Immortal Raphael
Raphael - Madonna Alba - 1511Raphael - Bindo Altoviti - 1515
From 9 April to 31 July 2022, the National Gallery in London presents one of the most comprehensive exhibitions ever dedicated to Raphael, one of the great geniuses of Western art.
G. Fernández · theartwolf.com · Images: Raphael, "Madonna Alba" (c.1509-11, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC) ·· Raphael, "Portrait of Bindo Altoviti" (c.1515, oil on panel, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC)
Here lies Raphael, by whom nature herself feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died, feared that she herself would dieInscription on Raphael's tombstone in the Pantheon in Rome
Originally planned to open to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death in April 2020, but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael” is undoubtedly one of the major cultural events of the year, an exhibition that traces the entire career of Raphael, whose life and career were brief but intense. In the words of the National Gallery, "Raphael's life was short, his work prolific and his legacy immortal".
Raphael's work, of course, has been the subject of countless studies, debates and exhibitions. Although his critical fortunes have waxed and waned over the centuries, he has never ceased to be considered one of the seminal figures of Renaissance art, and by extension of all Western art. The exhibition at the National Gallery in London seeks to set itself apart from other exhibitions devoted to Raphael by focusing on "not just his celebrated paintings and drawings – but also his not so widely known work in architecture, archaeology and poetry, as well as his designs for sculpture, tapestry, prints, and the applied arts". Indeed, in our brief biography of Raphael, we have already noted that, to his talent as an artist, Raphael added an indispensable task as a conservator of Roman antiquities. It is not unreasonable to suggest that a considerable part of Rome's most admired monuments would not have come down to us today had it not been for Raphael's efforts.
And yet, inevitably, paintings are the main protagonists of the exhibition. Following a more or less chronological order (although with some thematic rooms), the exhibition allows to appreciate the rapid evolution of Raphael's style, from his early works -such as the National Gallery's "Madonna Ansidei", painted at the beginning of his Florentine period- to mature works such as the "Madonna Alba" in Washington, painted just six years later.
The last room of the exhibition, devoted to portraits, is particularly attractive, including famous works such as the portraits of Baldassare Castiglione (1519, Paris, Louvre) or Bindo Altoviti (c.1515, National Gallery of Art, Washington). On a personal note, I find the inclusion of the "Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici" (c.1518) particularly interesting. Auctioned in 2007 for £18.5 million, still with serious doubts about its attribution despite Christie's optimism, the painting seems to have gained the acceptance of most experts, and this is at least the third time it has been included as authentic in a major exhibition, following the Prado's "The Last Raphael" in 2012, and in "The Medici: Portraits and Politics", organised by the Metropolitan Museum in 2021.

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