Fotoreproducties van prenten naar fresco's met voorstellingen van Adam en Eva door Rafaël voor de loggia's in het Vaticaan before 1861

Gustav Schauer made these photogravures of prints after frescoes, depicting Adam and Eve by Raphael, for the Vatican loggias. The visual composition emphasizes the play of light and shadow, giving the figures a sculptural presence within a compact frame. Here, Schauer captures two pivotal biblical scenes: the temptation by the serpent and the expulsion from Paradise. Notice how Raphael's original frescoes, known for their classical balance and Renaissance idealism, are interpreted through the graphic precision of photogravure. The use of black and white intensifies the drama and focuses our attention on the figures' expressions and gestures. This reproduction destabilizes the traditional understanding of fresco art by transforming its scale and medium. The shift from grand, colorful frescoes to small, monochrome prints invites a more intimate, analytical engagement with Raphael's work. The photogravure process, with its ability to capture minute details, allows us to appreciate the formal qualities of Raphael's composition in a new light. This invites us to reconsider the dialogues between originality and reproduction, presence and representation.