April 4, 2020
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The handsome man had contracted the deadly infectious disease through his penchant for pleasure – as the art historian Giorgio Vasari will write in a biography a few decades later.
Today, this connection between an excessive sex life and Raphael’s death is referred to the realm of legend by experts.
For this, some emphasize the topicality of the high Renaissance genius on the 500th anniversary of his death: he was a young star who had fans and supporters as a teenager. A type of entrepreneur who ran his workshop almost like a start-up.
A clever mind that won over bankers, clergymen and women. And a conservationist who wanted to save the ancient treasures of Rome from decay.
Virtual show for Raphael
The 500th birthday of the Renaissance master on April 6th is now the hanger for the booking platform Musement to create a virtual museum. Over 100 works by the painter are now edited free of charge and charmingly to look at on the Internetwhich can be found in the original in the Uffzien von Florenz, the Sempergalerie Dresden or in the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
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With Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Michelangelo (1475-1564), Raphael formed a kind of triumvirate of the Renaissance. In this era of “rebirth”, people rediscovered ancient works and knowledge. From Italy, this thinking conquered other regions of Europe.
Raphael is particularly known for his Madonna paintings. Born in Urbino in 1483 in the Marches as a son of an artist, he discovered the charm of depictions of Mary early on. In addition to his father, who died when Raphael was still a boy, Pietro Perugino is also a role model who runs workshops in Perugia and Florence. The young talent apprentices with the master and grows beyond him.
A woman holds her baby to her bottom and back with gentle hands. The mother’s head lies on the child’s cheek with a smile. The “Madonna and Child / Madonna Tempi” from 1507/08 (Alte Pinakothek / Munich) is an example of how the painter combines naturalness with idealized feeling and exaggerated beauty.
Painted moods of the soul
At the beginning he orientates himself a little stiffly on his teachers, on proven face types and poses. Later, Raffael is looking for his own way with a bolder and more courageous attitude. He paints a suspected lover as a baker’s daughter (“La Fornarina”) and the heroic figures of ancient myths. But the man from the brands holds onto the ideal image of beauty.
“It is considered the high point of the High Renaissance for the harmony and beauty that he achieves in his compositions,” explains art historian Michael Rohlmann. Or, as is often said, as a painter of moods. “There has been a tremendous development in his work from the beginnings in Umbria, which were graceful, delicate and courtly cultivated, to his Roman era. His art was much more moving, more dramatic, more rhetorical, more narrative, ”says Rohlmann.
Raphael documentaries on TV
In “Raphael. A Mortal God ”shows Henrike Sandner“ Artists and Works Far from All Clichés ”. To be seen as part of “kulturMontag” on April 6 at 11:15 p.m. on ORF 2. On April 5 at 11:55 a.m., the cultural program “Sternstunde Kunst” by the Swiss television broadcaster SRF1 brings the one-hour documentary “Raffael – Driven by Beauty, Eros and ambition ”, which explains why his frescoes“ made him not only a master of perfect beauty, but also a pioneer of erotic art, ”said the program announcement. “The Painter Raphael, Superstar of the Renaissance” is a 30-minute audio contribution from the cultural radio station SWR2 (April 2, 8:30 a.m., to be heard on swr.de). The history program series “ZeitZeichen” of the radio WDR3 will also be dedicated to the painter on April 6 (5.45 pm).
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After his apprenticeship in Florence, Pope Julius II 1508/09 calls him to Rome. The pontiff commissioned Raphael to design the papal private rooms, the “stamping”. Raphael is also in demand as an architect. From 1514 he was the master builder at St. Peter’s Basilica. Raphael also takes on large orders from other financially strong personalities. He is involved in the design of the Villa Farnesina on the banks of the Tiber for a Tuscan banker.
He designs motifs for the Vatican tapestries. His commitment to preserve ancient sites in Rome has been preserved. He is archaeologically on the move, drawing buildings and city maps. In order to get more support for this, he wrote a letter to Pope Leo X shortly before his death.
Uffizi director Eike Schmidt discovers references to today not only in Raphael’s art, but also in his business sense. He gave the creative people a lot of freedom in his workshop – almost like “start-up companies,” he says. The young star uses the team to popularize his work. This is what the print graphics are for. As historians report, he has paintings and frescoes reproduced by a friend of his engraver. This means that what is otherwise only enjoyable for a few on the wall or ceiling can be sold more widely.
After his surprising death, the exceptional artist is buried in a former temple from antiquity, which he loved so much, in the Pantheon. Italy actually wanted to honor Raphael with several shows throughout the year. The mega exhibition in the Scuderie del Quirinale museum had to close shortly after the opening in March due to the corona wave.
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