Raphael revealed
Explore the work of one of Europe’s greatest artists – who died 500 years ago.
Step into the National Gallery in London for a spellbinding journey through the work of the Renaissance artist Raphael. The Renaissance was a period in European history dating from around 1300 to 1500, when people took ideas from ancient Greece and Rome and used them to create beautiful art. It was also a time of important scientific discoveries.
The Raphael exhibition marks the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death. On display are designs, drawings and paintings from museums and galleries around the world that reveal how his ideas of beauty and friendship can inspire us today.
Born Raffaello Sanzio in 1483 in Urbino, Italy, Raphael loved to paint but by the time he was 11 both his parents had died. Later on, Raphael worked in the city of Florence, where he met two other great Renaissance artists – Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. He studied their works and started using their style in his paintings, which made religious figures appear more realistic than before. Raphael’s paintings became so popular that he was summoned to the Vatican in Rome by Pope Julius II to paint frescoes (a type of wall painting). Raphael also helped design St Peter’s Basilica, a spectacular church in Rome, and designed tapestries (pictures woven in cloth).
Raphael died when he was just 37 but this exhibition shows how his ideas live on. Art expert Jonathan Jones says, “He celebrated life with every painting he did.”
Raphael runs until 31 July at the National Gallery in London. You can find out more about the painter and the show at tinyurl.com/TWJ-raphael