Raphael, Portrait of Bindo Altoviti, 1515. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The National Gallery’s landmark Raphael exhibition was originally planned to open in September 2020 to mark the fifth centenary of the prolific master’s early death at the age of 37. Now, in the spirit of international collaboration in the arts, the exhibition has opened almost exactly as planned, every bit as illuminating. Over two lectures art historian Dr Richard Stemp will introduce the exhibition in detail, as an expert preparation for your visit - or to make up for its loss if you cannot make it to London.
Study evening - includes two lectures, Q&A and a coffee break. Tickets £20
Lecture One: Extraordinary Beginnings
Raphael was the artistic equivalent of a sponge, and soaked up the art of those around him as he moved from place to place. Trained by his father in Urbino, as a young man he moved to Perrugia where according to 16th century artist and author Giorgio Vasari “it was impossible to distinguish clearly between Raphael’s own original works and Perugino’s”. Before long he moved to Florence, where he fell under the spell of both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Coffee break (15 minutes)
Lecture Two: Triumph in Rome
The young artist’s ability to absorb influences and integrate them into his own work, and to charm those around him, meant that he was soon in unprecedented demand, even to the exclusion of the more experienced artists. While many of the projects he worked on in Rome – the frescoes for Popes Julius II and Leo X, for example, and the tapestries for the Sistine Chapel – can’t, for obvious reason, be included in the exhibition, many glorious paintings are. We will consider these in detail, and in the context of the fixed and fragile works which cannot be transported to London.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.