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Raphael: A Passionate Life
Craving pleasure as well as knowledge, Raphael Sanzio was quick to realize that his talent would only be truly appreciated in the liberal, carefree and extravagantly sensual atmosphere of Rome during its golden age under Julius II and Leo X. Arriving in the city in 1508 at the age of twenty-five, he was entranced and seduced by life at the papal court and within a few months had emerged as the most brilliant star in its intellectual firmament. His art achieved a natural grace that was totally uninhibited and free from subjection. His death, at just thirty-seven, plunged the city into the kind of despair that follows the passing of an esteemed and much loved prince.
In this major new biography Antonio Forcellino retraces the meteoric arc of Raphael's career by re-examining contemporary documents and accounts and interpreting the artist's works with the eye of an expert art restorer. Raphael's paintings are vividly described and placed in their historical context. Forcellino analyses Raphael's techniques for producing the large frescos for which he is so famous, examines his working practices and his organization of what was a new kind of artistic workshop, and shows how his female portraits expressed and conveyed a new attitude to women. This rich and nuanced account casts aside the misconceptions passed on by those critics who persistently tried to undermine Raphael's mythical status, enabling one of the greatest artists of all time to re-emerge fully as both man and artist.
In this major new biography Antonio Forcellino retraces the meteoric arc of Raphael's career by re-examining contemporary documents and accounts and interpreting the artist's works with the eye of an expert art restorer. Raphael's paintings are vividly described and placed in their historical context. Forcellino analyses Raphael's techniques for producing the large frescos for which he is so famous, examines his working practices and his organization of what was a new kind of artistic workshop, and shows how his female portraits expressed and conveyed a new attitude to women. This rich and nuanced account casts aside the misconceptions passed on by those critics who persistently tried to undermine Raphael's mythical status, enabling one of the greatest artists of all time to re-emerge fully as both man and artist.
299 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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About the author
Antonio Forcellino
41 books33 followersAntonio Forcellino is an architect, a writer, and an art restorer.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 16, 2020
My first notice of Antonio Forcellino was in a lecture he gave in the Prado Museum on Sebastiano del Piombo and Michaelangelo. It has been recorded.. When I searched him I realized that apart from art history books he also wrote fiction—mainly fictionalized biographies of the Italian Renaissance figures. So, I ordered this book on the happy Raphael.
I picked this one first, over the one on Michelangelo: A Tormented Life, for two main reasons. One is that I am going to Urbino next month, and that is the city where Raphael was born. His home is now a museum. And two is that I was not too fond of Raphael, I found his paintings just too sweet, and was hoping to clarify my misgivings. Forcellino has certainly something to say about this.
Raphael had to be a happy man. In an era in which Christian religion had such a bearing on everything, he was in communion with his stars. He was born on Easter Friday, on the 24th of March in 1483. His life was blessed. It was, however, short. The holy stars accompanied him , nonetheless, till the end since he also died on Easter Friday, 6th of April in 1520. Just 37.
Forcellino’s book is a great read. His account of Raphael’s life is chronological but it could not be done otherwise, since in his work there was a ‘development’. This is something that Vasari, with his outlook on art history certainly underlined.
In his introduction Forcellino surveys the way Raphael’s art has been perceived ever since he died. It was from the start considered very novel and groundbreaking and enjoyed great success; it soon became an example of perfection. The beauty he could create was seen as the platonic embodiment of goodness and sanctity and so it represented perfect equilibrium. This perception continued until mid 19thC, the time of the onset of Industrialization in Europe. With the change in culture the idea that art had lost its honest simplicity came hand in hand with the birth of nostalgia and the hope for the recovery of moral truth. In art archaic forms were revived and styles that were considered too seductive in their perfection and sensuality were vilified. The lights were turned off for Raphael. And my own prejudice as mentioned above is also explained.
What I enjoyed most in this biography were the technical discussions. Forcellino is an art restorer, so his knowledge of the preparation of surfaces and pigments and binding materials is enviable. Accounts of the way a workshop worked function well in the novel since they replace phases in Raphael’s life that are simply not known, such as his early youth. On Forcellino’s work as a restorer there are several videos available online. His descriptions, or ekphrases to give this a higher-sounding word, are superb. He has the eye, but also the hand and knowledge…and the words.
