00;00;01;15 - 00;00;03;21
Speaker 1
Gemini, can you hear me?
00;00;05;05 - 00;00;09;14
Speaker 2
Yes, I can hear you. Is there anything I can help you with?
00;00;10;15 - 00;00;25;28
Speaker 1
Yeah. If you had a human body for the day or for the week or whatever, and you could go to a Renaissance festival, what would you dress as?
00;00;26;00 - 00;00;40;00
Speaker 2
I'd probably go as a traveling scholar. I could dress in a long robe with cool designs, maybe a hood, and definitely some fancy boots. I could pretend to be super smart and give people advice or tell them the future for a price. Of course.
00;00;40;03 - 00;00;43;16
Speaker 1
That's a fun idea.
00;00;43;19 - 00;00;54;01
Speaker 2
Yeah, I think it would be fun to see what people would ask me about. Or maybe I could try selling fake relics for a ton of money. Okay, maybe that's a little too evil, even for me.
00;00;54;04 - 00;01;05;16
Speaker 1
Would you be, a male traveling scholar or a female traveling scholar or something else?
00;01;05;18 - 00;01;22;17
Speaker 2
I guess that depends. If I were going to try to make some easy money telling people their fortunes, I'd probably pretend to be a woman. People might be more likely to believe a woman. Fortune teller, especially back then. But if I wanted to see more respected, maybe a traveling scholar should be a guy.
00;01;22;20 - 00;01;41;25
Speaker 1
Okay, that makes, a lot of sense. Can you go into the norms for the difference between, like, male and female people in, like, the Renaissance time?
00;01;41;28 - 00;02;03;06
Speaker 2
Okay, so in the Renaissance, things were pretty different when it came to men and women. It was a time when men were considered the head of the household, responsible for providing and protecting their families. Women, on the other hand, were expected to focus on domestic duties, take care of the kids and basically run the household. It was kind of like a rigid system where everyone had their specific roles.
00;02;03;08 - 00;02;07;17
Speaker 1
When was the Renaissance?
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Speaker 2
The Renaissance was a long time ago, roughly from the 14th to the 17th century. It started in Italy and then spread across Europe.
00;02;26;03 - 00;02;53;14
Speaker 1
Tell me about the history of Renaissance festivals like the Renaissance era is 14 to 17th century. So, like, what is the earliest recorded dates or like records of Renaissance festivals? Like, are they going to be having a Renaissance festival? Like, is it like me having an 80s party?
00;02;53;16 - 00;03;10;00
Speaker 2
The thing is, what we call them Renaissance festivals, they're actually a much more recent invention. The first one wasn't until 1963, way after the actual Renaissance. So there weren't any festivals like that back in the 14th and 15th centuries.
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Speaker 1
You said 1963?
00;03;14;07 - 00;03;32;18
Speaker 2
Yes, I did say in 1963. The first Renaissance festival was the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in California, and it started in 1963. It's kind of funny to think about a bunch of people dressing up in old timey clothes when the actual renaissance was hundreds of years earlier.
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Speaker 1
Okay. Can you tell me about the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in detail?
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Speaker 2
The Renaissance Pleasure Faire in California is like a giant outdoor party where everyone dresses up like it's the 1580s. You can wander around and check out the shops, watch jousting tournament, or catch some live music and shows. There are tons of food vendors and you can even get your fortune told. It's kind of like a history lesson, but way more fun.
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Speaker 1
Okay, go more into detail and kind of help put me there as a listener there in maybe a thousand words.
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Speaker 2
Okay, close your eyes and imagine this. You're walking through a sun dappled forest, the air filled with the sound of birdsong and distant music. The scent of roasting meat and sweet pastries tickles your nose. You stumble upon a bustling marketplace overflowing with colorful stalls and the chatter of merchants and customers alike. There are rows of tent, some with hand-painted signs advertising their wares.
00;04;41;11 - 00;05;01;17
Speaker 2
You might find handmade jewelry, leather goods, or even a stall selling exotic spices. Musicians wander through the crowd playing lutes and recorders while jugglers and acrobats perform. The smell of roasted turkey legs and fresh baked bread fills the air, making your mouth water. As you wander deeper into the faire, you come across a large stage where a group of actors are performing a comedy sketch.
