Good morning, and welcome to the first issue of The Ramspondents. For our inaugural newsletter, we’re bringing you news of an exciting event at the Gregory Allicar Museum and a collection of things to do this weekend. Thanks for being an early subscriber and we look forward to serving you further in the future. And now, on with the news …
Raphael’s Legacy in the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art will be Illuminated by guest lecturer
By Maximus Vogt
If you go: “‘God is in the Details’: Clues in the Backgrounds of Raphael’s Madonnas” will be held at The Organ Recital Hall in the University Center for the Arts from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.
New findings on a copy of Raphael's “Madonna and Child” painting at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art is now thought to have another artist’s hand behind it. At the museum on Thursday, Sept. 11, these findings will be celebrated with a lecture by Renaissance specialist Dr. Linda Wolk-Simon and musical procession lead by Professor Joel Bacon as a testament to Raphael’s legacy.
Formerly attributed to Fiorenzo Di Lorenzo, The Gregory Allicar’s Museum’s Madonna and Child’s (circa 1500) conservation has been paused due to new findings. Image provided by the Gregory Allicar Museum.
In 2022, Suzanne Hale, Collections Manager and Registrar of the museum, heard some shocking news about the museum’s 16th century “Madonna and Child” painting.
“I spoke to the painting conservator, she said, ‘You will not believe this but you have a Raphael painting,’” Hale said.
Hale chuckled then continued. “I was shocked, then she said, ‘well… it's after one of Raphael’s famous paintings.’”
Previously attributed to Italian painter Fiorenzo di Lorenzo, the authorship of the Raphael copy is now contested.
“There is just no way of knowing who it was by,” said Wolk-Simon.
The appearance of the painting in Fort Collins – thousands of miles away from its origin and surviving thousands of years – is nothing to scoff at, but rather a testament to the influence and breadth of Raphael’s work. Wolk-Simon’s lecture will illuminate the context of the painting and speak to its significance in Raphael's legacy. She is not shy to say that he shaped much of the course of Western art history.
“If people think of the Renaissance, they love Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci more, but it's Raphael who was studied as ideal by artists all across Europe; not just Italy,” Wolk-Simon said. “There's nobody else you could point to who has that influence and the importance that he did.”
Wolk-Simon pointed out that people often think of Raphael and his contemporaries as “Artist-Genius”: an artist toiling away at their easel into the wee hours of the night. Someone moody, melancholic and isolated. Rather, Raphael was an astute businessman and incredibly sociable, amassing fame and a strong following in his short life before dying abruptly at age 37.
In fact, the many copies of his work speak to his innovation in composition and mastery of the human form.
“They're deeply human in a way that had much been seen before, except perhaps Leonardo, who was a great influence on him,” said Wolk-Simon. “It’s not a static image of a Madonna holding the child, but it shows a young mother with a baby that is twisting and playful, and the mother is tender and embracing.”
On the same day as her lecture, the painting will be on display in the Allicar museum. This gives a unique look into both the processes that it takes to create a 16th century copy and the process of painting conservation.
The painting entered the Allicar’s collection in 2016, a part of a major gift by donors Larry Hartford and Torleif Tandstad. Hale said the donation came with the agreement to expand the galleries of the museum, doubling the size of the collection.
With this large acquisition also came the process of checking the condition of these gifts and accessing the restoration work they needed. In 2022, the Madonna and Child was sent off to Denver-based conservator, Cynthia Lawrence who paused the conservation when she noticed something interesting about the underdrawing.
The lecture by Wolk-Simon, findings by Lawrence and musical procession by Bacon are a realization of the gift. Hale mentioned that one of the donors, Tandstad, who passed earlier this year was especially concerned with the painting being on view. She said this event acts as a tribute and honor for his generosity.
Maximus Vogt is an art history major and journalism minor at CSU, active in fine art happenings on campus. He is interested in the intersection of art, community and news.
What’s happening in Fort Collins this week
Event listing compiled by Isabella Hemness
Image by CSU Energy
Weekly Event Highlight
CSU EnergyFest - Saturday, September 13 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Powerhouse Energy Campus 430 N College Ave #425, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Join students, alumni, families and everyone in between for EnergyFest. This CSU-sponsored event will have fun activities for all ages, including tours of the Powerhouse, tours of the Mobile Energy Campus classroom, face painting, paper rockets, a race car designed and built by CSU students, Walrus Ice Cream and more. Don’t miss out on the fun.
Thursday, September 11th
Drop-in SpeakOut! Writing Workshop
11 a.m. at Old Town Library
201 Peterson St, Fort Collins, CO 80524
Image by Weld Food Bank
Friday, September 12th
Hops for Hunger 5:30 p.m. at Boardwalk Park in Windsor 100 N 5th St., Windsor, CO 80550
Tickets Available at the Weld Food Bank website.
Image by Ginger and Baker
Sunday, September 14th
Ginger and Baker’s Summer Market
9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Ginger and Baker
359 Linden Street Fort Collins, Colorado