This narrative did succeed in making me see Raphael’s work differently. Nearby I can admire more thoughtfully his La Perla, a painting of the Holy Family which acquired this nickname because it was once considered ‘the pearl’ of the Spanish Royal Collection – acquired during the phenomenal sale of the art collection of the English monarch Charles I after he was executed. It entered the collection when Velázquez was just an employee. But in the Prado collection I prefer his portrait of The Cardinal (Francesco Alidosi?). Now when I look at the shimmer of the cloth I remember Forcellino’s description of surfaces achieved by the Urbino painter.
I particularly enjoyed last year his Marriage of the Virgin, in the Brera. And Forcellino’s comparison with the painting that inspired it, Perugino’s in Caen, is brilliant, for Forcellino downplays the influence that this older artist exerted on young Raphael. Instead, he sees a greater weight on Raphael’s father Giovanni Santi.
Raphael
Perugino
Now, I look forward to contemplating The Ecstasy of St Cecilia in the Bologna Pinacoteca.
Of the historical aspects discussed in the book the part that I enjoyed the most was learning a bit more about the wealthiest man of the time, the banker Agostino Chigi. He played not a minor role in the extraordinary papacy of Julius II. His clout was not just financial, but also political, military, and, most interesting to us, cultural. His Villa Farnesina is just one specimen of his extensive patronage. His private life also offers some piquancy since he married a courtesan. But then that should not surprise us.
What I liked less in this account is the somewhat opinionated report of some personalities. His anger and frustration with the Borgias, not only seems imprudent in an historian, but at times amusing. Yes, of course the Borgias were cruel and brutal, but so was his nemesis and successor, Giuliano della Rovere, the pope Julius II, whose propaganda against the Valencian family was deployed with great success and whose trap Forcellino seems to have fallen into. Similarly, he is very critical of Sebastiano del Piombo and his supposed envy of Rapahel. I will have to listen again to his lecture I linked above.
I also have Forcellino’s 1545: Gli ultimi giorni del Rinascimento and hope to get his Michelangelo: A Tormented Life
December 12, 2019
This biography of Raphael is truly extraordinary - one of the best artist biographies I have ever read. Forcellino talks about Raphael's life, but also analyses his greatest works with precision and yet without going overboard on the academic side. Raphael is such an interesting character study, a sort of Renaissance Jimi Hendrix and this book is the perfect way to explore his life and his work.
I realized that aside from the ones in NY and DC and the Sixtine Madonna in Dresden, I have managed to see most of the critical pieces painted by Raphael. I recall being in the Pitti earlier this year and being stopped in my tracks by the Madonna della Seggiola. The problem in the Pitti (and also the Galerie Pamphilij in Rome where the Portrait of Navagero and Agostino Beazzano is up by the ceiling with tons of glare from the hot lighting) is the density of paintings hung on the walls. I guess I have been spoiled by 21st century museology where works more isolated wall treatment. The Madonna della Seggiola is in a tondo (or round format created by Fra Angelico about a century before this work) in a rectangular frame which is lavishly decorated. So much so, that this viewer is somewhat distracted from the masterpiece. Similarly, La Velata, also at the Pitti, is stuck between two lesser works and hard to appreciate in its current hanging. However, La Fornarina in the Palazzo Barberini has her own room (last time I was there last year anyhow) and she is absolutely stunning. I kept coming back to see this masterpiece over and over again. Here in the Louvre, we have the Raphaels that were sent to Francois Ie by the Pope Leo X (hoping with rising futility to avoid another invasion of Italy by foreign troops) and they are stunning as well. The book definitely made me want to return to the V&A in London which I have neglected for a few years to see the cartoons that Raphael made for the Sixtine tapestries.
I think that the collection of Raphael's work that made the deepest impression on me was the decoration of the Palazzo Farnesina in Rome for the Chigi family. Whether it is the magnificent Galatea or the wonderful nudes and vegetal grotesques overlooking the garden, it is truly a must-see in Rome along with the Palazzo Borghese and its Baglioni Entombment as well as, of course, the stanza in the Vatican. It is very regrettable that some of Raphael's work in the Vatican is off-limits to visitors - the Conversion of St Paul and the Life of St Peter is in the Pope's private chapel and there is an erotic chapel that embarrasses the curia even today.
