance of the Italic League of 1454. For these reasons, Lorenzo was the subject of the Pazzi conspiracy (1478), in which his brother Giuliano was assassinated. The Peace of Lodi of 1454 that he supported among the various Italian states collapsed with his death. He is buried in the Medici Chapel in Florence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelangelo</span> Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet (1475–1564)

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspired by models from classical antiquity and had a lasting influence on Western art. Michelangelo's creative abilities and mastery in a range of artistic arenas define him as an archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival and elder contemporary, Leonardo da Vinci. Given the sheer volume of surviving correspondence, sketches, and reminiscences, Michelangelo is one of the best-documented artists of the 16th century. He was lauded by contemporary biographers as the most accomplished artist of his era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Renaissance</span> Period of the most exceptional artistic production during the Italian Renaissance

In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians state that the High Renaissance started between 1490 and 1500, and ended in 1520 with the death of Raphael, although some say the High Renaissance ended about 1525, or in 1527 with the Sack of Rome by the mutinous army of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, or about 1530. The best-known exponents of painting, sculpture and architecture of the High Renaissance include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante. In the 21st century, the use of the term has been frequently criticized by some academic art historians for oversimplifying artistic developments, ignoring historical context, and focusing only on a few iconic works.

<i>The Agony and the Ecstasy</i> (novel) 1961 novel by Irving Stone

The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961) is a biographical novel of Michelangelo Buonarroti written by American author Irving Stone. Stone lived in Italy for years visiting many of the locations in Rome and Florence, worked in marble quarries, and apprenticed himself to a marble sculptor. A primary source for the novel is Michelangelo's correspondence, all 495 letters of which Stone had translated from Italian by Charles Speroni and published in 1962 as I, Michelangelo, Sculptor. Stone also collaborated with Canadian sculptor Stanley Lewis, who researched Michelangelo's carving technique and tools. The Italian government lauded Stone with several honorary awards for his cultural achievements highlighting Italian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinquecento</span> The 16th century as a period of Italian art, architecture, or literature

The cultural and artistic events of Italy during the period 1500 to 1599 are collectively referred to as the Cinquecento, from the Italian for the number 500, in turn from millecinquecento, which is Italian for the year 1500. Cinquecento encompasses the styles and events of the High Italian Renaissance, and Mannerism.

<i>Madonna of Bruges</i> Sculpture by Michelangelo

The Madonna of Bruges is a marble sculpture by Michelangelo of the Virgin and Child.

Events from the year 1504 in art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Spike</span> American art historian

John Thomas Spike is an American art historian, curator, and author, specializing in the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods. He is also a contemporary art critic and past director of the Florence Biennale.

<i>Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan</i> Painting by Raphael (1518)

Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan is a painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael. It shows the archangel Michael standing on top of Satan's back with his right foot. The painting was commissioned by Pope Leo X and has been located in the Louvre in Paris since 1667.

<i>La belle jardinière</i> Painting by Raphael

La Belle Jardinière, also known as the Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist, is a painting started by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael, and finished by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio, that depicts the Madonna, a young Christ, and a young John the Baptist. It is believed to have been commissioned by the Sienese patrician Fabrizio Sergardi in approximately 1507. It is currently displayed in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian Renaissance painting</span> Art movement

Italian Renaissance painting is the painting of the period beginning in the late 13th century and flourishing from the early 15th to late 16th centuries, occurring in the Italian Peninsula, which was at that time divided into many political states, some independent but others controlled by external powers. The painters of Renaissance Italy, although often attached to particular courts and with loyalties to particular towns, nonetheless wandered the length and breadth of Italy, often occupying a diplomatic status and disseminating artistic and philosophical ideas.

<i>The Life of Leonardo da Vinci</i> 1971 multi-national TV series or program

La Vita di Leonardo Da Vinci — in English, The Life of Leonardo da Vinci — is a 1971 Italian biographical drama miniseries created by Renato Castellani. The series is based largely on the biography of Leonardo elaborated by Giorgio Vasari in his Le vite de' più eccellenti pittori, scultori e architettori, dramatizing the life of the Italian Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), starred by Philippe Leroy. It features a number of famous historical figures from the 15th and 16th centuries have been presented in the series.

<i>Leonardos horse</i> Unfinished sculpture by Leonardo da Vinci

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<i>Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk</i> Drawing by Leonardo da Vinci

Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk is a drawing currently in the collection of the Royal Library of Turin. It is widely, though not universally, accepted as a self-portrait of the Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is thought that da Vinci drew this self-portrait at about the age of 60. The portrait has been extensively reproduced and has become an iconic representation of him as a polymath or "Renaissance man". Despite this, some historians and scholars disagree as to the true identity of the sitter.

Alessandro Vezzosi is an Italian art critic, Leonardo scholar, artist, expert on interdisciplinary studies and creative museology, he is also the author of hundreds of exhibits, publications and conferences, in Italy and abroad on Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance, contemporary art and design. Amongst others, he was the first scholar from the Armand Hammer Centre for Leonardo Studies from the University of California in Los Angeles (1981), directed by Carlo Pedretti; he taught at the University of Progetto in Reggio Emilia; and he is honorary professor at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno of Florence. He began as an artist from 1964 to 1971 winning more than 80 prizes in painting competitions. In the Seventies he was the founder of the "Archivio Leonardisimi" and of Strumenti-Memoria del Territorio; he coordinated "ArteCronaca", he was the historical-artistic consultant of the Municipality of Vinci and he collaborated on the publications on Tuscany and Leonardo, modern and contemporary art. In 1980 he curated the Centro di Documentazione Arti Visive of the Municipality of Florence.

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<i>A Season of Giants</i> 1990 television film directed by Jerry London

A Season of Giants is a 1990 American-Italian biographical drama television film directed by Jerry London. Based on the Vincenzo Labella's book Una stagione di giganti, it depicts real life events of Michelangelo, his youth, his approach with art, his friendship with Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, and his involvement in great political and religious events.

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References

  1. Thrope, Vanessa (29 September 2024). "The new Wolf Hall? Bitter rivalries in Renaissance Florence coming to BBC". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  2. Goldbart, Max (25 September 2024). "Charles Dance To Play Michelangelo In BBC-PBS Docu-Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  3. Yossman, K.J. (25 September 2024). "Charles Dance Set to Play Michelangelo in New Renaissance Series as BBC Sets Arts, Culture Slate". Variety. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  4. Billen, Andrew (18 November 2024). "Charles Dance at 78: 'I was the thinking woman's crumpet'". The Times. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  5. "Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty - Contributors and experts on the epic new drama-documentary series starring Charles Dance". bbc.com. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  6. Guyoncourt, Sally (2 December 2024). "Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty cast list and episode guide". inews. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  7. Brzoznowski, Kristin (18 October 2024). "BBC Studios Secures Presales In Spain". World Screen. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  8. "Renaissance: The Blood And The Beauty - Preview (BBC Two)". tvzoneuk. 20 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  9. Richardson, Hollie (2 December 2024). "TV tonight: Charles Dance stars as Michelangelo in a Renaissance docudrama". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  10. Singh, Anita (2 December 2024). "Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty, review: why did the BBC blow the whole budget on one actor?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  11. Einav, Dan (2 December 2024). "Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty TV review — stagy docudrama of art, rivalry and obsession". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 December 2024.