Review
“The National Gallery has published an extremely handsome exhibition catalogue which is really more of a book on Raphael than it is a guide to the exhibition”—Literary Review


Book Description
A gorgeous and essential book on Raphael--one of the greatest painters in the history of art--tracing the evolution of his career from its origins in central Italy to the prestigious patronage of Pope Julius II in Rome

This magnificent book traces the dramatic evolution of Raphael’s style, from his earliest work as a competent master of provincial church decoration in Urbino to his later, masterful paintings in Rome. With beautiful color illustrations of more than 90 of the artist’s paintings and drawings, accompanied by detailed catalogue entries and informative essays by distinguished scholars, the book is destined to become a classic text on this revered Renaissance artist.

Included in the book are discussions of Raphael’s origins in Urbino, his earliest influences, and his first works for churches in Umbria and the Marches. The influence of Leonardo and Michelangelo on the young artist as well as the flourishing of his art under the enlightened patronage of Pope Julius II are also studied in detail. The book concludes with two short essays on Raphael’s great Vatican frescoes and with a look at the artist’s longstanding reputation and the presence of his work in many great British collections.

• Raphael: From Urbino to Rome accompanies the first major exhibition of paintings and drawings by Raphael ever to be held in Britain. The show is on view at the National Gallery, London, from October 20, 2004, to January 16, 2005.










About the Author
Hugo Chapman is Assistant Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum; Tom Henry is an independent scholar; Carol Plazzotta is Myojin Curator of Italian Renaissance Painting 1500–1600 at the National Gallery, London; Jill Dunkerton is a restorer in the National Gallery’s Conservation Department; Arnold Nesselrath is an art historian and restorer based at the Vatican Museum, Rome; and Nicholas Penny is Senior Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Within little more than a decade Raffaello di Giovanni Santi (1483-1520) transformed himself from a master of provincial church decoration to one of the greatest painters who ever lived. This illustrated catalogue tells the story of his artistic journey from Urbino, where he was born, to the papal court in Rome, via the Central Italian cities of Citta di Castello, Perugia, Siena and Florence." This book follows this dramatic evolution from his origins in Urbino and the early influences of his father, Giovanni Santi, and the famous Umbrian master Pietro Perugino. It explores his earliest works in Umbria and his studies in Florence under the influence of Leonardo and Michelangelo, concluding by investigating how and why Raphael's art flourished and changed so dramatically under the enlightened patronage of Pope Julius II in Rome.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal