AccordingtoGiorgioVasari,thefirstarthistorian,theRenaissancewascentredonarevivalofinterestinclassicalartthatbeganandflourishedinItaly.Waldemardisagrees,andaccusesVasarioferrantjingoism.Infact,themostsignificantearlydevelopmentsinRenaissancearttookplacenotinItaly,butinthe‘barbarian’landsofFlandersandGermany.InsteadofunderstandingtheRenaissanceasareturntoclassicalmodels,weshouldseeitasaclimaxofmedievalvalues-anepochofhugereligiouspassionsandpowerfulhumanemotions.Theserieswillcelebratematerialthatisnewtotelevision.WaldemarwillincludeartthatisnotusuallythoughtofasRenaissanceart.Thiswillinvolve're-classifying'whatissometimescalledLateGothic,andshowingitoffasamarvellousandnativeartistictradition,particularlyintheremarkablefieldofpolychromesculpture.Ontopofallthenewarttobeintroduced,WaldemarwillalsolookfromfreshandintriguinganglesatmanyoftheestablishedRenaissancegiants,includingMichelangelointheVatican,LeonardointheLouvre,BotticelliintheUffiziandVanEyckinGhent.
