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Stories of Art: Daily Summaries Delivered
by HENI Talks
Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art. From the lives of the world’s greatest artists to the turning points that changed art, to the hidden histories of great masterpieces, James and Alastair are your guides to the extraordinary characters and fascinating stories that have shaped art history. Full of insight, expert opinion and humour, Stories of Art is the ultimate deep dive into the history of art.
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- Yesterday1h 3m
Michelangelo: The Sistine Chapel Ceiling (Part 3)
The Sistine Chapel ceiling is arguably the most famous work of art in the world, but why was Michelangelo so reluctant to take on the commission? And just what is it about his art that has led so many regard him as a genius? Join Alastair and James in the third of four episodes charting the remarkable life and work of Michelangelo. Artworks in this episode include: Attributed to Daniele da Volterra, Portrait of Michelangelo, c.1545, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Raphael, Portrait of Julius II, 1511, The National Gallery, London Michelangelo, The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, 1508-1512, Vatican CIty Michelangelo, Moses, 1513-15, Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli, Rome Michelangelo, The Awakening Slave, 1530, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence Michelangelo, The Bearded Slave, 1530, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence Michelangelo, Atlas, 1530, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence Michelangelo, The Rebellious Slave, 1513-15, Musée du Louvre, Paris Michelangelo, The Dying Slave, 1513-15, Musée du Louvre, Paris For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Commission 00:03:56 The Sistine Chapel Building 00:07:58 Michelangelo's Reluctance 00:18:14 Early Struggles 00:30:14 The Creation of Adam 00:44:16 Moses 00:58:42 The Unfinished Sculptures
- 1 weeks ago1h 3m
Michelangelo: The Making of David (Part 2)
Why was Michelangelo's David such a revolutionary work of art? And what happened when Michelangelo and Leonardo went head to head on a commission? Join Alastair and James in the second of four episodes charting the life and work of Michelangelo, who many regard as history's greatest artist. Artworks in this episode include: Michelangelo, David, 1501-04, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence Attributed to Daniele da Volterra, Portrait of Michelangelo, c.1545, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York After Leonardo, Copy of The Battle of Anghiari, 17th century, Musée du Louvre, Paris Bastiano da Sangallo after Michelangelo, Copy of The Battle of Cascina, 1542, Royal Academy, London For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:34 A Block of Marble 00:12:17 Michelangelo Takes on the Challenge 00:16:44 Where to Place David 00:19:50 Moving the Giant 00:22:41 Analyzing David 00:33:22 Michelangelo's Character 00:40:40 Rivalry with Leonardo da Vinci 00:50:20 Pope Julius II and the Tomb Commission 00:55:55 The Great Escape from Rome
- 2 weeks ago1h 0m
Michelangelo: The Birth of a Genius (Part 1)
Was Michelangelo the greatest artist that ever lived? And where did he learn his unrivalled mastery of marble? Join Alastair and James as they embark on the first of four episodes charting the epic story of the life and work of Michelangelo, known in his lifetime as Il Divino - the divine one. Artworks in this episode include: Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, c.1512, Vatican City Michelangelo, Head of a Faun, c.1489 (lost 1944) Michelangelo, Bacchus, 1496-97, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence Michelangelo, Pietà, 1499, Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Creation of Adam 00:08:58 Early Life 00:18:23 Apprenticeship with the Ghirlandaio Brothers 00:22:10 The Medici Academy and Lorenzo the Magnificent 00:27:03 The Head of a Faun: A Precocious Talent 00:33:47 Crisis and Exile: The Fall of the Medici 00:37:49 The Sleeping Cupid Forgery 00:40:56 Rome and Cardinal Riario 00:44:55 The Pietà 00:55:14 Rising Fame
- 3 weeks ago1h 16m
The Bust of Nefertiti
It's one of the most recognisable artworks of the ancient world, but who was Queen Nefertiti? And how did she and her consort, the Pharaoh Akhenaten, revolutionise the art and religion of Ancient Egypt? Join Alastair and James as they explore the mesmerisingly beautiful Bust of Nefertiti. Artworks in this episode include: The Bust of Nefertiti, c. 1351-34 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin Tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky, 1391-53 BCE, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Statue of Amenhotep III, 1391-53 BCE, The British Museum, London Colossal Statue of Amenhotep IV, 1350-33 BCE, The Egyptian Museum, Cairo Bust of Akhenaten, 1350-33 BCE, Luxor Museum, Luxor Akhenaten, Nefertiti and three of their daughters under the Aten, c. 1351-34 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin Bust of Akhenaten, c. 1351-34 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin Plaster Head of an Older Woman, c.1353-36 BCE, Neues Museum, Berlin For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The Discovery of Nefertiti 00:02:14 The Archaeological Dig at Amarna 00:06:14 Ancient Egyptian Art and Society 00:12:50 Amenhotep IV Comes to Power 00:16:51 The Religious Revolution 00:23:31 A New Artistic Style 00:34:35 The New Capital City 00:46:46 The Bust of Nefertiti 00:57:35 Authenticity Debates 01:04:17 The End of the Amarna Period 01:08:22 The Controversial Journey to Berlin 01:13:37 Modern Legacy
