online course led by art historian Siân Walters
Raphael is often referred to as one of the three giants of the Italian High Renaissance, alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo.
His talents were wide-ranging – we know him best today as a painter and draughtsman – but he also made designs for tapestries, sculptures and mosaics and worked as an architect and archaeologist.
Raphael was known for being a warm and relatable man who cared deeply about humanity. The sense of love and empathy in his art is partly why it feels so relevant today.
On this three-week course we will survey the artist’s short but glittering 20-year career, exploring different aspects of his work from portraiture to architecture. We'll also discover what recent scientific analysis reveals about his paintings in the Gallery’s collection and learn about the importance of framing his works authentically.
RAFAËL (1483 – 1520)
EEN BRILJANTE SCHILDER EN ARCHITECT VAN DE ITALIAANSE HOOGRENAISSANCE
1. A master in the making
Part 1
We will explore how Raphael achieved this extraordinary rise in status, tracing the development of his early works made under the influence of Perugino and Pintoricchio, to his encounters with Michelangelo and Leonardo in Florence, culminating in his masterpieces of painting and drawing created in Rome.
Part 2
We will be joined by architectural historian Professor Deborah Howard, from the University of Cambridge, who will discuss Raphael’s career as an architect, from his painted structures to his designs for the Villa Madama.
Image: Detail from Raphael, 'The Mond Crucifixion', about 1502-3
2. The universal artist
We consider the sheer variety of Raphael’s projects in Rome, including his multimedia designs for the chapel in Santa Maria della Pace (combining fresco, bronze roundels and an oil on panel altarpiece), his innovative frescoes for the Stanza della Segnatura and his majestic painting, 'The Ecstasy of St Cecilia' (1518, Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna), executed in Rome, for the church of San Giovanni in Monte in Bologna. We will also explore his tapestry designs, prints and archaeological activities.
Part 2
We go beneath the surface of paintings with Rachel Billinge, Research Associate in the National Gallery's Conservation Department. Rachel will discuss her technical investigation of several paintings by Raphael, including 'The Madonna of the Pinks', explaining what she has discovered about the creation of this and other exquisite masterpieces in the National Gallery.
Image: Detail from Raphael, 'The Madonna of the Pinks ('La Madonna dei Garofani')', about 1506-7
3. Raphael’s portraits
Part 1
We explore some of Raphael’s greatest portraits, from the double portrait of Andrea Navagero with his friend Agostino Beazzano (1516, Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome), to the intriguing 'La Fornarina' (c.1519-20, Gallerie Nazionali di Arte Antica, Rome), one of Raphael’s most sensual works.
We will also discuss Raphael’s relationship with the humanist and author, Baldassare Castiglione, the influence of Florentine art on earlier masterpieces such as the 'Portrait of Young Woman with Unicorn' (c.1505-6, Galleria Borghese, Rome), and how writings and images of Raphael, from his own lifetime and beyond, have influenced his legacy and scholarly reception.
Part 2
We are joined by Peter Schade, Head of Framing at the National Gallery. He will discuss a tabernacle frame that the Gallery has recently acquired and adapted for Raphael's 'Saint Catherine of Alexandria', and which is on view for the first time in our exhibition.
Image: Detail from Raphael, 'Portrait of Pope Julius II', 1511