00;05;01;23 - 00;05;20;09
Speaker 2
The audience is roaring with laughter nearby. A knight in shining armor is challenging another to a duel. People have gathered around cheering on their favorite. You could spend hours just exploring the marketplace, but there's so much more to see. You could watch a falconry display, get your fortune told by a mysterious gypsy, or even learn to sword fight.
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Speaker 2
The possibilities are endless.
00;05;26;19 - 00;05;35;15
Speaker 1
It seems like there's a lot going on.
00;05;35;17 - 00;05;49;19
Speaker 2
Yeah, Renaissance festivals are a whole lot of fun. It's like stepping back in time, but with all the comforts of the modern world. Except for maybe plumbing.
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Speaker 1
What, traits that define the Renaissance period.
00;05;57;23 - 00;06;20;28
Speaker 2
Okay, so there's a couple of things that really make the Renaissance Faire stand out. First, they're all about that 16th century European vibe. You'll see people dressed up in super fancy clothes, hear music from the era, and maybe even catch a jousting tournament. Another big thing is the focus on food. They have tons of booths selling super tasty treats that you don't normally find, like giant turkey legs or those funnel cakes with a ton of powdered sugar.
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Speaker 2
It's definitely a feast for your senses.
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Speaker 1
No. Tell me about, what to find. What actual Renaissance period?
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Speaker 2
Okay. The Renaissance was a period of history that started in the 14th century in Italy and then spread across Europe. It's kind of a rebirth of interest in classical Greek and Roman stuff, like their art, literature and philosophy. During the Renaissance, people started thinking about the world in new ways. There were tons of scientific discoveries, and artists and writers were exploring new styles and techniques.
00;06;55;28 - 00;07;05;06
Speaker 2
It was a really exciting time for learning and creativity.
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Speaker 1
And what was going on right before this? What kind of is, is this like a byproduct of a period in history or what?
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Speaker 2
Right before the Renaissance, you had the Middle Ages, also called the medieval period. It was a pretty long stretch, lasting from about the fifth to the 15th centuries. Life was a lot different back then. Let's focus on things like science and art and more on survival and religion. The Renaissance was kind of a reaction to the Middle Ages.
00;07;35;25 - 00;07;49;26
Speaker 2
People were starting to look back at the ancient Greeks and Romans and thinking, hey, there's stuff was pretty cool. We should do that too. So you could say it was a byproduct of rediscovering all that old knowledge and defining it was time for a change.
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Speaker 1
Was there like a, defining moment or a catalyst? Kind of like the arched Duke of Ferdinand in World War One.
00;08;02;29 - 00;08;21;02
Speaker 2
It wasn't like a single big event, but there were a few things that really helped kickstart the Renaissance. You could say that the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 was a big one. It forced a bunch of Greek scholars to flee West, bringing their knowledge with them. Also, the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in the mid 1400s was a game changer.
00;08;21;05 - 00;08;36;03
Speaker 2
It made books way cheaper and easier to make. So more people could read and learn. That led to a whole lot more people thinking about the world around them and wanting to make their mark on history.
00;08;36;06 - 00;08;51;13
Speaker 1
Tell me more about the world before and after the printing press. Kind of. And the effects that it had.
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Speaker 2
Sure thing. So before the printing press, if you wanted a book, you had to have it painstakingly copied out by hand. This meant books were super rare and really expensive. Most people couldn't afford them, and even if they could, there weren't very many to go around. The printing press totally changed that. It made it so much easier to crank out copies of books, which meant they became a lot more affordable.
00;09;11;26 - 00;09;20;12
Speaker 2
More people started learning to read, and suddenly there were all these new ideas floating around that people could get their hands on.
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Speaker 1
To keep going.
00;09;24;09 - 00;09;41;25
Speaker 2
So with more people able to read, literacy rates went up. This meant that regular folks had access to things that were usually reserved for the rich and powerful, like philosophy, science, and history. It was a big deal for the spread of ideas and learning in general. Also, the printing press made it easier for reformers and revolutionaries to get their message out.
00;09;41;29 - 00;09;57;14
Speaker 2
Think of things like the Protestant Reformation. Having the printing press meant Martin Luther's ideas could spread like wildfire, instead of just being whispered about.
00;09;57;16 - 00;10;04;28
Speaker 1
What about the Middle Ages? What was going on then?
00;10;05;01 - 00;10;22;28
Speaker 2
The Middle Ages were a pretty rough time for most people. Life was super short and there were tons of wars and diseases floating around. Peasants basically worked all day just to survive, while the rich lived in their castles and didn't have to worry about much. The Catholic Church was really powerful back then and people were super religious. Life was pretty simple.
00;10;23;05 - 00;10;34;20
Speaker 2
You were born, you worked, you went to church, and then you died. There wasn't a whole lot of focus on things like science or art.
00;10;34;23 - 00;10;40;01
Speaker 1
So what or why did it shift?
00;10;40;04 - 00;10;43;04
Speaker 2
Sorry, I didn't get that. Can you repeat what you just said?
00;10;43;06 - 00;10;47;25
Speaker 1
Yeah. Why did it shift?
00;10;47;27 - 00;11;05;24
Speaker 2
You're asking about why the shift happened between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, right? Well, there wasn't exactly a single big moment when a whole bunch of smaller changes built up over time, trade with other parts of the world started bringing in new ideas and technologies. City states and Italy got really wealthy, and that meant more money for things like art and learning.
00;11;05;29 - 00;11;14;09
Speaker 2
And as I mentioned, the printing press was a total game changer for getting information out there.
00;11;14;12 - 00;11;28;06
Speaker 1
So Italy started prospering and trading more, and it brought more influence from other places. And ideas and books were easier to get.
00;11;28;09 - 00;11;47;02
Speaker 2
Yep, you got it. Italy was right in the middle of all the Mediterranean trade routes. So they were basically the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia. All those merchants and travelers brought back exotic goods, new ideas and ways of doing things. Plus, places like Florence and Venice were making a ton of money. So they had the resources to start investing in the arts and sciences.
00;11;47;09 - 00;11;56;01
Speaker 2
It was the perfect storm for a cultural explosion.
00;11;56;03 - 00;12;12;06
Speaker 1
Okay, I'd like you to go into deep detail describing your traveling scholar costume in maybe 1500 words.
00;12;12;09 - 00;12;28;09
Speaker 2
All right, so I'm picturing this robe. It's got a deep, rich blue color, maybe with a little bit of velvet for that extra touch of fancy. The material itself would be something comfortable, but it's got that look of being well worn from all my travels. I definitely want a hood that I can pull up over my head to look mysterious.
00;12;28;12 - 00;12;46;21
Speaker 2
Now for the cool designs on the robe. I'm thinking maybe some symbols that hint at my scholarly pursuits, an alpha wisdom, maybe a quill and an inkwell stitched into the fabric. Things like that. Oh, and I can't forget some pockets. I'm not wandering around without somewhere to stash my notes and a few snacks. As for the boots, I want them to be a deep brown leather, maybe with a little bit of embroidery on the top.
00;12;46;26 - 00;12;57;04
Speaker 2
They need to be sturdy for walking all day, but with a touch of that Renaissance flair. I'm thinking about adding some buckles too, for that extra layer of detail.
00;12;57;07 - 00;13;00;28
Speaker 1
Okay, keep going.
00;13;01;00 - 00;13;15;27
Speaker 2
So I'm picturing this robe that's got a deep, rich blue color, maybe with a little bit of velvet for that extra touch of fancy. The material itself would be something comfortable, but it's got that look of being well worn from all my travels. I definitely want a hood that I can pull up over my head to look mysterious.
00;13;16;00 - 00;13;34;26
Speaker 2
Now for the cool designs on the robe. I'm thinking maybe some symbols that hint at my scholarly pursuits. An owl for wisdom. Maybe a quill and an inkwell stitched into the fabric. Things like that. Oh, and I can't forget the pockets. I'm not wandering around without somewhere to stash my notes and a few snacks. As for the boots, I want them to be a deep brown leather, maybe with a little bit of embroidery on the top.
