Raphael

By the time Raphael died, aged just 37, he had changed the face of Western culture forever – and not just painting. With 90 exhibits, this show at the National Gallery, London (9 April–31 July), explores his influence on architecture, archaeology, poetry and many other fields. The show traces the artist’s career chronologically, beginning with his early years in Urbino, in the Marche in eastern Italy, and  concluding with the major portraits of his final years – including the famous Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (c. 1519). Sections are dedicated to Raphael’s architectural work in Rome and to his tapestries – the latter includes his famous series of works depicting the Acts of the Apostles, which once hung in the Sistine Chapel in rivalry with Michelangelo’s frescoes, with digital replicas of the original tapestries created especially for the exhibition.

Find out more from the National Gallery’s website.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary here 

The Madonna and Child with Saint John the Baptist and Saint Nicholas of Bari (‘The Ansidei Madonna’) (1505), Raphael. Photo: © The National Gallery, London

Terranuova Madonna (c. 1505), Raphael. Courtesy: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie. Photo: Jörg P. Anders

Study for An Angel (c. 1515 – 16), Raphael. Photo: © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

The Madonna and Child with the Infant Baptist (The Garvagh Madonna) (c. 1509 -10), Raphael. Photo: © National Gallery, London