Pope Leo
XII declared 1825 a holy year, attracting crowds of pilgrims to Rome,
especially to the Basilica of St Peter. The painter Matevž Langus had become
acquainted with current academic and oppositional trends already in Vienna in
the early 1820s, so when he experienced the Jubilee Year in the Eternal City,
he was already accustomed to Renaissance ideals and cultivated in an
appreciation of the Italian masters. In Rome, Langus's study and subsequent
stylistic orientation were strongly influenced by the French Academy. The
guiding principle of his studies was the imitation of antiquity and the
inspiration of the Rome’s High Renaissance masters.
The
painters main role model was the 'divine' Raffael, as evidenced by the oil copy
preserved in the National Gallery. A contemporary image of the Muse, taken from
the Parnassus scene, can be found in a fresco by Raphael in the Stanza della
Segnatura in the Vatican. During the September Revelations we will show some
other drawings Langus made while studying the Old Master’s figures and scenes
in the famous Stanzas.
Author:
Kristina Preininger
4 September– 1 October 2025
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana