Reading between the Brushstrokes: Imagery and Meaning in Italian Renaissance Painting

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The Dream of St. Ursula, Vittore Carpaccio, 1495; tempera on canvas, 274 × 267 cm, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice

The Dream of St. Ursula, Vittore Carpaccio, 1495; tempera on canvas, 274 × 267 cm, Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice

While famous masterpieces such as the “Mona Lisa,” the “Birth of Venus,” and the “Sistine Chapel, Ceiling” draw massive crowds in Italy, most Italian Renaissance paintings in US museums are passed over for more readable, recognizable, and user-friendly 19th and/or 20th-century paintings. Museum-goers today often have a difficult time recognizing the characters, knowing the theology, identifying with the morality, or understanding the function of most Italian Renaissance paintings. Dr. Rocky Ruggiero will “read between the brushstrokes” to explain the meaning behind the imagery of painted masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance.

Admission is free for members, $16 per class for non-members. Space is limited. Preregistration Required.

Rocky Ruggiero has been a professor of Art and Architectural History since 1999. He received his BA from the College of the Holy Cross and a Master of Arts degree from Syracuse University, where he was awarded a prestigious Florence Fellowship in 1996. He furthered his art historical studies at the University of Exeter, UK, where he received a Ph.D. in Art History and Visual Culture.

In addition to lecturing for various American universities in Florence, Italy, including Syracuse, Kent State, Vanderbilt, and Boston College, Rocky has starred in various TV documentaries concerning the Italian Renaissance. He recently appeared as an expert witness for NBC News, as well as in the History Channel’s “Engineering an Empire: Da Vinci’s World” and “Museum Secrets: the Uffizi Gallery”, and the recent NatGeo/NOVA PBS program on Brunelleschi’s dome entitled “Great Cathedral Mystery.”

After living in Florence, Italy, for 20 years, Rocky and his family moved to East Greenwich, RI, and he now divides his time between the US and Italy.

Rocky also shares his knowledge and love of Italian art as an academic advisory board member of the non-profit group Friends of Florence and as a frequent collaborator and lecturer for the Friends of the Uffizi Gallery, both of which have provided funds for the restoration of numerous works of art throughout Florence. He also lectures and serves as a college liaison for the prestigious Jay Pritzker Academy in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

If you or someone you know needs help registering, please call 954-262-0204 or email museumeducation@nova.edu