Captivating.
I’ve seen this portrait so many times, but I’ll never forget my initial shock when first encountering it.
It’s very interesting that Vasari (thirty years after the death of Raphael) wrote of this portrait “it was so lifelike and true it frightened everyone who saw it, as if it were the living man himself.”
For me, the painting has a disarming intimacy and sense of pathos which is executed with Raphael’s technical brilliance.
The artistic details are bewildering: the soft white ermine fur on the red-velvet mozzetta, camauro to match, subtle flesh tones and rings, crisp & starched white surplice etc. The dark green background hides an interesting backstory.
Pope Julius II was a scary Pope. He had a horrible temper and lead armies into battle himself! And yet, he is depicted as a tired elderly man in a moment of some melancholic reflection. His downward gaze, dejected bearing, distant and worried eyes, the grip on his chair. It is down to his military defeat at the hands of the French.
The previous Pope was Pope Pius III and below (it seems) is his portrait:
Raphael’s portrait is thus revolutionary - very intimate with a three-quarter view turned away from us (in contemplation).
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More on YouTube from the National Gallery talk by Matthias Wivel:
He doesn't look so scary there, just pitiful.
ReplyDeleteYeh, quite sad.
DeleteHe looks kind of sad as if he needs a good cuddle. :)
ReplyDelete😊yep. he does.
DeleteYour reflection beautifully captures how Raphael strips away the formidable legend of Pope Julius II to reveal a profoundly human moment
ReplyDeleteIt is actually so crazy how Raphael caught him in such a vulnerable moment. You can really feel that heavy mood from the war. I never noticed the acorns on the chair before, but they are such a cool little detail for his family name. The way he is just staring off and not even looking at us makes it feel like we are totally intruding on a private moment.
ReplyDeleteIndeeed, well said. I didn't notice the acorns before!
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