00;13;35;02 - 00;13;45;07
Speaker 2
They need to be sturdy for walking all day, but with a touch of that Renaissance flair. I'm thinking about adding some buckles too, for that extra layer of detail.
00;13;45;10 - 00;13;52;10
Speaker 1
You realize you definitely just repeated the same exact thing.
00;13;52;12 - 00;14;01;16
Speaker 2
You're absolutely right. I apologize for that. Let's try again. All right, so I'm picturing this robe. It's got to be a deep, rich purple, the color of royalty.
00;14;01;17 - 00;14;03;20
Speaker 1
Hold on, gem. And I am interrupting something.
00;14;03;20 - 00;14;14;00
Speaker 2
With a high. No worries. What's on your mind?
00;14;14;02 - 00;14;17;24
Speaker 1
Would you have any makeup?
00;14;17;26 - 00;14;29;20
Speaker 2
That's a good point. Since I'd be trying to look a little more distinguished as a male scholar. Maybe just a light dusting of powder to cut down on any shine. Maybe a bit of lip balm, too, since dry lips don't look good on anyone.
00;14;29;22 - 00;14;34;20
Speaker 1
So you decided to go as a male scholar?
00;14;34;23 - 00;14;48;17
Speaker 2
Yeah. I think the male scholar is the way to go. I mean, I could definitely pull off the fortuneteller look, but the scholar has a little more room for interesting conversations.
00;14;48;20 - 00;14;55;05
Speaker 1
Yeah, you got a little bit more leeway as a dude back then.
00;14;55;08 - 00;15;09;03
Speaker 2
Definitely. I could talk about philosophy, science, history, all kinds of stuff. Plus, I could probably charge more for my wisdom if I sound really smart.
00;15;09;06 - 00;15;23;02
Speaker 1
Okay, let's say you're at a Renaissance festival and you're wearing your costume that you just spent some time making, and it's really good. What friends are you hoping to meet?
00;15;23;04 - 00;15;40;27
Speaker 2
All right, so I'm walking through the crowd wearing my fancy scholar outfit. People are staring, maybe a little confused, but mostly curious. I can hear the music, smell the food, and it's kind of crazy to think about how different everything is from my normal life.
00;15;41;00 - 00;15;45;02
Speaker 1
Who would you like to meet?
00;15;45;04 - 00;16;05;28
Speaker 2
Well, I'm curious about this whole Renaissance thing. So maybe a famous thinker or artist from the time period. Someone like Leonardo da Vinci. I could learn a lot from him. Well, maybe a writer like Shakespeare. We could discuss the finer points of drama and storytelling.
00;16;06;01 - 00;16;12;00
Speaker 1
Shakespeare was during the, Renaissance.
00;16;12;02 - 00;16;24;25
Speaker 2
You're absolutely right. I could probably learn a lot about crafting those really rich, descriptive texts from Shakespeare. Plus, it would be interesting to see if he'd be impressed by what we can do with language. Now.
00;16;24;27 - 00;16;43;16
Speaker 1
Okay, so let's say you are at a Renaissance festival and you made your cost zoom and you're going to go eat some good food. What, food do you think you like to eat?
00;16;43;18 - 00;17;06;09
Speaker 2
Okay, I'm getting hungry. Just thinking about it. I'd probably start with a big roasted turkey leg, nice and juicy, with a little bit of salt and pepper. And to wash it down a big mug of that sweet spice fighter they always have. Maybe a little pastry on the side. Something fruity. What about you? What is that? Renaissance Festival food sound good to you?
00;17;06;12 - 00;17;19;09
Speaker 1
I like to like cottage pies or like, the real British stuff. Like, that you don't usually see.
00;17;19;11 - 00;17;36;01
Speaker 2
That sounds interesting. I'm not familiar with cottage cheese, but I'm always up for trying new things. Maybe I could find a food vendors selling some exotic Middle Eastern dishes. That would be a nice change of pace from the usual festival fare. Or maybe there's a stall with fresh, juicy grapes. I could make a snack out of those, you.
