Raphael (1520-1483)

Idioma: Inglés 
Editorial: Skira 
543 páginas 
 
Descripción 
 
"The echoes of the celebrations for the fifth centenary of Leonardo's death have not yet faded and the spotlight is already on the 500th anniversary of Raphael's passing. But this is only a seeming coincidence. If ever there was an artist who could interpret the legendary genius of da Vinci with such sensitivity and originality, it was the "divine painter" from Urbino. Theirs was a story of subtle references and affinities. The Transfiguration, which Vasari tells us was hung next to Raphael's deathbed, "at the end of the room where he worked", was the final outcome of an artistic research that would have produced many other surprising works. But it is also an act of reverence and shows a keen understanding of some of the fundamental concepts of Leonardo's research, regarding the use of light and perspective.
We know that after the period da Vinci spent in Rome from 1513 to 1516, he became a point of reference in Raphael's mature work; however, it is significant that in the Transfiguration the latter still drew on the Adoration of the Magi that was commissioned from Leonardo in 1481 and left unfinished when he moved from Florence to Milan. In this painting, the Tuscan master had created two different perspectives to depict, as has been written, a truly special story that interweaves the human andthe divine. Indeed, there are times in artists life when they seemingly take a step backwards in order to develop their poetics by reassessing the work of those who were an inspiration at the beginning of their careers. This is what happened to Raphael in Rome with regard to Leonardo, whose works he must have been familiar with even before his Florentine period between 1504 and 1508, when they became the model for his enchanting Madonnas and insightful portraits.
The catalogue sheds light on the ongoing experimentation that characterized Raphael's art and his manifold activities as a painter; architect, designer, prolific draughtsman (who provided designs for various artefacts), enthusiastic collector of antiquities, archaeologist and, from 1515, "praefectus marmorum et lapidum omnium".
In other words, a universal artist like Leonardo, though so different from him. Only a few of Raphael's writings have come down to us, but
the famous Letter to Leo X, written with the help of his friend Baldassarre Castiglione, is by far the most interesting. The letter speaks of conservation, restoration, respect for heritage, and the responsibility of ensuring that the past, which the artist saw as one with the present, is preserved for the future. But it also speaks of peace.
There are many reasons why the two curators of the exhibition,
Marzia Faietti and Matteo Lafranconi - flanked by a host of scholars
and specialists in the various sectors, coordinated by an international
Scholarly Committee chaired by Sylvia Ferino-Pagden - enthusiasti-
cally embraced this most challenging project that had its share of question marks. The first was the awareness that, for the younger generations (and not only for them), Raphael is still an impecable example of profesionalism and dedication to one's work. It may be added that, in his day, he provided an unparalleled model for the organization of collective work, which, however, still respected individual talents. But what makes Raphael even more interesting and significantly relevant today is that, as a man of peace, he weathered the turbulent years of Julius Il and shared the hopes of those who saw Leo X as the great peacemaker.
History betrayed these hopes, but Raphael's death, which by a strange coincidence occurred on 6 April, the day of Good Friday and the same date that he was born, spared him the harsher times reserved for the countless artists who had come to seek their fortune in Rome after 1520, many of whom were helpless witnesses to the Sack of the city in 1527.
Raphael died a few months before Luther responded to the papal bull Exsurge Domine, promulgated in January, with his Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation of August 1520. The world was changing rapidly and the hopes that had accompanied the master's life seemed doomed to perish. How would Raphael have reacted to the demands of his time, had he lived longer? He would certainly have been helped by the power of memory and an awareness of the legacy of the past and responsibility towards it, combined with an unswerving commitment to the future.
While reflecting on the master from Urbino, we realized that times have hardly changed, at least in the desire for universal peace. Rather than the death of Raphaeh, perhaps we should celebrate his rebirth."
 
Eike D. Schmidt
Director of the Gallerie degli Uffizi