Raphael
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 302-306) and index.

"More versatile and less idiosyncratic than Michelangelo, more prolific and accessible than his mentor Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, though he died at only thirty-seven, is considered the single most influential artist of the Renaissance. While he is sometimes referred to as the paradigm of classicism and the main source of an academic tradition that flows through 350 years of subsequent European painting, his art-historical significance is much greater. His wide-ranging production, stylistic adventurousness and limitless invention made him a permanent reference point for later artists. Renowned art historian Paul Joannides -- who is a leading expert on the drawings of Raphael -- explores the different social and regional contexts of Raphael's work and discusses all aspects of his artistic output. The foundation of the artist's versatility and range was his supreme clarity of mind as a draughtsman. An understanding of Raphael's drawings is central to understanding his achievement, and Joannides applies his expertise as he traces Raphael's career from his origins in Urbino, through his drawings and altarpieces made in Umbria in the shadow of Perugino, to the first flowering of his genius in Florence. Raphael's employment by Pope Julius II gave him opportunities without parallel and encouraged the full expansion of his genius. As a restlessly experimental polymath, Raphael dominated Rome's artistic life and he radically transformed everything he touched"--Back cover.