Anthony Esoleon and "To Read a Painting, to Enter Another World"

Developing Classical Thinkers

How can you learn about, or teach about, the Renaissance or any great period of human civilization, from dwelling upon the art that the masters produced? If the beauty we see or hear or touch enters our minds and memories more powerfully than do ideas expressed in words, isn't it advisable for the teacher to show how the ideas of a culture are embodied in art? What experience does the student have, for example, when he is taught to "read" two very different paintings of the same subject, one from the early Renaissance and one from the time near its end?
In this lecture, Dr. Anthony Esolen answered these questions and more as he walked through four great works of art: "The Annunciation" by Fra Angelico, "The Annunciation" by Jacopo Tintoretto, "Magdalene Penitent" by Donatello, and "Magdalene Penitent" by Caravaggio.
Originally from northeastern Pennsylvania and the grandson of southern Italian immigrants, Dr. Anthony Esolen received his A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Renaissance English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Esolen serves as Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Thales College.