The Lives Of The Artists

#35. The Life Of Botticelli ~ The Downfall, Savonarola And The Apocalypse Of 1500 (Part 2)

Sandro Botticelli was born in Florence around 1445 and rose to prominence under the patronage of the powerful Medici family, especially Lorenzo de’ Medici. In their cultured circle he painted refined mythological works like Primnavera and The Birth of Venus, images that defined the elegance of the Florentine Renaissance. But after Lorenzo’s death in 1492, Florence changed. The fiery preacher Girolamo Savonarola denounced luxury and pagan art, predicting divine punishment and even an apocalyptic turning point around 1500. Botticelli fell under his influence; his later paintings grew darker, more religious, and stripped of classical sensuality. When Savonarola was executed in 1498, the spiritual fervour collapsed, and so did Botticelli’s standing. Tastes shifted, new masters like Leonardo and Michelangelo dominated, and Botticelli died in 1510 relatively poor and largely forgotten, his earlier brilliance eclipsed by the very religious zeal he had embraced.

#34. The Life Of Botticelli ~ The Rise, The Medici And The Renaissance (Part 1)

Sandro Botticelli was born in Florence around 1445 and rose to prominence under the patronage of the powerful Medici family, especially Lorenzo de’ Medici. In their cultured circle he painted refined mythological works like Primavera and The Birth of Venus, images that defined the elegance of the Florentine Renaissance. But after Lorenzo’s death in 1492, Florence changed. The fiery preacher Girolamo Savonarola denounced luxury and pagan art, predicting divine punishment and even an apocalyptic turning point around 1500. Botticelli fell under his influence; his later paintings grew darker, more religious, and stripped of classical sensuality. When Savonarola was executed in 1498, the spiritual fervour collapsed, and so did Botticelli’s standing. Tastes shifted, new masters like Leonardo and Michelangelo dominated, and Botticelli died in 1510 relatively poor and largely forgotten, his earlier brilliance eclipsed by the very religious zeal he had embraced.

#33. Richard Kitson ~ Portrait & Figurative Artist From Yorkshire

Richard Kitson is a portrait and figurative artist based in South Yorkshire. His work has been featured in prestigious exhibitions, including the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery, London, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize, Figurative Art Now, and the Cork Street Open. Kitson has exhibited across the UK and internationally and was a participant in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2018. His paintings are held in a variety of public and private collections, and he continues to offer portrait commissions and workshops.

#32. The History Of Oil Painting & Portrait Painting ~ Live At The Chapel In Bruton

From ancient Greece to Picasso ~ in this talk I present a grand overview of the history and origins of oil painting in the Low Countries, the regions in Europe that the technique really took hold, all the way through to the British landscape artists impact and ultimate influence of French Impressionism to Picasso and the birth of modern art.
Special thanks to The Chapel in Bruton for putting on such a wonderful evening with a great turn out from a hugely generous and enthusiastic audience 🙏

#31. Armando Cabba ~ Contemporary Figurative & Erotic Artist Based In Paris

Armando Cabba is a Paris-based Canadian artist whose work bridges portraiture and abstraction, known especially for richly coloured, figurative paintings that explore the emotional and psychological presence of his subjects with close attention to detail and nuance. Born in Montreal, he studied fine art at Concordia University and briefly at the Florence Academy of Art before working independently in Italy and eventually settling in Paris, where he now creates and exhibits his work, which has entered private collections across Europe and North America. His practice often emphasises the intimate relationship between artist and sitter and engages contemporary themes, including body positivity and social commentary, while maintaining a strong technical grounding in realism.

#30. The Genius Of John Singer Sargent ~ Live With Art Historian Paola Vojnovic

John Singer Sargent was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Belle Époque and Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolours, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. In this episode of 'The Lives Of The Artists' podcast I go live with eminent art historian Paola Vojnovic and we discuss his life and work.

#29. Dr Ben Street ~ Worlds Leading Expert On The Life & Work Of Philip Guston

Dr Ben Street is an art historian and educator based in London. He received his PhD in 2024 from the University of East Anglia. His research is on Philip Guston’s late paintings and their engagement with historical Italian art. Ben is also the author of numerous books including How to Enjoy Art: A Guide for Everyone (Yale, 2021), the award-winning children’s book How to Be an Art Rebel (Thames & Hudson, 2021), which has been translated into five languages, and 200 Words to Help You Talk about Art (Lawrence King, 2020). He writes for Gagosian Quarterly, Apollo, the Times Literary Supplement and Art Review and is a contributing writer to many museums and gallery publications. He is a lecturer and tutor for several museums and universities. These include the University of Oxford, the University of East Anglia, the University of East London, the National Gallery, Tate, the Royal Academy, Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Wallace Collection.

#28. Turner & Constable ~ With Director Of The Florence Academy Tom Richards

The Tate Britain exhibition 'Turner & Constable: Rivals and Originals' offers a landmark overview of Britain's two greatest landscape painters, exploring their parallel careers, contrasting personalities, and intense rivalry through over 170 works, marking their 250th birth anniversaries (Turner in 2025, Constable in 2026). The exhibition showcases masterpieces and rarely seen personal items, revealing how their different approaches to landscape. Turner's "poetry" versus Constable's "truth" which challenged art conventions and left a lasting legacy, with works often displayed side-by-side as they were in their own time.
In this episode of 'The Lives Of The Artists' podcast, Director of The Florence Academy, Artist and Art Historian and I discuss these two titans of British art. Their lives, careers, work, how they fit into the greater story of art history and defined British landscape painting still to this day.

#27. James Hayes ~ The Life Of An Artist Inside The Famous Talgarth Road Studios

James Hayes is an acclaimed portrait painter who lives and works in St Paul’s Studios on Talgarth Road in London which are a distinctive row of late-Victorian Arts & Crafts-style live-work houses built in 1891 by architect Frederick Wheeler with huge north-facing windows to give painters and other artists superb natural light, and they quickly became a celebrated enclave for creative figures in west London. Painting exclusively from life, Hayes's approach relies heavily upon the mastery of natural light, an adept eye for composition and the preparation of his own pigments and canvases.

#26. Charlie Hall ~ Director Of John Hall Venice

John Hall is a passionate arts educator, lecturer and guide, based in London and Italy. Director of the John Hall Venice Course, tour leader for Kirker Holidays and of independent tours in Italy. Designer and host of a series of art talks and events for the Soho House group of private member's clubs.