Raphael in New York

I was fortunate to be in New York this spring soon after the Raphael: Sublime Poetry exhibition launched at the Metropolitan Musuem of Art.

I’m a long-time Met member, and I had asked my son to wait for my visit so we could see it together. It was extremely crowded when we went, but it was still a fabulous exhibition and I was pleased I could see it on my couple of days in New York.

The exhibition, running through 28 June, is the largest comprehensive exhibition of Raphael in the United States – bringing together almost 200 of his works, plus many examples of his teacher, Perugino.

The Renaissance artist Raphael – or Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (1483–1520) was born in the picturesque town of Urbino, in Italy’s Marche region. After studying under his artist father, Raphael would go on to apprentice under Perugino (Pietro Vannucci, 1448-1523).

This exhibition brings together drawings, paintings, and tapestries from across Europe and the United States – from both public galleries and private collections. Many pieces, such as the altar collection in thne photo above, have never been displayed together in their original format.

La fornarina, the painting above, is one I see often in Rome – at its home in the Barberini Gallery. This is thought to be a painting of Raphael’s lover, Margherita Luti, the daughter of a baker in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood. This was painted soon before Raphael’s death in 1520, and it is a portrait he kept in his studio.

As one who loves art, it’s often fun to enjoy famous pieces far from their “usual homes”.

There were also plenty of artworks showing how he was influenced by other artists, including his teacher, Perugino, and he was said to show influences from his contemporaries, too, including Michelangelo.

It was an extremely interesting exhibition – and it’s well worth a visit to The Met before it closes this summer.