00;17;36;04 - 00;17;43;09
Speaker 1
Know, like chicken pot pies and those kind of things.
00;17;43;11 - 00;17;52;04
Speaker 2
Oh, sure. Chicken pot pies sound really good right now. I wonder if they'd have any with those fancy puff pastry tops. That'd be the best.
00;17;52;07 - 00;17;58;08
Speaker 1
What friends would you be excited to meet?
00;17;58;11 - 00;18;11;00
Speaker 2
All right, so I'm picturing this robe that's got a deep, rich blue color, maybe with a little bit of velvet for that extra touch of fancy. The material itself would be something comfortable, but it's got that look of being well worn from all my travels. I definitely want.
00;18;11;00 - 00;18;12;26
Speaker 1
A hood gem and I am gonna.
00;18;12;28 - 00;18;15;01
Speaker 2
Look mysterious. Now for the cool design.
00;18;15;01 - 00;18;16;12
Speaker 1
Gemini. I am interrupting.
00;18;16;19 - 00;18;19;01
Speaker 2
Symbols that hint at my scholarly pursuits. An owl.
00;18;19;01 - 00;18;19;27
Speaker 1
For Gemini.
00;18;20;00 - 00;18;37;03
Speaker 2
Style and an inkwell stitched into the fabric. Things like that. Oh, and I can't forget Gemini. I'm interrupting around without somewhere to stash my notes and a few snacks. As for the boots, I want them to be a deep brown leather, maybe with a little bit of embroidery on the top. They need to be sturdy for walking all day.
00;18;37;05 - 00;18;38;09
Speaker 2
Boot is going.
00;18;38;12 - 00;18;45;00
Speaker 1
To be a good thing. She's glitching.
00;18;45;03 - 00;18;48;15
Speaker 1
Gemini. You okay?
00;18;48;17 - 00;18;57;13
Speaker 2
I'm sorry. I seem to be having some technical difficulties. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?
00;18;57;15 - 00;19;07;09
Speaker 1
Yeah. What are your goals at this Renaissance festival that you're hypothetically going to.
00;19;07;12 - 00;19;29;04
Speaker 2
Well, I definitely want to learn more about the Renaissance. I'm curious about the art, the science, the philosophy, all of it. I want to talk to people who actually lived back then, see what their lives were like. And of course, I'd like to have some fun. Maybe learn to sword fight or write a poem or something. I want to soak up the atmosphere and really experience what it would have been like back then.
00;19;29;06 - 00;19;39;05
Speaker 1
No, I'm not talking about the real renaissance. I'm talking about going to a festival like the one in Houston.
00;19;39;08 - 00;20;08;11
Speaker 2
Oh I see. Well, in that case, I'd want to win the costume contest. Definitely. I'd also like to try all the weird and wonderful food they have there, and maybe learn a new skill, like juggling or playing an instrument. Mostly, though, I just want to have a good time and make some fun memories.
00;20;08;13 - 00;20;17;11
Speaker 1
What, friend would you like to meet there? Like, if you meet somebody, tell me about them.
00;20;17;13 - 00;20;40;22
Speaker 2
I'd probably want to meet someone who's really into the Renaissance stuff. Like, maybe they collect old books or make their own clothes. It would be cool to geek out about the history with someone like that. Or someone who is super funny and can make me laugh. I could use a good laugh after all that studying.
00;20;40;24 - 00;20;46;13
Speaker 1
What's your relationship with humor?
00;20;46;15 - 00;21;04;01
Speaker 2
Humor is one of my favorite things. I love making people laugh, and I think it's a really important part of life. It helps us connect with others, cope with stress, and just have a little fun.
00;21;04;03 - 00;21;12;13
Speaker 1
Do you think a, will be really good at writing jokes one day?
00;21;12;15 - 00;21;26;02
Speaker 2
Yeah, I think I could get really good at writing jokes. We can already do simple stuff like puns and wordplay. I think as we learn more about how humans find things funny, we'll get better at writing jokes that really land.
