Portrait of the artist
RAPHAEL: THE LORD OF THE ARTS, docudrama, not rated, The Screen, 3.5 chiles
Originally released in high definition 3-D, Raphael: The Lord of the Arts is an ambitious whirlwind tour of the Renaissance artist’s masterworks that showcases around 50 paintings by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520), who was known for his serene portraits and the sinuous grandeur of his human forms. The film was directed by the late Luca Viotto, a documentarian specializing in films that focus on Italy’s rich artistic history. His recent projects — Florence and the Uffizi Gallery (2015) and St. Peter’s and the Papal Basilicas of Rome (2016) — were also filmed in 3-D. Raphael, screening in Santa Fe in 2-D, is best described as a docudrama, and includes a number of dramatic, well-acted, and beautifully filmed reenactments with Flavio Parenti in the role of Raphael. The film stands as the first major documentary on the artist’s work, and was pared down from around 200 hours of footage to clock in at 90 minutes. Considering the number of works featured, it seems almost too brief.
What is remarkable is the access to these works granted to Viotto, who takes us right into the Sistine Chapel, which boasts the famous frescoes of Raphael’s biggest rival, Michelangelo. We see a reconstruction of how the chapel appeared in the early 16th century, when Raphael was given a papal commission to create a series of tapestries. Viotto also takes us into the Vatican to view the Stanze di Raffaello, a suite of chambers known as the Raphael Rooms, which contain a number of his frescos.
The film was made with the support of former Vatican Museum director Antonio Paolucci. It’s a passionately told reconstruction of the events of Raphael’s short but prolific career, and features just about all of his most well-known works, including The Woman With the Veil, The Transfiguration,
and Madonna of the Goldfinch. Viotto takes us to about 20 different sites in addition to the Vatican, including the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino and Brancacci Chapel in Florence. One is left astounded by the sheer impact of Raphael, who died on Good Friday at age thirty-seven from a mysterious and sudden illness. He left behind a staggering legacy, to which only those of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci can compare.
— Michael Abatemarco