The wonder of Raphael...

"How generous heaven sometimes proves to be when it brings together in a single person the boundless riches of its treasures and all those graces and rare gifts that over a period of time are usually divided among many individuals can clearly be seen in the no less excellent than gracious Raphael Sanzio of Urbino."

Giorgio Vasari 'The Lives of the Artists'.

Photograph: My own.

A little deviation from my usual topics of perfume and writing for this months blog post because, with only a couple of weeks left to catch it, I wanted to say a few words about how magnificent the Ashmolean Museum's exhibition, "Raphael, the drawings", is and to say that, if at all possible, it is a visual feast not to be missed.
    I adore Renaissance art, history and architecture so I was, naturally, deeply excited by an exhibition of this kind. The paintings are, of course sumptuous, lavish displays of colour and texture but there is a certain additional magic to the drawings of great artists.

     Looking at these sketches, a delicious shiver runs up the viewers spine knowing that the master's hand has moved across these simple sheets of paper. Here are the bare bones of paintings, the arrangements planned and carefully adjusted long before the oil paints have been mixed and the canvas stretched. Each mark on the paper flowed from Raphael's mind to his hand and, looking at such a body of work gathered together, it seems all the more wondrous that these fragile shadows of his thoughts remain with us. Indeed, somehow, seeing the work which underpins Raphael's virtuoso paintings increased my appreciation of the finished masterpieces. In these sketches, I marvelled at the care taken over the positioning of an arm, the drapery of a robe, the sublime realism brought to bear in depicting the human form. The little plump baby hands and feet to bee seen in drawings for Madonna and child paintings are so lovingly, exactingly rendered that one half expects to see them kick and totter: clasp and wave. His depictions of age creasing the face and loosening the skin are no less tender and exact. Indeed, I found myself smiling several times as the faces of loved ones were recalled to mind by the way in which the master had depicted lips curving into a smile or folding into a slowly forming frown. The treatment of each subject is such that, as with a carefully crafted Angela Carter short story,  the impossible sits effortlessly alongside the possible and a wing unfurling from a human shoulder seems the most natural thing in the world.
     The brilliant display of these sketches only heightens the pleasure. The exhibition is arranged chronologically so that the viewer, moving through the galleries, can appreciate the evolution and progression of Raphael's art alongside the story of his life. a marvellous structure which also has the advantage of first presenting the viewer with Raphael's beautiful, youthful self portrait; an image full of promise and intelligence which allows us to relate to the artist both as a human being and a genius before we move on.
      Many drawings, where Raphael used both sides of the paper, have been hung so that the dual angles are visible and the viewer can enjoy the delicate delight of seeing a clear sketch on one side ghosting through to the other in a rather magical way. In addition, after indulging oneself with, as I recall, three rooms of artwork, the exhibition closes with a fabulous display of the tools which would have been used to create them and a video recreating the process and forensically examining the layers of size, charcoal and silver point which make up some of the works. If, you have not been rendered quite speechless with awe by the artworks alone then, I assure you, seeing the work which went into their production will certainly lead you to be dazed with sheer admiration and you will probably find yourself wandering back for one last look at the art works before you leave with a smile on your face and a mind filled with beautiful images.

      At the close of this short review, my advice is simple: if you're looking for an indulgent cultural experience to savour this Bank Holiday weekend then "Raphael: the drawings" is perfection. However, remember that, as the Ashmolean Museum's official website advises, booking ahead may be a good idea and the exhibition ends on September 3rd.

Acknowledgement for the opening quote regarding Raphael goes to Giorgio Vasari and the Oxford University Press edition of The Lives of the Artists, which is also an invaluable volume for anyone interested in the history of Renaissance art.