November 6, 2004

In London, the National Gallery’s historical new Raphael exhibition consists of over 800 paintings and drawings from the early years of the artist’s work. Son of a minor artist, Giovanni Santi, Raphael was born in Urbino in 1483 and, by his early teens, acknowledged as a master artist. The work in exhibition traces the his artistic journey from the Duchy of Urbino to the papal court at Rome depicting the extraordinary precocity of his talent as well as the obsession that drove him to work.

This is the most comprehensive display of Raphael’s work that has ever been seen outside Italy, also showcasing drawings and paintings by artists whose impact on his life contributed to his greatest work: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Piero Perugino. The excitement generated was such that before the exhibition opened to the public 5,000 people booked their tickets and crowds of up to 18,000 are expected each week.

Viewing the work was an awe-inspiring experience and the seven packed galleries holding the work on exhibition were almost silent as the crowd moved reverently from wall to wall. Those who spoke did so in whispers overwhelmed in the presence of the High Renaissance luminaries.

The exhibition began with a self-portrait drawn with confidence and assurance by Raphael in his early teens. He was by all accounts a handsome, gently mannered person with numerous admirers. His early death at the age of 37 was brought about, legend has it, by his fondness for the fair sex. It plunged the papal court in mourning and Pope Leo the Tenth, it was documented, was deeply saddened.

By 1500, the date of the first self-portrait, Raphael was established as master painter, using his father’s workshop as his operational base. In the space of a few years he produced several important altarpieces and banners to be carried in religious processions. On display were two canvas banners showing their age, that had been used in processions for two hundred years after the artist’s death and had never before been displayed outside their towns.

Among the exhibits, a wondrously designed processional cross from Milan is a brilliant merging of carpentry and design with images picked out in tempera and gold, attributed to the artist only 30 years ago. The curators of the exhibition, Plazzotta and Tom Henry, have been working since ‘98, to put the show together. “No show will ever be this difficult again because of the calibre of the artist” said Plazzotta. “Everything about it has been epic”.

It is postulated that Raphael’s first extended stay in Florence may have been as early as 1504 when, as a 21-year-old artist, he witnessed the rivalry between his elders, Leonardo and Michelangelo, as they created their designs for the great Council Chamber of the Florentine government. The impact of these artists on his work is seen in a more spontaneous drawing style and growing awareness of three-dimensional form.

This is an exhibition which will no doubt bring art lovers back many times before it ends in January. Each of the galleries needs to be studied at length and in depth to benefit fully from the rare opportunity. Of the many magnificent pieces on display, in retrospect, I felt his presence most actively in two particular paintings.

One, a portrait of his great patron Pope Julius-XI. Amazingly life-like, it is said that the portrait struck fear into those who saw it. Simply dressed, his careworn expression contrasts intriguingly with the great, jewelled rings of office on powerful hands. Looking closely one finds gleaming, metal acorns decorating his throne that allude to his family name. In these devices, Raphael has painted a reflection of the papal apartments.

The other portrait of a beautiful woman has a touch of the Mona Lisa about it but that is diffused with Raphael’s own sense of harmony and beauty. La Velata is a sensuously portrayed, richly attired woman painted in 1512 with a softer approach to painting that heralded a new chapter in Raphael’s art during the remaining eight years of his life.