R Is for Raphael

Welcome to Raphael: Sublime Poetry

My big adventure for last week and the latest post for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge is a visit to an extraordinary exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I took a bus across Central Park and immersed myself in Renaissance Italy. If you're in New York City, thinking of visiting New York City or love the idea of immersing yourself in Renaissance Italy, this is the exhibit to see. 

When I thought of Raphael (1483-1520) in the past I only thought of cherubs and the Madonna and Child. But I found there was so much more than fluffy angels to one of the great painters of the Renaissance, and actually of all time.  

      This beautiful angel is a fragment from an altarpiece, 

painted when Raphael was only seventeen. 

       The Alba Madonna, borrowed from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC

If you look very carefully, you can see halos around the heads of the Virgin Mary, Jesus and John the Baptist. There are also tiny violets around the feet of Mary, which are strongly associated with her and symbolize her humility, modesty and faithfulness. 

Part of the "Stanze," painted for a suite of rooms for Pope Julius II.

One section of the exhibit that especially intrigued me was the recreation of the frescoes in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. I've been to the Vatican twice, but with all the art work there, especially the Sistine Chapel, I don't remember seeing these paintings. It was an extraordinary treat to be able to  enjoy them in a relatively uncrowded setting. 

This is just a very small sampling of the riches of the exhibition. It's going to be there through June 28 and I plan to make at least one more visit. I am so grateful to be able to enjoy so many of Raphael's paintings that I wouldn't have had access to without this exhibit.  

Otherwise...Not sure what kept me away from blogging. It was definitely not intentional, nor was I all that busy. I do find sitting and typing is a finite activity these days and I plead spinal issues, one of the many unexpected gifts of older age. I do have a very fun excursion planned for tomorrow which will be a perfect post for "T."

As ever, thanks for visiting and sending lots of good wishes.