If there is something uncomfortable about this story (and this goes for Leonardo as well), it is the lack of any political conscience of artists like Raphael to subscribe to the propagandistic programs of warmongering popes such as Julius II and corrupt popes such as Leo X. And the thing I learned which was highly disturbing was that during carnival in the Renaissance, one favorite activity was the palia. Today, the palia is a a horse race in Sienna and once town in Sicily to my knowledge which takes place inside the city walls and pits the various neighborhoods against each other. In the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, besides running horses, the citizens of Urbino, Rome, Florence, etc ran Jews and Gypsies as well. A perfectly chilling thought, anti-Semitism runs deep throughout European history.
I cannot say enough about the renewed appreciation I have for Raphael's work following my reading of this book. The only downside: I want to go back to Italy once again to see Urbino, Citta della Castello, and Perugia where Raphael had his stellar debut!
I realized that aside from the ones in NY and DC and the Sixtine Madonna in Dresden, I have managed to see most of the critical pieces painted by Raphael. I recall being in the Pitti earlier this year and being stopped in my tracks by the Madonna della Seggiola. The problem in the Pitti (and also the Galerie Pamphilij in Rome where the Portrait of Navagero and Agostino Beazzano is up by the ceiling with tons of glare from the hot lighting) is the density of paintings hung on the walls. I guess I have been spoiled by 21st century museology where works more isolated wall treatment. The Madonna della Seggiola is in a tondo (or round format created by Fra Angelico about a century before this work) in a rectangular frame which is lavishly decorated. So much so, that this viewer is somewhat distracted from the masterpiece. Similarly, La Velata, also at the Pitti, is stuck between two lesser works and hard to appreciate in its current hanging. However, La Fornarina in the Palazzo Barberini has her own room (last time I was there last year anyhow) and she is absolutely stunning. I kept coming back to see this masterpiece over and over again. Here in the Louvre, we have the Raphaels that were sent to Francois Ie by the Pope Leo X (hoping with rising futility to avoid another invasion of Italy by foreign troops) and they are stunning as well. The book definitely made me want to return to the V&A in London which I have neglected for a few years to see the cartoons that Raphael made for the Sixtine tapestries.
I think that the collection of Raphael's work that made the deepest impression on me was the decoration of the Palazzo Farnesina in Rome for the Chigi family. Whether it is the magnificent Galatea or the wonderful nudes and vegetal grotesques overlooking the garden, it is truly a must-see in Rome along with the Palazzo Borghese and its Baglioni Entombment as well as, of course, the stanza in the Vatican. It is very regrettable that some of Raphael's work in the Vatican is off-limits to visitors - the Conversion of St Paul and the Life of St Peter is in the Pope's private chapel and there is an erotic chapel that embarrasses the curia even today.
If there is something uncomfortable about this story (and this goes for Leonardo as well), it is the lack of any political conscience of artists like Raphael to subscribe to the propagandistic programs of warmongering popes such as Julius II and corrupt popes such as Leo X. And the thing I learned which was highly disturbing was that during carnival in the Renaissance, one favorite activity was the palia. Today, the palia is a a horse race in Sienna and once town in Sicily to my knowledge which takes place inside the city walls and pits the various neighborhoods against each other. In the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, besides running horses, the citizens of Urbino, Rome, Florence, etc ran Jews and Gypsies as well. A perfectly chilling thought, anti-Semitism runs deep throughout European history.
I cannot say enough about the renewed appreciation I have for Raphael's work following my reading of this book. The only downside: I want to go back to Italy once again to see Urbino, Citta della Castello, and Perugia where Raphael had his stellar debut!
September 23, 2018
La vita di Raffaello è la sua opera d’arte.
Ottima lettura. Forcellino ci fa immergere nell’Italia delle corti e del Rinascimento, senza farci pesare il trascorrere dei secoli. Ci parla dei Montefeltro e dei Medici come se fossero politici di oggi, persone che puoi incontrare per strada, seguiti da un codazzo di ambasciatori e segretari.
Una vita che pochi conoscono veramente. La sua passione per l’antico è fondamentale, così come fondamentale è l’amore per la bellezza, non solo ideale. Raffaello non si sposa mai, e forse è proprio grazie a questo che è riuscito a rivoluzionare il mondo artigianale della produzione artistica, trasformando un lavoro di bottega in una fucina di meraviglie. Cavalcando l’onda dei potenti, passando da corte a corte, fino ad arrivare a Roma, Raffaello cresce, assorbe idee, le manipola, le fa sue. Dà vita ad un mondo di Madonne terrene che sembrano ideali, mentre contemporaneamente dipinge dee e ninfe, cardinali e uomini di lettere.
Forcellino indaga l’anima dell’artista e il suo percorso stilistico: parte dal lavoro di bottega presso il padre, la sua giovanissima carriera di artista-maestro, i suoi viaggi a Perugia, il passaggio a Firenze, il suo arrivo a Roma, dove il pontefice lo accoglie a braccia aperte, ben felice di trovare un artista con un animo più allegro di quello di Michelangelo.
Eh già, perché Raffaello appare proprio il contrario di Michelangelo. Gioia e leggiadria, contrapposte alla cupezza d’animo del fiorentino. Raffaello si circonda di allievi e garzoni, che entrano ben presto nella progettazione diretta delle opere, dando consigli ed idee. Con Raffaello nasce un’altra idea di bottega, un luogo in cui il genio di molti si unisce per creare la miglior opera d’arte del momento.
Forcellino indaga anche il periodo storico in cui Raffaello vive. Ci racconta della storia perugina dei Baglioni, ci descrive l’assedio e l’attacco di Prato da parte del futuro papa Leone X, ci parla di Isabella d’Este e delle donne intelligenti e istruite che regnano nelle corti italiane. Ci parla anche delle atmosfere romane sotto i papi Borgia, Della Rovere e Medici. Atmosfere che cambiano a seconda del regnante e dei suoi seguaci.
Tutte queste informazioni vengono presentate con una leggerezza di linguaggio che non fa pesare la lettura, pur dando l’impressione di accrescere la cultura del lettore. Ci sono molte note, con continui riferimenti a documenti e fonti. L’apparato iconografico aiuta nel capire modifiche di gusti, di stili, semplici descrizioni, scelte iconografiche e così via.
Un’ottima lettura, anche per chi di Raffaello non sa niente.
Ottima lettura. Forcellino ci fa immergere nell’Italia delle corti e del Rinascimento, senza farci pesare il trascorrere dei secoli. Ci parla dei Montefeltro e dei Medici come se fossero politici di oggi, persone che puoi incontrare per strada, seguiti da un codazzo di ambasciatori e segretari.
Una vita che pochi conoscono veramente. La sua passione per l’antico è fondamentale, così come fondamentale è l’amore per la bellezza, non solo ideale. Raffaello non si sposa mai, e forse è proprio grazie a questo che è riuscito a rivoluzionare il mondo artigianale della produzione artistica, trasformando un lavoro di bottega in una fucina di meraviglie. Cavalcando l’onda dei potenti, passando da corte a corte, fino ad arrivare a Roma, Raffaello cresce, assorbe idee, le manipola, le fa sue. Dà vita ad un mondo di Madonne terrene che sembrano ideali, mentre contemporaneamente dipinge dee e ninfe, cardinali e uomini di lettere.
Forcellino indaga l’anima dell’artista e il suo percorso stilistico: parte dal lavoro di bottega presso il padre, la sua giovanissima carriera di artista-maestro, i suoi viaggi a Perugia, il passaggio a Firenze, il suo arrivo a Roma, dove il pontefice lo accoglie a braccia aperte, ben felice di trovare un artista con un animo più allegro di quello di Michelangelo.
Eh già, perché Raffaello appare proprio il contrario di Michelangelo. Gioia e leggiadria, contrapposte alla cupezza d’animo del fiorentino. Raffaello si circonda di allievi e garzoni, che entrano ben presto nella progettazione diretta delle opere, dando consigli ed idee. Con Raffaello nasce un’altra idea di bottega, un luogo in cui il genio di molti si unisce per creare la miglior opera d’arte del momento.
Forcellino indaga anche il periodo storico in cui Raffaello vive. Ci racconta della storia perugina dei Baglioni, ci descrive l’assedio e l’attacco di Prato da parte del futuro papa Leone X, ci parla di Isabella d’Este e delle donne intelligenti e istruite che regnano nelle corti italiane. Ci parla anche delle atmosfere romane sotto i papi Borgia, Della Rovere e Medici. Atmosfere che cambiano a seconda del regnante e dei suoi seguaci.
