Marcantonio
Raimondi

Marcantonio Raimondi (ital. Marcantonio Raimondi; 1470/82 Argini, Italy - 1527/34, Bologna, Italy) - Italian engraver and artist. He studied the art of creating engravings from a jeweler and artist from Bologna Francesco Francha. He was a favorite student of the master and successfully worked with the blackening technique of silver. Once in Venice, he was struck by engravings Albrecht Durer. The painter spent all his savings on them, began to make copies, repeating even the artist's monogram. They were taken for originals and bought with pleasure. In 1506, Albrecht Dürer sued Marcantonio Raimondi. The sentence was not too harsh - the court allowed to copy the engravings, but forbade to depict someone else's monogram on them.

In 1510, the artist moved to Rome and met with Rafael Santi. When he was shown the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi, he exclaimed: "This is the best I've ever seen." Thanks to the help of Raphael, the artist opens a printing shop. He hires assistants and makes copies of the works of the master and other painters. For 10 years they worked together until the death of Rafael Santi in 1520.
In 1524, a scandal erupted, which ruined the reputation of a talented engraver. Together with Raphael's student Julio Romano they released a series of 16 erotic drawings "Love Poses". For the production of prints, Marcantonio Raimondi was imprisoned, the author of the plots (and he was Romano) left the city, and he managed to escape punishment.

In 1527, during the capture of Rome by the Spaniards, the artist was captured, and he had to pay a ransom. He lost all his savings and was forced to leave for Bologna, where he died, presumably in 1534.

Features of the artist Marcantonio Raimondi: improved the technique of classical engraving. He made copper blanks rough: microscopic parts of paint stuck to the surface, and this made light and shadow on his engravings very smooth. Contemporaries such a method was a novelty, and they appreciated his work. The engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi are not just the production of reproductions. He often reworked landscape backgrounds or composition of works. Sometimes he did not repeat the pictorial style of the painting, but “translated” the drawing into the language of the engraving.

Famous works of Marcantonio Raimondi: "Piram and Thisb", "Suicide Lucretia", "Massacre of the innocents", Apollo and Hyacinth.

Author: Alexandra Berezhnaya