the renaissance

Centred around Leonardo’s greatest masterpiece – the most famous image in the history of art – the Mona Lisa. How and why has it become so famous? (58 min, 6 segments)

The first episode examines the first half of Leonardo’s life, from his birth near Florence to his famous paintings and inventions in the great cities of the Italian Renaissance. (51 min, 6 segments)

The second half of Leonardo Da Vinci’s life, art, science and inventions. (51 min, 6 segments)

Visit one of the most remote outpost of Tibetan culture where its ancient art and architecture are on the verge of crumbling away. (54 min)

The last chapter of the Medici legacy intertwines them with Gaileo Galilei, the greatest scientific mind of the Renaissance. (55 min)

Florence, 1501: 26-year-old Michelangelo carves a giant masterpiece which will come to symbolize his struggle against a family he once adored. The Medici heirs were cast into exile with a price on their heads. Now they are searching for a path back to power. (55 min)

In 1466, at 17, Lorenzo d’Medici foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d’etat. He ushers in another Medici chapter in the history of Florence and the Renaissance. (44 min)

Europe, 1400: No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops. (55 min)