Louvre reveals dark faces of Old Master Raphael

October 9, 2012 | Modified: October 9, 2012 at 3:01 pm
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"Saint Jean Baptiste dans le desert", a painting by Raphael is presented as part of the exhibition "Late Raphael" at the Louvre museum, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012. This exhibition, organized by the Louvre from Oct. 11 to Jan. 14, 2013 in partnership with the Prado Museum, brings together the works produced by Raphael in Rome during the last years of his life. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

PARIS (AP) — Raphael, the third in the Renaissance trinity of Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, is famed for his serene paintings of classic subjects — orderly, predictable and harmonious.

But a landmark exhibit in Paris' Louvre museum turns this on its head.

It reveals a darker face of the Old Master — previously unknown to the public — in the 10 years up to his death.

The exhibit shows how, in his last 10 years, Raphael faced a crippling workload from a demanding Pope and thus allowed his students to finish many of his commissions in a darker, more expressionist direction.

Louvre curator Vincent Delieuvin says that toward the end of his life, Raphael paid homage to the "dark, tense and expressive" style of Leonardo.

The Louvre said Tuesday that it's the first time all his moveable masterpieces have ever been put together. Many normally hang in churches and other galleries around the world.