Raphael (1483-1520) arrived in Florence in 1504, and rapidly established himself as one of the most versatile artists of his day. Unlike Michelangelo (1475-1564) he was courtly and tactful; unlike Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) he tended to finish pictures once he was paid to do so. For centuries he was regarded as a model for painters, in his professional virtues as well as the quality of his work. Was Raphael too perfect an artist? These lectures explore the creative hazards involved with the precedents and conventions established by four Old Masters: Raphael, Michelangelo, Caravaggio (1571-1610) and Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665). All were profoundly original; all produced their greatest work in Rome; each, in his own way, could potentially be a bad influence on lesser artists, who felt they had no choice but to imitate these Old Masters’ examples, and did not necessarily know what to copy. What does an artist really need to know about the creators who came before him? At what point does an influence like Raphael or Michelangelo become a burden that inhibits, misguides or even cripples those who want to make art?
After initial studies in Classics, Jaspreet Singh Boparai began studying the classical tradition in French and Italian art and literature. His first MA at the Courtauld Institute of Art focussed on mediaeval manuscript illumination, and his second MA from the Warburg Institute centred around Renaissance humanism. Thereafter he became interested in the history of classical scholarship, earning the last-ever PhD from the department of neo-Latin at Cambridge. He has studied the history of art both as an amateur and with the aid of studentships from the École normale supérieure in Paris, and the British School at Rome, and a fellowship from the Villa I Tatti Centre for Renaissance Studies in Florence. Currently he is writing a book about Latin and Greek on the Indian subcontinent, whilst also serving as Pictures Editor for Antigone Journal, which is supported by the Pharos Foundation.