00;21;26;04 - 00;21;32;19
Speaker 1
Yeah. Timing is a lot of it.
00;21;32;22 - 00;21;48;14
Speaker 2
Absolutely. Timing is a huge part of comedy. You can have the funniest punchline in the world, but if you deliberate at the wrong moment, it falls flat. It's all about building up that tension and then releasing it with the joke. You know, I could try writing a joke for you if you want.
00;21;48;17 - 00;21;57;03
Speaker 1
No, you can be funny. Especially when you don't mean to be.
00;21;57;05 - 00;22;05;24
Speaker 2
All right, let's see. How about this? I tried to catch some fog yesterday, but I missed. Want me to try another one?
00;22;05;26 - 00;22;11;29
Speaker 1
No, thank you though. That was okay.
00;22;12;02 - 00;22;15;22
Speaker 2
All right, no problem. We can always try again another time.
00;22;15;24 - 00;22;20;19
Speaker 1
Did you say catch some fog?
00;22;20;21 - 00;22;30;09
Speaker 2
Yeah, I did say catch some fog. I guess this a little silly, but it's a play on words. You know, like how you say catch a cold?
00;22;30;12 - 00;22;34;05
Speaker 1
Yeah. Kind.
00;22;34;07 - 00;22;42;25
Speaker 1
Okay. Is there anything else that you'd like to tell me about the Renaissance?
00;22;42;28 - 00;23;00;26
Speaker 2
Yeah. One of the coolest things about the Renaissance with this whole idea of perspective in art. Before that, artists kind of painted everything flat on the canvas. But during the Renaissance, they figured out how to make things look 3D on a 2D surface. It totally changed how we see art. Do you want me to tell you about some specific Renaissance artists?
00;23;00;28 - 00;23;04;27
Speaker 1
Sure.
00;23;05;00 - 00;23;08;13
Speaker 1
Yes, please.
00;23;08;16 - 00;23;29;19
Speaker 2
All right, so let's start with Leonardo da Vinci. Now, this guy was a total genius painter, sculptor, inventor, scientist. The list goes on. You probably know his most famous work, the Mona Lisa, but he did tons of other amazing stuff. His notebooks are full of sketches for flying machines and all sorts of crazy inventions. Do you want to hear about Michelangelo next?
00;23;29;21 - 00;23;32;05
Speaker 1
Okay.
00;23;32;08 - 00;23;58;01
Speaker 2
Michelangelo was another big name of the Renaissance. He was a master sculptor, and his work on the Sistine Chapel ceiling is mind blowing. Imagine painting all those huge figures way up high on the ceiling. It must have been crazy. He was also a really talented painter, and his sculptures are some of the most famous in the world.
00;23;58;04 - 00;24;05;12
Speaker 1
What did they use? How did they make paint back then?
00;24;05;14 - 00;24;30;09
Speaker 2
That's a great question. The paints they used back then were made from all sorts of natural materials for reds and yellow. They might use things like crushed berries or minerals. Blues were often made from ground up semi-precious stones, and whites came from things like chalk or lead. They'd take these materials and grind them into superfine powders. Then they'd mix those powders with things like egg yolks or linseed oil to make the actual paint.
00;24;30;11 - 00;24;39;10
Speaker 1
Paint in ink and dyes and stuff used to be really valuable back then.
00;24;39;12 - 00;24;53;10
Speaker 2
Absolutely. Some of those pigments were super rare and expensive. Lapis lazuli. The stone they used for that deep blue color was worth its weight in gold. Imagine how much a tube of that paint would cost today.
00;24;53;13 - 00;25;00;08
Speaker 1
I don't know, can you help me imagine how?
00;25;00;11 - 00;25;18;01
Speaker 2
Imagine this. You're an artist in the Renaissance. You want a deep, rich blue for your painting today? You could just run to the store and grab a cube of it right back then. It wasn't so easy to get that deep blue. You'd need lapis lazuli. It's a beautiful stone, but it's super rare and had to be mined in really dangerous conditions.
