This seminar focuses on the art of Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino, 1483–1520). This High Renaissance painter lived most of his life in Rome, the “eternal city.” Under the influence of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raphael composed works of art that were infused with atmospheric perspective, softened color transitions (sfumato), brilliance of color, anatomical accuracy, and grazia (grace). His graceful forms and designs moved viewers and influenced artists throughout succeeding centuries, in particular the British Academy of Joshua Reynolds, the Pre-Raphaelite painters, and the artists of the Nazarene movement. The seminar will discuss Raphael’s drawings, paintings and architecture as well as the impact of his art as disseminated through the printmaking of Marcantonio Raimondi.

Liana De Girolami Cheney, PhD, is Emerita Professor of Art History from UMASS Lowell and the winner of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a Renaissance and Mannerist scholar, author, and coauthor of numerous articles and books including: Botticelli’s Neoplatonism in his Mythological Painting; The Homes of Giorgio Vasari; Giorgio Vasari’s Teachers: Sacred and Profane Love; Neoplatonism and the Art; Giuseppe Arcimboldo: The Magic Painting; Readings in Italian Mannerism I and II; Giorgio Vasari’s Art and Art Theory; Giorgio Vasari’s Artistic and Emblematic Manifestations; Agnolo Bronzino: The Florentine Muse; Lavinia Fontana’s Mythological Paintings; and Barbara Longhi from Ravenna.