Tutte queste informazioni vengono presentate con una leggerezza di linguaggio che non fa pesare la lettura, pur dando l’impressione di accrescere la cultura del lettore. Ci sono molte note, con continui riferimenti a documenti e fonti. L’apparato iconografico aiuta nel capire modifiche di gusti, di stili, semplici descrizioni, scelte iconografiche e così via.
Un’ottima lettura, anche per chi di Raffaello non sa niente.
August 4, 2022
Unfortunately Raphael’s life was not documented as well as his other stellar contemporaries. The author did the best he could to make this book interesting, sharing facts of what is known about the artist childhood and teenage years, about his relatives and patrons, some remarkable fragments of historical events, description of some the Raphael’s artworks. Reading recently the book about Raphael that was originally published in 1923, made me wander if since then something new was added, and yes, there are some changes. But many parts are still remain a mystery.
I have always liked Raphael’s work, in fact, one of my earliest memories about Renaissance art is the image of The Cictine Madonna in one of the books my parents have owned. I loved looking at that painting.
Most recent impression was made during the visit to Louvre several years ago. It was very striking how his painting style was so fluid, changing. I even stopped to read the curators notes several times beside the paintings never seen by me before, to make sure that I’m still looking at Raphael’s works and not some other Italian artist of that time period.
So as the common sense would tell us, he was constantly evolving, learning from observation of the other artists works, making copies like everyone else, polishing his own individual touch, and becoming more and more sophisticated.
One of my favorite parts in this book was when author describes how the artists of the fifteenth century were preparing the surface for painting, fascinating and very meticulous process.
I have always liked Raphael’s work, in fact, one of my earliest memories about Renaissance art is the image of The Cictine Madonna in one of the books my parents have owned. I loved looking at that painting.
Most recent impression was made during the visit to Louvre several years ago. It was very striking how his painting style was so fluid, changing. I even stopped to read the curators notes several times beside the paintings never seen by me before, to make sure that I’m still looking at Raphael’s works and not some other Italian artist of that time period.
So as the common sense would tell us, he was constantly evolving, learning from observation of the other artists works, making copies like everyone else, polishing his own individual touch, and becoming more and more sophisticated.
One of my favorite parts in this book was when author describes how the artists of the fifteenth century were preparing the surface for painting, fascinating and very meticulous process.
January 26, 2019
Con Michelangelo e Leonardo, Raffaello completa il trittico dei colossi del Rinascimento. Personaggio meno tormentato rispetto agli altri due, l'artista di Urbino è decisamente un intellettuale organico rispetto al potere. Non per questo va sminuito il suo genio, purtroppo stroncato a soli 37 anni, chissà cosa avrebbe potuto ancora fare se fosse diventato un vegliardo come Leonardo o Michelangelo.
Dalla lettura di questo libro, che unisce narrazione, storia e approfondimento delle tecniche e dell'iconografia (come in tutte le opere dell'ottimo Forcellino), ho scoperto che Raffaello, oltre al pittore che tutti conosciamo, è stato anche un grande architetto. Negli ultimi anni della sua breve vita aveva sviluppato un forte interesse per l'archeologia, e stava cercando di disegnare la mappa della Roma antica. Fece tradurre in volgare l'Architettura di Vitruvio, nell'intento di ritrovare i fondamentali dell'architettura del periodo classico. Raffaello fu forse il primo a sviluppare un approccio moderno all'archeologia, introducendo l'idea della conservazione e del recupero: da centinaia di anni i resti della civiltà Romana venivano saccheggiati e distrutti perché non esisteva una cultura storico-artistica.
Raffaello per anni ha avuto una critica ostile, probabilmente per il fatto che essendo un artista integrato non aveva lo stesso fascino dei suoi contemporanei più spigolosi. Eppure l'importanza del suo lascito è sconvolgente, anche considerando la brevità del suo periodo produttivo.
