Synopsis
When Raphael died in 1520 his last painting, The Transfiguration, was just finished. It was placed at the head of his bier, while the great and the good of Rome filed past, paying homage to the artist and his work. Such an accolade would be remarkable even today; in the sixteenth century, it was unprecedented – testimony to Raphael’s singular fame.
This series of three webinars, conceived to complement the National Gallery’s exhibition Raphael (9 April- 31 July 2022), will follow the trajectory of his brief but dazzling career, from his origins in Urbino and formative encounters with Leonardo and Michelangelo in Florence, to his meteoric rise in Rome, where he swiftly became the preferred artist of the Papal Court, reaping the financial and social rewards of fame. Looking at masterpieces such as the Florentine Madonnas, the Vatican Stanze, the V&A Cartoons and of course the Transfiguration itself, we shall trace Raphael’s astonishing evolution and learn how he re-defined the art of painting, establishing a visual legacy that would endure for centuries.
This series of three webinars, conceived to complement the National Gallery’s exhibition Raphael (9 April- 31 July 2022), will follow the trajectory of his brief but dazzling career, from his origins in Urbino and formative encounters with Leonardo and Michelangelo in Florence, to his meteoric rise in Rome, where he swiftly became the preferred artist of the Papal Court, reaping the financial and social rewards of fame. Looking at masterpieces such as the Florentine Madonnas, the Vatican Stanze, the V&A Cartoons and of course the Transfiguration itself, we shall trace Raphael’s astonishing evolution and learn how he re-defined the art of painting, establishing a visual legacy that would endure for centuries.