The Blind Eye

Mike Manchester and Antonella Filippone

This podcast is for anyone who is curious about Italy's artistic masterpieces but isn't quite ready to commit to pursuing a degree in art history. Mike Manchester, American from Denver who has lived in Italy working with Study Abroad students for almost 2 decades discusses art with his friend and art history teacher, Antonella Filippone. Each week Antonella chooses a work of art. Mike asks the questions that many people are too afraid to ask. Together they discover and explore the fascinating messages that lie within Italy's iconic masterpieces as well as some lesser known gems.

Episodes

  1. 11/20/2022

    Episode 6: David: Also A Statue of Liberty

    Most people probably recognize Michelangelo's David.  The massive, marble statue is one of the worlds most iconic pieces of artwork.  But, why?  Other than the fact that Michelangelo did an  exceptional job making a rock look remarkably like a striking young man, why is it that this statue, maybe more than any other, is such a ubiquitous representative of art in the western world?

    44 min

  2. 07/01/2022

    Episode 5: (Very) Old School

    If you were going to create an all-star team of philosophers, who would make the cut?  What would your squad look like?  How would they interact with one another?  In the fifth episode of our podcast we take a look at Raphael's masterpiece, "The School Of Athens", which is essentially an all-star cast of Greek philosophers re-imagined for modern times.  Of course, by modern times I mean Raphael's modern times in the 1500's.  Listen as we talk about who's who among great philosophers and why it matters so much that this fresco is on a wall on the inside the Vatican.  If you'd like to interact with us, leave a comment, or go on a rant we'd love to hear it on our facebook page on on twitter @TheBlindEyePod. Thanks!

    44 min

  3. 05/19/2022

    Episode 4: Apollo: The Original Treehugger

    Who are Apollo and Daphne?  What's going on with Daphne's hair?  Why don't sculptors put clothing on the people in their statues?  We talk about all of this and more as we discuss Bernini, one of Italy's most renowned sculptors, and his masterpiece Apollo and Daphne.  As always, you'll wan to follow along y looking at the artwork yourself, so here's a link!

    38 min

  4. 04/08/2022

    Episode 3: Love wins the day

    It turns out that Botticelli's masterpiece entitled Venus and Mars is, in fact, not about a picnic on a hot day that was invaded by an unruly group of goat-children.   The famous Renaissance painter, not surprisingly, had a much deeper message and Antonella is here to help that message reach the masses.  Listen as we talk about Florence, Italy and the power of love.  Follow us and send us comments @TheBlindEyePod on twitter!

    32 min

  5. 03/20/2022

    Episode 2: Make Room For Peace

    In their second episode ever, Mike and Antonella embark on the ambitious task of explaining an entire room full of art.  The Sala Dei  Nove,  AKA the Sala Della Pace  (The Room of Peace) in Siena, Italy is literally covered in frescoes from top to bottom.  The images date back to the year 1338 and offer an immensely profound message about responsibility, human welfare, peace and how to achieve it.  The frescoes are known as The Allegory of Good and Bad Government.  700 years have passed since the artist, Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted the walls of this room but his message rings surprisingly true even today.   Antonella helps us understand some of the medieval ideas and metaphors and it becomes very clear just what a treasure this room is  for all of humanity. We encourage everyone to take a look at the The Allegory of Good and Bad Government and reflect on the current state of affairs (and of course, share our podcast with everyone!!!).

    50 min

  6. 02/27/2022

    Episode 1: Should I care about a basket of fruit?

    Here it is, the first ever edition of The Blind Eye!  Our goal here is help people (including Mike, one of the co-hosts) understand some of Italy's iconic art.   In our very first episode Mike and Antonella take a look at Caravaggio's famous work La Canestra di Frutta or Basket of Fruit in English.  Mike shares his perplexities about how a seemingly simple basket of fruit could be so important and Antonella offers (patiently) some insight on the deeper metaphors and some insight into Caravaggio's hidden messages to humanity.

    29 min
  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

About

This podcast is for anyone who is curious about Italy's artistic masterpieces but isn't quite ready to commit to pursuing a degree in art history. Mike Manchester, American from Denver who has lived in Italy working with Study Abroad students for almost 2 decades discusses art with his friend and art history teacher, Antonella Filippone. Each week Antonella chooses a work of art. Mike asks the questions that many people are too afraid to ask. Together they discover and explore the fascinating messages that lie within Italy's iconic masterpieces as well as some lesser known gems.

Information

  • Creator
    Mike Manchester and Antonella Filippone
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mike Manchester and Antonella Filippone
  • Show Website
    The Blind Eye