A Closer Look: Episode 22 - Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch
Raphael was known as a divine painter, celebrated in his own lifetime and commemorated in an extraordinary funeral at the Pantheon after his untimely death. Until the nineteenth century, he set the standard for Western painters.
But what makes Raphael’s work so unique? What stops his sentimentality from becoming saccharine, for example, and what is it in his technique, composition and approach to colour and brushwork that would see artists emulating him for centuries?
In this episode, Freya Middleton, an art historian and specialist art guide in Florence, talks to Limelight Arts Travel’s Dr Nick Gordon about the Madonna of the Goldfinch, of 1507, now in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.
You can admire all the detail of Raphael's work at the Uffizi's website.
FREYA MIDDLETON
Freya Middleton is a specialist art guide who has been based in Florence, Italy for close to twenty years. She has postgraduate qualifications in Italian Renaissance Studies from Warwick University, an acknowledged leader in the field, and is known for her passionate communication of all things related to Italy.
nick gordon
Nick is a historian and artist who has led tours to Italy, Europe, China, South Korea, Japan and Australasia for more than fifteen years. Nick is a director of Limelight Arts Travel.