Boy, was I wrong.
Three hours later, I was still stuck in research, coffee spilled on my pants, cat meowing, dinner cold. What started as a simple idea turned into a full-on art history rabbit hole.
The First Mess: Where Do You Even Start?
My first move was to search “famous Renaissance artists” online. Big mistake. Every website had a different list! One said 12 names, another said 15, a random blog listed 20. I was so confused I almost gave up.
So I gave up on the internet for a second and grabbed a page from my kid’s sketchbook. I started writing down names I could remember:
- Leonardo (obviously)
- Michelangelo (the guy who made David)
- Raphael (the one named after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle)
- Botticelli (the guy who painted Venus on a seashell)
- Caravaggio (the angry one with the dark paintings)
That’s it — I hit a wall. Turns out, I only knew nicknames or pop culture references. So I went back online and carefully checked which names kept appearing. I ended up with 16 artists because the number felt right, and it looked better for organizing the post.
Every Artist Has a Story Behind the Brush
Then came the real time sink. I clicked on Caravaggio thinking, “Just look at one painting and move on.” But Wikipedia pulled me in. Did you know he once stabbed someone during a tennis match? I spent way too long reading about his wild life.
From there, I did the same for each artist:
1. What’s their most famous artwork?
2. Is there a strange or lesser-known piece?
3. Any juicy personal drama?
Take Titian — he painted for rich clients, and they actually fought over his time like he was a celebrity. I spent 45 minutes reading about that. My partner yelled, “Dinner’s cold!” and I hadn’t even started writing about Raphael yet.
Putting the Puzzle Back Together
By midnight, I dumped all my notes into a draft. It looked like a mess — random sentences, no order. I slapped my forehead and decided to fix it. This time, I sorted them by time period.
I started with Giotto, from the 1300s. He was a game-changer because he made flat paintings look 3D. Then I went through the list, ending with Tintoretto, who worked in the late 1500s and used light in dramatic ways.
One name gave me so much trouble: Filippo Lippi. I misspelled it six times and almost cried. And once, I saw two very similar “Madonna” paintings and almost deleted one — until I realized they were painted by a father and son, Filippo and Filippino. Their names are *too* alike!
Finding the Right Images Almost Broke Me
After the text, I needed pictures. My browser had 30+ tabs open by 2 a.m. The problem? So many artists painted the same subjects — “David,” “The Last Supper,” “Madonna and Child.” I kept picking the wrong version.
So I made a simple rule: under each image, add three short lines:
- Why is this painting important?
- Where can you see it today?
- One fun fact to remember.
For example, in Bosch’s *The Garden of Earthly Delights*, there’s a fruit that looks like a trumpet. I wrote: “No joke — people in the 1500s actually thought some fruits looked like that.”
Hitting “Publish” at 3:17 a.m.
Finally, at 3:17 a.m., I clicked “publish.” Right after, my cat started screaming for breakfast. I was exhausted, but also kind of proud.
This deep dive taught me things I never knew. For example, Michelangelo didn’t even like painting. He saw himself as a sculptor. But the Pope ordered him to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling, basically saying, “Do it, or else.” So he spent four years lying on his back, staring up, and his neck hurt the whole time.
Would I Do This Again?
Would I go through this madness again? Honestly? Probably not. It takes too long, and it’s way too easy to get lost in random details. Next time, I’d just watch a good art documentary and finish it in one sitting.
But this wasn’t a waste. Now, when I see an old painting, I don’t just say “nice” or “weird.” I wonder: Who made this? When? What was going on in their life? Were they stressed? Broke? In love? Hated by critics?
Art isn’t just something hanging on a wall. It’s made by real people — with emotions, problems, dreams, and bad days. They used paint to leave a mark. And the fact that we can still see it, talk about it, and care — that’s pretty amazing.