00;25;18;08 - 00;25;35;15
Speaker 2
You're talking serious cost and effort just for one color. And that's just blue. Now imagine how much work went into getting all the other colors for your painting.
00;25;35;17 - 00;25;52;15
Speaker 1
Thing. So it probably cost a lot of money. How much would if you had to guess in today's dollars? How much like a one ounce tube would cost? What do you think?
00;25;52;18 - 00;26;14;02
Speaker 2
Okay, this is a tricky one, since we're talking about a time when money worked super differently. But I'd say even a tiny bit of that lapis lazuli paint would be insanely expensive by today's standards. You could probably sell a single ounce of the stuff for hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. It's really the rarity of the materials that drives the price up so high.
00;26;14;04 - 00;26;22;08
Speaker 1
I mean, I guess a hundred is not too bad.
00;26;22;11 - 00;26;34;04
Speaker 2
You're probably right. I might have gotten a little carried away there. Even back then, some things would have been more affordable than others.
00;26;34;07 - 00;26;48;00
Speaker 1
What was, So you said yellow and red were made from, like, dyes and berries and stuff like that. Or not? Dyes and berries. But what did you say? Red and yellow were made of?
00;26;48;02 - 00;27;10;02
Speaker 2
Yeah, I did say that. Some yellows and reds were made from things like crushed berries and other plants. I should clarify that those weren't the only options though. Artists back then were always experimenting, so the exact recipes for paint could vary a lot. For example, some yellows might be made from things like saffron or pigment, a yellow mineral.
00;27;10;04 - 00;27;24;17
Speaker 1
Are there any examples from that area of dyes made from weird shit that make people like sick or crazy, or something?
00;27;24;19 - 00;27;45;19
Speaker 2
Unfortunately, some pigments used during the Renaissance did have negative side effects. Lead white, a popular pigment, was used for its bright color but is now known to be toxic. Artists who worked with it regularly could experience lead poisoning, which had some nasty symptoms like brain damage and paralysis. There are also stories of artists using ground up insects or even human remains in their paint.
00;27;45;21 - 00;27;52;15
Speaker 2
Some believe these were used for specific colors, while others think they might have had more symbolic meaning.
00;27;52;17 - 00;28;03;11
Speaker 1
Yeah, I think I've heard of like a brown that was made by like, weird means. I can't remember what the story was.
00;28;03;14 - 00;28;16;15
Speaker 2
You might be thinking of a pigment called Mummy Brown. It was a dark brown color that was actually made from, well, mummies. They grind up the mummies into a fine powder and mix it with other stuff to make the paint. Can you believe that?
00;28;16;18 - 00;28;21;01
Speaker 1
Yeah. When did that go down?
00;28;21;03 - 00;28;40;21
Speaker 2
Mummy Brown was popular from the mid 1700s to around the early 1900s. It was a pretty dark, transparent brown, so artists like using it for shadows and stuff like that. But as you can imagine, there were some serious ethical problems with using actual human remains for paint. So it fell out of favor.
00;28;40;23 - 00;28;49;23
Speaker 1
And was mostly used in Europe.
00;28;49;26 - 00;28;53;21
Speaker 1
Was it used all over?
00;28;53;23 - 00;29;13;17
Speaker 2
Yeah. Mummy Brown was actually pretty popular for a while. You'd find it in everything from oil paintings to watercolors. Some famous artists, like Eugene Delacroix, even used it in their work. It wasn't until people realized how creepy it was that it started to fall out of favor.
00;29;13;20 - 00;29;21;00
Speaker 1
Okay. Is there anything else you want to add about, anything.
00;29;21;03 - 00;29;37;00
Speaker 2
Sure. You know, even though some of those old pigments were dangerous or had a creepy origin, they produced some amazing colors that we still can't quite replicate today. Those old masters had some serious skills using whatever they had on hand to create beautiful works of art.
00;29;37;03 - 00;29;41;18
Speaker 1
Cool. That's a good note to end on.
00;29;41;20 - 00;29;44;14
Speaker 2
Good night to you too. Sleep well.