- May 17, 202653 min
Francis Bacon: Triumph and Tragedy (Part 3)
Following the death of his lover, did Bacon paint one of the darkest paintings in the history 20th century art? And why is opinion so split on Bacon's late work? Join Alastair and James as they argue it out in the last episode on the life and work of one of art history's most colourful characters - Francis Bacon. Artworks in this episode include: Micheal Andrews, The Colony Room I, 1962, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Francis Bacon, Portrait of Lucian Freud, 1951, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Francis Bacon, Henrietta Moraes, 1966, Private Collection Francis Bacon, Version No. 2 of Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe, 1968, Private Collection Francis Bacon, Miss Muriel Belcher, 1959, Private Collection Francis Bacon, Triptych, May–June 1973, 1973, Private Collection Francis Bacon, Study of the Human Body, 1981-82, Musée national d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris Francis Bacon, Second Version of Triptych 1944, 1988, Tate Gallery, London Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Tate Gallery, London Francis Bacon, Blood on the Floor - Painting, 1986, Private Collection Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Self-Portrait, 1983, Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
- May 11, 202654 min
Francis Bacon: Post War Success (Part 2)
Which portrait by the 17th century Spanish master Velázquez inspired one of Bacon's most celebrated works? And why is his painting Two Figures considered a groundbreaking image? Join Alastair and James as they chart Bacon's life and work in the decades after the Second World War. Artworks in this episode include: Francis Bacon, Head VI, 1949, Arts Council Collection, London Francis Bacon, Painting 1946, 1946, Museum of Modern Art, New York Francis Bacon, Portrait of Lucian Freud, 1951, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester Lucian Freud, Portrait of Francis Bacon, 1952 Francis Bacon, Head I, 1949, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Francis Bacon, Head II, 1949, Ulster Museum, Belfast Francis Bacon, Head III, 1949, Private Collection Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid Diego Velázquez, Portrait of Innocent X, 1650, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome Francis Bacon, Man in Blue I, 1954, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam Francis Bacon, Two Figures, 1953, Private Collection For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Head VI 00:02:43 Painting 1946: Consolidating Success 00:09:13 Meaning in Bacon's Art 00:11:47 Graham Sutherland and Erica Brausen 00:13:44 Monte Carlo: Gambling and Drift 00:19:04 Lucian Freud: An Intense Friendship 00:26:00 The 1949 Hanover Gallery Show 00:30:59 Velázquez's Pope Innocent X 00:35:25 Head VI 00:42:02 Peter Lacy: The Love of His Life 00:51:54 The Tate Retrospective and Tragedy
- May 4, 202649 min
Francis Bacon: The Emerging Artist (Part 1)
How did the horrors of the Second World War influence Francis Bacon's first great masterpiece? And what impact did his troubled childhood have on his life and art? Join Alastair and James as they explore the early life and work of one Britain's greatest artists. Artworks in this episode include: Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Tate Gallery, London Francis Bacon, Crucifixion, 1933, Private Collection For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
- Apr 27, 20261h 43m
The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
How did the gruesome aftermath of a shipwreck inspire a masterpiece of Romantic art? And did Théodore Géricault really acquire body parts so he could capture the appearance of rotting flesh? Join Alastair and James as they tell the true story of a doomed ship and an extraordinary painting that laid bare the depths of humanity - The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault. Artworks in this episode include: Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1819, Louvre, Paris Horace Vernet, Portrait of Théodore Géricault, c.1823, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City Théodore Géricault, An Officer of the Imperial Horse Guards Charging, 1812, Louvre, Paris To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/storiesofart or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks Hosts: Alastair Sooke and Dr James Fox Additional Research: Catherine Ingram Producer and Editor: Ben Harding Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
About Stories of Art
Stories of Art brings together art historian Dr. James Fox and art critic Alastair Sooke to uncover the most inspiring and compelling stories from the history of art. From the lives of the world’s greatest artists to the turning points that changed art, to the hidden histories of great masterpieces, James and Alastair are your guides to the extraordinary characters and fascinating stories that have shaped art history. Full of insight, expert opinion and humour, Stories of Art is the ultimate deep dive into the history of art.
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