PHILOSOPHICAL PAINTING: BELLINI'S ST. FRANCIS

October 27, 5 p.m.

This program is dedicated to one of the most captivating masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance—Giovanni Bellini’s Ecstasy of St. Francis (c. 1480, Frick Collection, New York). This luminous painting presents the saint not in the moment when he receives the stigmata, but immersed in a radiant natural world that becomes a stage for divine revelation. The lecture will explore Bellini’s innovative blending of landscape and spirituality, his use of light as a metaphor for the sacred, and the ways in which this painting reflects his engagement with Renaissance humanism and theology.

Structure: Each lecture is a live event via zoom: a brief check and introduction, to ensure that participants have been able to connect, followed by a slide-presentation of about 50-60 minutes, and a Q&A discussion of about 20-30 minutes. Participants do not have to sign up for a zoom account. The link to the lecture is sent on the day of the event.

Fee: 20 USD per person