1492- You probably remember the date from school, and you probably remember one man: Christopher Columbus.
But before Columbus even got onto his ship, Spain had already changed. In January, Granada, the last Muslim-ruled kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, surrendered. In March, Jews who refused to convert were ordered to leave. And a scholar quietly published a grammar book that turned out to be far more political than it sounds.
In this episode, we leave Columbus on the shore for a while and look at the world around him. We travel through al-Andalus, where Christians, Jews and Muslims lived side by side (not always peacefully, but connected), and we look at the buildings and books that prove it, from the synagogues of Toledo to the Alba and Kennicott Bibles.
Then we bring Columbus back, minus the romance. Why was he really heading for Asia? Why was everyone so obsessed with spices? And what does “discovered” mean when millions of people were already there?
It’s a story about trade, faith, forced migration, language and power. And it happens right in the middle of the Renaissance, while Leonardo is painting in Milan.
Because the Renaissance wasn’t born in a studio. It was born in a connected world. And 1492 shows us that connection isn’t always kind.
28 Oct 2026
Everybody Wants Leonardo | The Myth of Genius
We've finally reached the last episode of our Leonardo da Vinci series. And yes, we're finally talking properly about the Mona Lisa!
But first, Leonardo is off to France. This time, he isn't desperately looking for someone to hire him. Quite the opposite. King Francis I wants Leonardo at his court simply because he's Leonardo.
Not bad for someone who started out as an apprentice in a Florentine workshop.
In this episode, we're exploring the Mona Lisa, the famous Vitruvian Man, Leonardo's extraordinary notebooks, his anatomical drawings and his rather impressive collection of unfinished projects.
And we're finally tackling that word everyone loves to use: genius.
Because I have a bit of a problem with the idea that great artists are simply born with some magical talent.
Leonardo spent his life looking, learning, practising, experimenting and occasionally getting things spectacularly wrong. His Vitruvian Man is a wonderful reminder that drawing isn't magic. It's also geometry, observation, proportion and knowledge.
And that's good news for the rest of us. Because those are things we can actually learn.
So was Leonardo extraordinary? Absolutely.
But perhaps the most interesting thing about him isn't that he was a genius.
It's how he became Leonardo.
🎨 Room for Colours is a video podcast! Watch the artworks as we explore them, or simply listen along.
Art history without the unnecessary academic blah blah blah.
21 Oct 2026
Leonardo da Vinic- he was up for hire
🎥 Room for Colours is now a video podcast!
Yes, you can finally see my face! After years of showing you only my hands while painting, I've decided to change things a little. Turns out, painting and recording a podcast at the same time is quite a lot of work, especially when you can't paint fast enough to keep up with your own storytelling!
So from now on, you'll see me talking, with artworks popping up whenever they fit the story. And yes, I've kept myself in black and white. Don't ask me why. I just feel more comfortable that way!
And what better way to start than with Leonardo da Vinci?
In this episode, we're following Leonardo to Milan, where he tries to impress the powerful Ludovico Sforza. We're talking about Renaissance courts, a rather unusual job application, an enormous unfinished horse, The Last Supper, and what happens when art, money and politics collide.
This is episode two of my Leonardo series, but the very first Room for Colours video podcast on Spotify. Of course, you can still just listen if you prefer!
Welcome to Room for Colours. Same art history, same stories, just a little more of me. 🎨
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