'Raphael: The Drawings' at the Ashmolean Museum

Exhibitions about drawings seem to be flavour of the month so I toddled over to Oxford to see 'Raphael: The Drawings' at the Ashmolean Museum. The exhibition brings together 120 drawings from collections around the world from across Raphael's brief career. The lighting is low to protect the drawings and, according to signs hung where the drawings should've been, two drawings from the Uffizi have been removed to protect them. It's a very popular exhibition and operates strictly timed entry, so don't arrive too early or too late.

The first drawing is a 'Portrait of a Youth', thought to be a self-portrait from when he was about 17 years old. It's certainly similar to other self-portraits so I'm not going to quibble. It's a lovely drawing and a great start to the exhibition, demonstrating quite clearly his skill and astonishing potential. I wonder what his master thought when he saw this drawing?

This also started me wondering about Raphael's drawing techniques. Why is there a heavy line on the right side of his face and neck and around the eyes? For emphasis, obviously, but his face doesn't need that much emphasis. The other lines are quite delicate and gentle in comparison, with the hair being curved strokes to hint at flowing locks rather than actually draw flowing locks. This says that Raphael was making decisions about his drawing, even at such an early age. He knew how he wanted this to look.

I kept looking at the drawings as I passed them, wondering why he did this or that to draw out the image he wanted to create and why that particular emphasis? I stood puzzling at another drawing further into the exhibition and wondering about why he put the emphasis where he did, this time 'Portrait of a Woman' from a few years later. In this drawing the emphasis is on her lower right cheek and along her left shoulder (more so than in this photo of it). The interesting thing about he left shoulder is the way her veil falls and twists over her shoulder, adding more complexity to the drawing. I must've stood there for a few minutes trying to work out why and then gave up - I don't understand how or why, but it works and helps bring the portrait to life. That's the job of an artist, I suppose, to make the decisions we wouldn't generally even think about.

Further into the exhibition we see Raphael under the influence of Leonardo and Michelangelo with even a drawing Raphael did of Michelangelo's 'David' which he saw when he was in Florence. He was clearly learning from the best and adapting it to his own style and needs. Some drawings seem to be to help him plan his paintings - should I put that warrior here, or here? How will the drapery of this Virgin fall, like this or maybe like that? It's really interesting to see him plot some of his paintings out and change them.

Then there are strange drawings like 'A Man carrying an Older Man on his Back'.  What is this about? Was Raphael just experimenting with what a man burdened with weight would like or was this a sketch for a possible painting? The Older Man is taller than the Man carrying him and he can't hold on, so the Man is leaning forward to take his weight and keep him on his back. It's an awkward composition but the Man is clearly holding a weight on his back, his feet planted firmly on the ground. I wonder how long the models could hold this pose?

Another drawing that grabbed my attention was 'Studies for Three Standing Men' from about 1514-15. The man on the left reminded me of Michelangelo's statue of the 'Risen Christ' (in the recent National gallery exhibition) holding his staff and feet planted apart. It's an exploration of anatomy and trying to find the right pose for some other work.

The really interesting thing about this drawing is the writing on the right of the drawing. It's very spidery and I couldn't read it but, according to the label beside the drawing, it's by Albrecht Durer, dated 1515, and it seems that Raphael sent this drawing to drawing as a gift. Raphael was in Rome at this time and Durer was in Nuremberg but they clearly knew of each other. I don't know enough about Raphael or Durer to know how or why they knew each other but Durer is rightly known for his drawings so, perhaps, seeing prints of each other's work drew them together?

Raphael also drew women, of course, and I couldn't help but wonder who the models were back then, since getting naked in front of a stranger wasn't something just any woman would do. There were lots of drawings of clothed women, not so many naked, but I loved this drawing titled 'Study for the Three Graces' which seems to be the same woman drawn together in three different poses. I like the way the bodies overlap and the poses are different but it's the same face. I'm not sure how we know this is a study of three Graces rather than a study of a woman in three different positions - again, possibly experimenting with poses for a painting - but it's incredibly graceful (if you'll forgive the pun).

One small drawing I was particularly keen on was a 'Study for an Angel'. It's one of the smaller drawings at the exhibition but look at that composition - it says so much. See the sleeve of the angel's robe falling down his right arm while his left hand points up towards heaven. He's clearly in flight, maybe even flying backwards away from something to emphasise the thing he's flying away from rather than his own existence. He's praising heaven and telling us to praise heaven at the same time. It's a marvellous little drawing and I'd love to know whether this drawing was ever copied into one of Raphael's paintings. I'm hoping the catalogue will tell me.

Another drawing that I found astonishing is an unfinished drawing, 'Studies of a Seated Male Nude'. There are at least two studies on the paper plus smaller details that don't really show in this photo, but the astonishing thing is the man's right leg. Just look at the foreshortening of his thigh and calf - that's plainly just unthinking showing off! I've never managed to get the hang of foreshortening and this simple drawing is a masterclass in that art.

There is so much more going on in this exhibition and so many drawings on show, some rough sketches and some more finished. Some were clearly Raphael trying to decide on a composition - or part of a composition - in his own head rather than meant to be finished works and that makes them even more fascinating.

The final drawing in the exhibition is this large 'The Head and Hands of Two Apostles', a study for Raphael's large painting 'The Transfiguration' which is now in the Vatican Museums. Just look at those expressive heads, especially the old man's head and he's holding up his arms in shock or defence. The creases of his brow and the stressed tendons of his neck, the weariness in his eyes, his open mouth about to say something. It's a marvellous piece of drawing, more so when I saw the photo of 'The Transfiguration' on the other side of the wall that this drawing hangs on and see these two men straight away. They're directly under the figure of Christ in the lower portion of the painting and they're in these poses. How wonderful is that? I wonder who these two models were and wonder if they had any inkling that we'd still be looking at their immortal faces 500 years later?

Just as the supposed self-portrait was the perfect way to start the exhibition, this glorious drawing was the perfect way to end it.

This is an excellent exhibition with a good selection of drawings that tell us so much about Raphael while still leaving so many mysteries. Well done Ashmolean! It's only on until 3 September so you'd better book tickets quickly to see it. I'm so pleased that I got to see it. I even bought the book!