Born in Naples in 1598, the sculptor, painter and architect, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, showed signs of genius from a very early age. He produced some of history’s greatest sculptures, such as the “Apollo and Daphne” and the “Pluto and Persephone.” But he also blurred the lines between sculpture and architecture with massive works such as the “Baldacchino.” This podcast will trace the life and career of the greatest sculptor of the 17th century ..read more

In 1608, the architect Carlo Maderno was commissioned by Pope Paul V to complete the Basilica of St. Peter by building its façade. That façade has been criticized for centuries for looking more like a palace façade than a church façade because of its emphasis on horizontality. This podcast explores the history and design of the of the most important church front in the world ..read more

In the summer of 1610, allegedly after obtaining a papal pardon for his crime of murder, Caravaggio headed back to Rome. But he would never make it to Rome nor enjoy his reacquired freedom. Instead, he would die under rather mysterious circumstances in southern Tuscany.  This podcast explores the murky evidence and various conspiracy theories surrounding the artist’s death ..read more

Located in the Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in Naples, Caravaggio’s “Martyrdom of St. Ursula” is considered the great artist’s last painting. Depicting the moment when St. Ursula is shot at close range by an arrow and including a self-portrait of the artist in the background, the painting marks a return to Caravaggio’s earlier Roman style ..read more

In the fall of 1609, shortly after returning to Naples in hopes of receiving a papal pardon, Caravaggio was ambushed by four men who severely disfigured his face. It was a few months later that Caravaggio painted the “Denial of St. Peter,” which was one of his last two paintings and that perhaps reflects the wounded condition of the artist ..read more

Painted for the Capuchin fathers at the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Messina, Sicily, in 1609, Caravaggio’s “Adoration of the Shepherds” is a moving spiritual scene within an impoverished and dilapidated setting ..read more

After spending some time in Siracusa, Sicily, Caravaggio – still on the run from the Knights of Malta - headed north to the town of Messina. There he painted another of his hauntingly beautiful late works, which, in this case, depicts Christ bringing Lazarus back from the dead. The disturbingly realistic figure of the dead Lazarus led to the popular belief that Caravaggio had exhumated a corpse to serve as his model ..read more

After his daring escape from the island of Malta, Caravaggio went to Siracusa, Siscily. There he painted one of his most haunting works – the “Burial of St. Lucy.” An oppressive yellowish light illuminates the macabre burial of the early Christian martyr whose head almost looks detached from its body ..read more

After having been invested into the Knights of Malta and producing two of his most beautiful paintings while he was on the island, Caravaggio finally seemed to have cleaned up his act. But, on the night of August 28, 1608, Caravaggio was involved in a near fatal assault on a superior officer and imprisoned. After a daring escape from Malta, Caravaggio now found himself a fugitive from justice twice over. Discover what went wrong in this episode ..read more

Caravaggio, still a fugitive from justice, left Naples for Malta in the second half of 1607 most likely because the sensational paintings he produced in Naples were drawing too much attention to him. When he arrived in Malta, he was inducted into the brotherhood and apparently changed his ways. One of the paintings that he produced while in Malta was his beautiful “Sleeping Cupid,” (today in the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy) which reminded its patron of his vow of chastity ..read more