Art Appreciation – May/June 2025
At our May meeting, David Gearing gave a presentation on Raphael (1483-1520). For many art lovers today, his reputation has possibly been eclipsed by some of his contemporary artists, notably Michaelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, but David reminded us that this was not always so. For many years the most admired paintings in European art was not the Mona Lisa or the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but works by Raphael. Until the 19th century he was the exemplar for every artist trained in the western academic tradition.
After his early life and career in Umbria, he moved to Florence and learned from the outstanding artists in that city. Raphael then moved to Rome where his reputation and career flourished. He was in high demand from the most powerful people and patrons of art of the era, notably successive popes Julius II and Leo X.
His success as an artist was certainly based on remarkable talent, but he was also highly tenacious, and his charm was legendary, helping him to keep in favour with the rich and powerful. Raphael was able to acquire considerable status at court, and income to go with it. This was an age when artists were often great rivals for commissions, and Raphael certainly regarded da Vinci and especially Michaelangelo as competitors in this high stakes business. There was considerable personal animosity.
Some of his portraits are regarded as the finest of his age, and are a record of the politics and society in which he lived. These portraits include Lorenzo de Medici, Pope Leo X with two cardinals, and Pope Julius II. His portrait of his friend, the diplomat and humanist Baldassare Castiglione, is considered one of the finest of the Renaissance.
Raphael produced many works in oil but some of his greatest achievements are frescos. David explained some of the extraordinary technical and physical challenges of painting a fresco, especially on a large scale, which makes many of these works even more remarkable. One of his most celebrated works include The School of Athens, a large scale fresco with a complex composition, full of life and character. The technical challenges Raphael set himself in such works show his extraordinary talent. His ability to work on large scale commissions is possibly shown at its height in the Piccolomini Library in Siena Cathedral.
Of course, much of his work was commissioned for the church, and he produced a large number depicting the Madonna and Child, the Resurrection, saints, depositions and other scenes of religious significance.
Thank you to David for presenting such an enjoyable and well-researched survey of Raphael’s life and work. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday 10th June when members are invited to select a work of art by a female artist.
Lynne Vick, Convenor