Dalla lettura di questo libro, che unisce narrazione, storia e approfondimento delle tecniche e dell'iconografia (come in tutte le opere dell'ottimo Forcellino), ho scoperto che Raffaello, oltre al pittore che tutti conosciamo, è stato anche un grande architetto. Negli ultimi anni della sua breve vita aveva sviluppato un forte interesse per l'archeologia, e stava cercando di disegnare la mappa della Roma antica. Fece tradurre in volgare l'Architettura di Vitruvio, nell'intento di ritrovare i fondamentali dell'architettura del periodo classico. Raffaello fu forse il primo a sviluppare un approccio moderno all'archeologia, introducendo l'idea della conservazione e del recupero: da centinaia di anni i resti della civiltà Romana venivano saccheggiati e distrutti perché non esisteva una cultura storico-artistica.
Raffaello per anni ha avuto una critica ostile, probabilmente per il fatto che essendo un artista integrato non aveva lo stesso fascino dei suoi contemporanei più spigolosi. Eppure l'importanza del suo lascito è sconvolgente, anche considerando la brevità del suo periodo produttivo.
November 20, 2024
While this seems to be the go-to book on Raphael, I found it to be far below the quality deserved by such an iconic and genius artist.
Religious politics and the church played an important role in the commissions of Renaissance artists, but the author seems to prioritize those over the life of the artist. I'd hardly consider it a biography. I read this book to learn more about Raphael as a person and the art he created, but I finished feeling a mislead and a bit robbed. It did go into some of what I hoped for, but more than half the book (easily) was about politics and religious leaders.
I also found the structure to be odd. Almost his entire life is summarized in the first 50 pages and then details are revisited haphazardly throughout the rest of the book. Discussing his art itself feels like more of a digression in the form of observational analysis instead of the motivation behind them and what he was feeling when he created them.
The fact that the book goes into deep discussions about his groundbreaking use of color but then only includes shoddy black & white photos of his work does a pretty good job of illustrating how I feel about it.
Did I learn things?
Yes.
Did I enjoy it?
I did, but only 20% of the time... hence the two star review.
Religious politics and the church played an important role in the commissions of Renaissance artists, but the author seems to prioritize those over the life of the artist. I'd hardly consider it a biography. I read this book to learn more about Raphael as a person and the art he created, but I finished feeling a mislead and a bit robbed. It did go into some of what I hoped for, but more than half the book (easily) was about politics and religious leaders.
I also found the structure to be odd. Almost his entire life is summarized in the first 50 pages and then details are revisited haphazardly throughout the rest of the book. Discussing his art itself feels like more of a digression in the form of observational analysis instead of the motivation behind them and what he was feeling when he created them.
The fact that the book goes into deep discussions about his groundbreaking use of color but then only includes shoddy black & white photos of his work does a pretty good job of illustrating how I feel about it.
Did I learn things?
Yes.
Did I enjoy it?
I did, but only 20% of the time... hence the two star review.
May 23, 2017
I volunteer at a museum & read about artists in their collection. Raphael was truly a Renaissance man, not just for his paintings but also design. The son of a painter, he spent his childhood underfoot in his father's workshop. Book is a little academic in detail but I learned a lot.
November 18, 2024
A decent biography of the great artist, which does a great job of breaking down his works, while also giving excellent historical context for them. It almost does too good describing the art, as I found myself spacing out often during these descriptions and being far more interested in the historical stuff. If you've ever been interested in learning more about the Renaissance masters, this is a good book to go about it.
February 24, 2023
El libro es interesante, pero demasiado apologético. Un análisis un poco más crítico lo habría hecho ganar en profundidad. Se centra mucho en el análisis de las obras, pero se adentra poco en la vida y la psicología del artista. Es una buena semblanza sobre la obra de Rafael pero no tanto sobre su biografía.
April 17, 2024
excellent writing and Forcellino really knows how to bring alive and paint a picture *pun intended* of renaissance era Italy. due to my personal focus being on Raphael, i found the book to be a bit lacking and confusing BUT if you are reading this to get the whole context of Raphael and his social and political environment, i totally recommend. also raphael is my fav.
April 3, 2022
'Raphael, whom I reverently commend to you, has painted such a life-like portrait of our Thebaldeo that the painting looks more like him than he does himself.' A superb way of saying that art has exceeded nature!
May 18, 2013
Reading about Raphael is such a refreshing experience. Unlike the "tormented" Michelangelo, the frustrated Leonardo, or the mad Vincent, Raphael's story brings contentment, happiness. I hardly detect any hatred, not much arrogance in the artist, and observe quite a lot of shrewdness and resourcefulness, as well as, of course, ingenuity. His works, certainly, radiate light and grace.
