PRESENTATION OF THE VOLUME PERINO DEL VAGA. HEIR TO RAPHAEL
On Monday, May 4th at 6:00 PM, at the Portico of Galleria Borghese, the volume Perino del Vaga. Heir to Raphael will be presented. Part of Galleria Borghese Study series, the book is edited by Lucia Calzona.
Alongside many famous and sublime masterpieces, Galleria Borghese preserves a series of paintings that, although less known and striking, can be considered masterpieces in their own right. This is the case with a panel painting depicting the Holy Family with Saint John the Baptist, which—due to the calibrated harmony of its composition and its intimate yet noble atmosphere—can be considered a manifesto of the art developing in Rome during the early sixteenth century.
The tender relationship between the Virgin and Child, the spontaneous gesture of Joseph extending his arm to protect the Infant, the presence of a column fragment in the center referring to the glories of the past, and the landscape fading into the distance are all aspects that denote the artistic culture of Rome at that time, dominated by the supreme Raphael and the cult of ancient Roman art.
The work in Galleria Borghese is undoubtedly attributable to Raphael’s workshop. Careful examination of the painting and analysis of its stylistic qualities have confirmed the traditional attribution to Perino del Vaga, although not all critics are in unanimous agreement. The volume thus retraces the career stages of this artist, who was a protagonist of art in Rome during the first half of the sixteenth century. He successfully adapted the courtly and balanced language learned from Raphael and his best pupils toward entirely new outcomes characterized by a sense of rhythm and decoration, elegant lines, a sense of instability, and a taste for the eccentric—the hallmark features of the “bella maniera.”
Speakers at the event will include Francesca Cappelletti, Director of Galleria Borghese; Lucia Calzona, series editor; and Alessandro Zuccari of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. The author will also be in attendance.
Participation in the event is free, and reservations are mandatory at this link.