Approaches of Raphael and Leonardo to Draftsmanship and Composition
Matthew Landrus
Supernumerary Fellow, Wolfson College & Faculty of History, University of Oxford
Evidence of Raphael’s study of Leonardo’s work traditionally dates to around 1503 to 1510, though rarely is there any mention of the significance of that influence on Raphael’s working methods. By examining developments in his drawing and compositional methods, one can see a number of similarities between his and Leonardo’s approaches in the studio, especially in the manner in which they investigated pictorial strategies, invented approaches to implied movement, and reworked their drawings and figural arrangements. Between 1503 and completion of the Vatican Loggia project in 1519, there is evidence of a profound influence on Raphael of Leonardo’s working methods.
