Artist reveals first sketches of Pope Benedict XVI
By Josephine von Perfall
Oh, you are my Raphael!” Pope Benedict XVI cried out, while German artist Michael Triegel was drawing the Holy Father during an audience in Rome on 3 March. The Leipzig-based artist will reveal his early sketches for the painting during an exhibition of his work in Regensburg in April, and the finished portrait will be delivered in September.
Triegel was first commissioned to paint an official portrait of Pope Benedict in 2009 by the diocese of Regensburg, nearby where the Pope has a home. The artist says he is fascinated by religious subjects and is very familiar with Christian iconography. A former student of Arno Rink at the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts (who also taught Neo Rauch), Triegel is known for his smooth and mannered style.
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Once the painting is completed it will be hung in the foyer of the Institut Papst Benedikt XVI in Regensburg, which collects and studies the writings of the Pope.
Source: The Art Newspaper
