Artist in Focus - Michelangelo, Leonardo & Raphael

Born in 1475 in Florence, Michelangelo was younger than Leonardo by 23 years, older than Raphael by eight and outlived them both by over forty years. Although they were separated by generations they were nonetheless rivals, competing for the attention of the most powerful patrons in the republic of Florence. Despite sharing similar upbringings and artistic education, Michelangelo and Leonardo differed in their artistic priorities, with Michelangelo preferring to display the beauty of the human body and Leonardo focusing instead on science and nature. They were both commissioned to paint battle scenes in the Council Hall in Florence, neither of which were finished, and so supposedly began their iconic and much fabled feud which included public quarrels and verbal fights as well as harsh criticism of each others work. Michelangelo also shared a feud with Raphael, heightened by critics and peers comparing their art. Raphael even portrayed a very grumpy looking Michelangelo as Heraclitus in his Stanza della Segnatura. 

Despite the personal feuds, there is no doubt that, for these three titans of the Italian Renaissance, competition drove creation and prompted them to produce incredible works that redefined the boundaries of art. This triumvirate of the High Renaissance were pioneers and icons, even in their own time, so it is very likely that the stories of their feuds were hyperbolised and scandalised over the years and their artistic influence on each other is not to be ignored. After Raphael’s visitations to Florence beginning in 1504, the impact of Leonardo on his work is apparent, with more dynamic and complex figures as well as similar compositions and subjects. There is a Royal Academy exhibition in London, beginning on the 9th November 2024 until 16th February 2025, that explores the rivalries and influence these three artists had: how they inspired each other, how they differed from each other and how they changed the artistic world around them and for the future.