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Essays
Discover Charlotte’s insights on art history and history, from quick digestible summaries to in-depth scholarly explorations.
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Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, part 1: Let’s Rethink This Piece. Pretty Please.
This essay examines Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, highlighting its significance in popular culture and art history. It criticises superficial…
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Mona Lisa is not Mysterious or Enigmatic, part 4: Let’s Talk about Mona Lisa Finally!
The Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the early 1500s, showcases his mastery in creating depth and humanity…
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Mona Lisa is not Mysterious or Enigmatic, part 3: Portraiture in the Middle Ages and Early Renaissance
The text explores the emergence of Humanism during the medieval-Renaissance period, highlighting the influence of Antiquity on intellectual creativity. It…
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Medieval Burial Practices and the Concept of Purgatory
Caroline Bruzelius’s research reveals that the design of medieval churches was influenced by burial practices and theological beliefs, particularly the…
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Mona Lisa is not Mysterious or Enigmatic, Part 2: Medieval Stylistic Shifts
In the previous post [Part 1], I discussed how the late Middle Ages witnessed a stylistic shift in Christian art…
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Mona Lisa Is Not Mysterious or Enigmatic, Part 1: She’s Just Uncanny Valley
The content explores the significance of portraiture, particularly through the example of the Mona Lisa. It outlines the historical context…
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The Mendicant Orders in Edinburgh
Who Were the Mendicant Orders? The Mendicant orders spread from southern Europe north of the Alps and spread in popularity…
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Michelangelo’s David, Part 4: Now Let’s Talk about Michelangelo’s David
Michelangelo’s statue of David, a monumental 17-foot sculpture, depicts the biblical hero before his battle with Goliath. Unlike previous versions,…
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Michelangelo’s David, Part 3: David as a Florentine Cultural Symbol
Michelangelo created a powerful, kinetic rendition of David that even manages to tell some of the narrative.
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Michelangelo’s David, Part 2: Early Renaissance Works
In the early 15th century, artists like Ghiberti and Nanni di Banco infused naturalism and classicism into religious works, reflecting…
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Michelangelo’s David, Part 1: Understanding the Intellectual Origins of the Renaissance
Florence’s medieval history showcases its resilience against powerful enemies, relying on wealth for mercenary armies. As a republic, it fostered…
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History of Florence, Part 4: Savonarola and the Late Renaissance
The final essay examines the unstable final decades of Florentine republican life. It follows the decline of Medici prestige, the…
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History of Florence, Part 3: Renaissance Florence and the Rise of the Medici
This essay explores Florence during the fifteenth century, when the city became a major centre of humanist learning, artistic innovation,…
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History of Florence, Part 2: High Medieval History
Part 2 turns to Florence’s emergence as a powerful commune and rising commercial centre during the High Middle Ages. It…
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History of Florence, Part 1: Antiquity and Early Middle Ages
This opening essay explores the earliest phases of Florentine history, beginning with the Etruscan and Roman background of the region…
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Illuminating Books: What Are Illuminated Manuscripts?
In the Middle Ages, books were objects of extraordinary rarity and expense — hand-copied, hand-decorated, and accessible only to the…
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