Forcellino, in his introduction, gives readers an impression of a Raphael that is not a spiritual version usually evoked by traditional art critics, but rather a sensual and erotic artist. However, if readers are eager to seek for some scandalous, sensational information about Raphael's love & sex life, they will be disappointed. What Forcellino offers is thorough discussion of Raphael's works to reveal this sensuality. I'm impressed with the author's profound knowledge of painting and architecture techniques of the time, which are often taken for granted, but in fact play an enormous role in deciding the fate, the style, the finish of the artwork. Forcellino also pulls the whole cultural and political life of the late 15th early 16th century of every city that Raphael lived. This is indeed the very strength of the book, as readers feel so much comfortable and relaxing reading about this duke, that cardinal, those bankers, etc. with curiosity and humor. His storytelling skill is quite remarkable, while his explanation is very readable.
Forcellino, in his introduction, gives readers an impression of a Raphael that is not a spiritual version usually evoked by traditional art critics, but rather a sensual and erotic artist. However, if readers are eager to seek for some scandalous, sensational information about Raphael's love & sex life, they will be disappointed. What Forcellino offers is thorough discussion of Raphael's works to reveal this sensuality. I'm impressed with the author's profound knowledge of painting and architecture techniques of the time, which are often taken for granted, but in fact play an enormous role in deciding the fate, the style, the finish of the artwork. Forcellino also pulls the whole cultural and political life of the late 15th early 16th century of every city that Raphael lived. This is indeed the very strength of the book, as readers feel so much comfortable and relaxing reading about this duke, that cardinal, those bankers, etc. with curiosity and humor. His storytelling skill is quite remarkable, while his explanation is very readable.
July 19, 2018
Non solo una biografia su Raffaello (che, per quanto Forcellino cerchi di contestualizzarla, rimane piena di buchi), ma uno spaccato della vita rinascimentale con focus sugli artisti e le botteghe.
Molto bella la parte in cui si parla anche di Leonardo. Mi fa un po' impressione immaginare questi due grandi pittori, questi geni dell'arte (e dell'architettura e dell'ingegneria per quanto riguarda Leonardo) incontrarsi ad un certo punto della loro vita, uno nel pieno della giovinezza, acerbo pittore in cerca di commissioni, l'altro canuto e già conosciuto in tutte le corti italiane. Mi fa impressione, dicevo, pensarli come due persone normali che si sono incontrate quasi per caso secoli e secoli fa, senza sapere pressapoco nulla l'uno dell'altro, inconsci dell'impronta che hanno lasciato nella storia.
Consigliato a chi vuole saperne di più non solo su Raffaello, ma sulle botteghe di artisti nel 1500.
Molto bella la parte in cui si parla anche di Leonardo. Mi fa un po' impressione immaginare questi due grandi pittori, questi geni dell'arte (e dell'architettura e dell'ingegneria per quanto riguarda Leonardo) incontrarsi ad un certo punto della loro vita, uno nel pieno della giovinezza, acerbo pittore in cerca di commissioni, l'altro canuto e già conosciuto in tutte le corti italiane. Mi fa impressione, dicevo, pensarli come due persone normali che si sono incontrate quasi per caso secoli e secoli fa, senza sapere pressapoco nulla l'uno dell'altro, inconsci dell'impronta che hanno lasciato nella storia.
Consigliato a chi vuole saperne di più non solo su Raffaello, ma sulle botteghe di artisti nel 1500.
September 18, 2013
Raphael: A Passionate Life is a book that holds a religious reverence for its subject and is not very in depth looking at his life. Raphael was revered in his lifetime and overlooked in later years for Leonardo Di Vinci and Michelangelo. I've always loved his art and am glad he is now given more attention. Raphael lived in dangerous times and his life in Rome could be hazardous. He lived in the times of the Borgias and De Medicis. Italian duchies were at war with each other and France desired Naples, etc. He took over his father's art studio at age 11 and died at 37 to the grief of the Roman people.
July 19, 2017
I picked this for work research but found that it was actually more readable than expected. Full of descriptions of Raphael's time and the place it was an all encompassing review of an age that as bustling with active an conflict. I found at times that there was not enough about the artist though.
July 15, 2013
Over-heated and unenlightening.
November 12, 2017
Disappointing and a unnecessary dramatic
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews