Italian Embassy And Italian Cultural Center In Jakarta Presents Master Raffaello's Digital Art Exhibition

JAKARTA - Today, Thursday 24 February, HE Benedetto Latteri as the Italian Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia inaugurated the opening of 'Master Raffaello', a video art exhibition which took place at Ciputra Artpreneur Gallery, Jakarta.

Brought to you by Magister Art and curated by Arch. Claudio Strinati, an expert on Renaissance art, painting and sculpture, this exhibition displays a number of masterpieces of Maestro Raphael and will be open to the public from February 25 to March 31, 2022. The exhibition is divided into six themes, namely Intro-Identity, Inhabiting Spaces, Finding Balance, Portraits: Sacred and Profane Subjects, The Papal Apartments, and Utopia and Power.

Ambassador Benedetto Latteri said that his party was very proud to be able to present Maestro Raphael's masterpiece to art lovers in Indonesia. According to him, Raphael is an artist with extraordinary talent and one of the famous figures in the Renaissance era who always upholds beauty and peace.

"His works reflect the beautiful journeys, landscapes and stories that Maestro Raphael saw and experienced himself. His paintings are full of philosophical, theological, architectural and scientific values that we can understand and enjoy even 500 years after Maestro Raphael's death," explains Benedetto. in his written statement.

Benedetto Latteri added that this art exhibition had previously been held in Vietnam, Austria, Central America and South America and recorded up to 50,000 visitors globally. Now, Magister Raffaello is present in Indonesia as the eighth country in Asia on a global tour.

"This exhibition is a great activity to strengthen bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Indonesia," he said.

Meanwhile Maria Battaglia, Director, Italian Cultural Institute in Jakarta, explained that this exhibition tells a story like a novel featuring six works of art and is an important milestone in the Renaissance era. The exhibition consists of six special rooms where visitors can learn about historical events and explore the places where Raphael lived, worked, and got to know his world through his paintings.

"In this exhibition, we also display works of art created by other artists, writers, and philosophers who were inspired by Raphael's masterpieces. All the artists, writers and philosophers in this exhibition are like characters on a theater stage who form a coherent story," said Maria.

"This exhibition highlights the main elements in the development of Raphael's personality as well as universal aspects of human experience in general. This exhibition can also be called a reflection of Raphael's ideology and the various values of life that are implied in all his works of art," added Maria.

Rina Ciputra Sastrawinata, President Director, Ciputra Artpreneur, said, "Ciputra Artpreneur Gallery is designed in such a way as to become a meeting place for art lovers in Indonesia and popularize Jakarta as a destination to enjoy world-class art and culture.

"Therefore, it is an honor for Ciputra Artpreneur Gallery to host Magister Raffaello, a world-class video art exhibition that will inspire Indonesian art lovers," said Rina.

Indonesian art lovers can enjoy the beauty of more than 50 works made by Raphael which are divided into six themes. In this exhibition, visitors can understand the meaning of Raphael's life and art as well as explore the workspace, the various places Raphael visited, other characters Raphael met, and learn how Raphael developed his art.

Intro-Identity

In this room, Raphael's self-portrait is displayed which marks the beginning of his life journey. Visitors can read panels containing information on various cities and locations that have special meaning in Raphael's life, such as Urbino, Città di Castello, then Florence and Rome.

Inhabiting Spaces

In this room, a painting entitled "La Città Ideale" (Ideal City) is displayed by an anonymous painter who lived in the second half of the XV century. Metaphorically, this painting takes the theme of Central Prospective in the field of architecture and describes the place where Raphael was born and raised.

In this space, visitors can use the Gateway of Knowledge, an interactive panel that provides various information about the artworks of Raphael and other painters who inspired Raphael.

Finding Balance

In this room, a painting entitled "The Deposition" depicts the burial of Jesus Christ. This painting is a milestone where Raphael managed to reach artistic maturity, a stage where Raphael became more proficient in painting and captured the essence of an event he painted.

This work has deep spiritual value and is often compared to paintings by other artists named Perugino, and Benvenuti (L'Ortolano). Similar to the previous room, this area is also equipped with a Gateway of Knowledge where visitors can find out more about Raphael's other paintings such as Pala Dei, Pala Ansidei, Pala Colonna, and Incoronazione della Vergin.

Portraits: Sacred and Profane Subjects

In this room, visitors will find a panel containing the story of Raphael's arrival in Florence when Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti were still alive. Visitors can also see two paintings entitled The David and Tondo Doni as well as various other self-portraits of Raphael which have been reproduced life-size on canvas.

There are two monitors placed in the middle of the room to show the paintings of The David and Tondo Doni. Meanwhile, Raphael's self-portrait will appear as a slideshow that will appear one by one.

The Papal Apartments

This room is designed in such a way as to resemble The Papal Apartments, which was the residence of the priest at the time. Inside this room, there is a section also designed to resemble The Room of the Segnatura, which is a library and study room that stores religious books.

Also in this room, there is a wall painting entitled The School of Athens. The whole room looks majestic with an extraordinary architectural design that resembles St Peter's Cathedral which at that time was in the process of being renovated under the supervision of Bramante, Raphael's mentor.

Utopia and Power

In this room, visitors can see a painting called Cacciata di Eliodoro dal Tempio (Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple) which can be found in The Room of Heliodorus, within the Papal Apartments. Artworks appear in stages through a slideshow like puzzle pieces that are arranged in stages and equipped with audio descriptions.

All works of art displayed in this exhibition are available in five languages, namely Indonesian, Italian, English, Portuguese and Spanish which can be accessed by children and adults through the Magister Art application, which visitors can download via the App Store or Play Store on smartphones.

Visitors are advised to use personal earphones while inside the exhibition. The exhibition provides content adapted for children accompanied by text and images by Eva Montanari, a writer and illustrator who has been publishing books for children around the world since 2000. The exhibition is also accompanied by music by Antonio Fresa, a famous musician, composer and film soundtrack creator.

Master Raffaello is open to the public from February 25 to March 31, 2022 at Ciputra Artpreneur Gallery, Ciputra World 1, 11th floor. The exhibition is free and open every Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 20:00 WIB (closed Monday). For convenience and safety, every 1 hour exhibition session is limited to a maximum of 30 visitors.