The Tondo – Circular Art

June 28, 2015 | Posted in TRADITIONAL ART AND PAINTING | By

Raphael's "Madonna della seggiola", currently in the collection of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy.

“Tondo” is a term used in art to describe paintings, sculptures and reliefs which are round, or circular. Circular canvases, panels and sculptures are quite unusual, and became especially popular in 15th Century Renaissance Italy…

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The Churches of Rome, Italy: San Pietro in Vincoli

June 19, 2015 | Posted in HISTORIC PLACES, TRADITIONAL ART AND PAINTING | By

Michelangelo's Moses

Rome is one of Italy’s greatest cities, and the wealth of history and art contained within its churches is one of many reasons to visit. San Pietro in Vincoli, known in English as “Saint Peter-in-Chains,” is one such church that should most certainly be seen while in Rome…

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Should the Vatican Limit Access to the Sistine Chapel?

April 26, 2014 | Posted in TRADITIONAL ART AND PAINTING | By

Close-up detail of "The Creation of Adam" from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes.

For the countless number of tourists who visit Rome every year, the Sistine Chapel is almost surely near the top of their “must see” list of attractions. Michelangelo’s incredible fresco cycle, completed 500 years ago, is one of the world’s greatest treasures and a subject of immeasurable artistic and religious importance…

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