The Met Museum — Gallery 899– Tuesday May 5th, 2026.
Welcome back friends!
Yay!
Welcome this week, to an ongoing, gorgeous, and major fine arts visual exhibit from the Italian Renaissance, at the Met museum, displaying drawings, paintings and tapestries from the great Raphael, and maybe one of the most attended exhibitions I have seen in NYC in a while, with the impression of standing inside the Babel tower, as languages from around the world could be heard: a true testament to the importance of this major artist and exhibit (on view until June 28th, 2026), so you still have a few weeks to get a chance to catch it.
Yay!
Raphael “Mother and child (Study for the Madonna della Seggiola)”, ca. 1512-1515
Discover the first comprehensive U.S. exhibition, which provides an immersive look at the great and iconic Raphael (1483-1520), born Raffaello di Giovanni Santi.
Wow!
So who is Raphael?
Raphael, born in Urbino, in the Marche region (1483-1520), was a major Italian Renaissance artist, who lived a short (until 37 years old), but incredibly influential life (he was an incredibly talented draughtsman, painter, architect, and even a poet).
Wow.
Raphael in short, was an artist especially interested in supreme perfection, and whose fame quickly equaled two other equally famous peers: polymath, draughtsman, painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, scientist, inventor, Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) and painter, sculptor and architect, Michelangelo (1475-1564).
Wow.
A role model for many artists in training, Raphael creative facilities were nurtured by other major artists in addition to Da Vinci and Michelangelo: his father Giovanni Santi (1439-1494), who was a court painter and a poet, had a major influence on Raphael. As did as well later, Perugino, born Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci (1446- 1523), with whom Raphael had apprenticeships and workshop collaborations, and as did as well, Pinuricchio (1454-1513), born Benetto di Biagio or Sordicchio, whose use of color, whose elegance of figures, and whose fondness for decoration, found echoes in Raphael’s early paintings. All of these artists were instrumental in helping Raphael find his unique and personal style, early on, in his meteoric and incredibly successful career.
Wow!
Giovanni Santi “Clio the muse of history in ancient Greek mythology” (Study for a cycle of paintings at Urbino’s Palazzo Ducale)”, ca. 1490-94.
And what interested me especially, in this exhibit, was to feel Raphael’s sheer pleasure and joy that comes incredibly clearly, and with great serenity and optimism, through his works: whether it is finding the right perspective to create depth, or creating an impression of movement in the “moving” feet, or creating a poetic landscape background, to bring a form of realism with the flying of a bird, perhaps a finch, a symbol of happiness, or perhaps a dove, a symbol of peace and love, to an otherwise biblical and miraculous topic, as is the “Annunciation” (of the birth of Jesus to Mary, by the angel Gabriel).
Wow.
Raphael “The Annunciation”, ca. 1503-1504
Raphael’s portraits as well, are also, nothing short of breathtaking, filled, (as with all his “Madonna and child” depictions), filled with an incredibly moving sensuality, tenderness and softness, and what wonderful use of color, and what incredible rendering of gorgeous skin. And what a beautiful and charming gaze always, also, can be found in all his subjects, as well.
Wow.
Raphael “Portrait of Bindo Altoviti”, ca. 1515-1516
And of course, I was also equally impressed by Raphael’s capacity to design a set of monumental tapestries, to hang in the Sistine chapel, during special occasions.
Wow.
A commission to Raphael, from Pope Leo X, which was launched in 1515.
Wow.
Huge full scale cartoons would guide the weavers in Brussels, using beautiful and rich materials. Of course, these tapestries were soon the envy of many monarchs across Europe.
Wow.
Just sublime.
So, to sum up my feelings, about the Met Museum’s “Raphael, Sublime poetry”, art exhibition, admired last Tuesday, in great company: what a spectacular, gorgeous, and immersive art exhibit, filed with incredible masterpieces, bringing so much, and much needed these days, for all, joy and beauty to the world.
Yay!
Go. You won’t regret it.
Just awesome.
Not to be missed!
Until next time friends.
Soft…
Fluttering…
Sunny…
Joyful…
Happy…
Loving…
Eternal butterflies…