Renaissance Rivals

What to Expect

Intrigues and rivalries of the great masters
Our walk will focus on four Renaissance geniuses: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. You will learn about who sponsored the artists, how their friendships and rivalries manifested. We will talk about the unique styles of each master, creative borrowings, who learned from whom and what. You will delve deeper into the personality of each genius and learn about the nuances of their relationships: what rivals thought of each other, what they said to each other face-to-face during rare encounters, how friends, patrons, and contemporaries spoke about Leonardo, Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael, and how the masters' talent influenced the artists of the Baroque era, succeeding the Renaissance.

Encounter with outstanding Renaissance works
Walking through the halls of the National Gallery, you will get acquainted with the works of Renaissance geniuses and the life of Europe in the 15-16th centuries, depicted by their brush. You will see Titian's 'Bacchus and Ariadne' and Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Madonna of the Rocks,' look into the eyes of Pope Julius II, whose portrait by Raphael instilled fear and awe in his contemporaries. You will follow da Vinci's creative process in one of his chalk drawings and try to understand whom Michelangelo intended to paint in his unfinished, puzzling painting and why he never managed to do so.

Who is this tour for

Travelers interested in art who want to understand the personalities of Renaissance masters and touch the history of creating their works.