Florence c. 1504  

at the Royal Academy, London

9 November 2024 - 16 February 2025 

 In 1504 Michelangelo finished his marble David and Leonardo took part in the discussions to decide where it should go. Later that year Raphael arrived in Florence, where his work was transformed by the work of the two feuding masters. Over four weeks we will see how this explosive combination of events and personalities is reflected in the Royal Academy’s remarkable exhibition. For each artist we will examine the works in the exhibition in depth, putting them in the context of the artist’s career as a whole.

Raphael’s turn comes in week 3. We will look at the thorough drawings he made as part of his developmental process. But as well as using this technique to refine his own paintings - some of which feature in the exhibition - he also used drawing as a way of learning from other artists, and to share his own ideas with others. Most explicit are his drawings of specific works, such as the delicate drawing of Michelangelo’s David held by the British Museum. 

The week after this series of talks I will introduce another monumental exhibition, Drawing the Italian Renaissance at the King's Gallery. As there is so much material to discuss in the Royal Collection, I will include some of the work by Raphael in this particular talk, drawing the two exhibitions together.