The Blind Eye

Most people probably recognize Michelangelo's David.  The massive, marble statue is one of the worlds most iconic pieces of artwork.  But, why?  Other than the fact that Michelangelo did an  exceptional job making a rock look remarkably like a striking young man, why is it that this statue, maybe more than any other, is such a ubiquitous representative of art in the western world?  

If you were going to create an all-star team of philosophers, who would make the cut?  What would your squad look like?  How would they interact with one another?  In the fifth episode of our podcast we take a look at Raphael's masterpiece, "The School Of Athens", which is essentially an all-star cast of Greek philosophers re-imagined for modern times.  Of course, by modern times I mean Raphael's modern times in the 1500's.  Listen as we talk about who's who among great philosophers and why it matters so much that this fresco is on a wall on the inside the Vatican.  If you'd like to interact with us, leave a comment, or go on a rant we'd love to hear it on our facebook page on on twitter @TheBlindEyePod. Thanks!

Who are Apollo and Daphne?  What's going on with Daphne's hair?  Why don't sculptors put clothing on the people in their statues?  We talk about all of this and more as we discuss Bernini, one of Italy's most renowned sculptors, and his masterpiece Apollo and Daphne.  As always, you'll wan to follow along y looking at the artwork yourself, so here's a link! 

It turns out that Botticelli's masterpiece entitled Venus and Mars is, in fact, not about a picnic on a hot day that was invaded by an unruly group of goat-children.   The famous Renaissance painter, not surprisingly, had a much deeper message and Antonella is here to help that message reach the masses.  Listen as we talk about Florence, Italy and the power of love.  Follow us and send us comments @TheBlindEyePod on twitter!  

In their second episode ever, Mike and Antonella embark on the ambitious task of explaining an entire room full of art.  The Sala Dei  Nove,  AKA the Sala Della Pace  (The Room of Peace) in Siena, Italy is literally covered in frescoes from top to bottom.  The images date back to the year 1338 and offer an immensely profound message about responsibility, human welfare, peace and how to achieve it.  The frescoes are known as The Allegory of Good and Bad Government.  700 years have passed since the artist, Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted the walls of this room but his message rings surprisingly true even today.   Antonella helps us understand some of the medieval ideas and metaphors and it becomes very clear just what a treasure this room is  for all of humanity.We encourage everyone to take a look at the The Allegory of Good and Bad Government and reflect on the current state of affairs (and of course, share our podcast with everyone!!!). 

Here it is, the first ever edition of The Blind Eye!  Our goal here is help people (including Mike, one of the co-hosts) understand some of Italy's iconic art.  In our very first episode Mike and Antonella take a look at Caravaggio's famous work La Canestra di Frutta or Basket of Fruit in English.  Mike shares his perplexities about how a seemingly simple basket of fruit could be so important and Antonella offers (patiently) some insight on the deeper metaphors and some insight into Caravaggio's hidden messages to humanity.