A museum in Russia is devoting an entire exhibit to a legendary Italian artist. Moscow's Pushkin Fine Arts Museum is putting eight works by Italian Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio on display. The works have been loaned by various Italian museums and galleries including Florence's Uffizi Gallery.

He determined the ideal of the earthly and heavenly and had an enormous impact on Russian culture.

Now, eight works by Italian Renaissance painter Raphael Sanzio have arrived at the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum in Moscow.

The artist was born in Urbino in 1483, but examples of his work have dominated traditional European paintings until the mid-19th century.

All this despite the fact that the prolific painter died at the early age of 37-years-old.

Victoria Markova, chief scientific officer of the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, is the Russian curator of the exhibition.

"According to the Holy Scripture, to the Bible - a man was created 'after the image and likeness of God'. This high respect for individual it goes through all of the Renaissance era and Raphael's art. And he made this idea brighter and to the fullest extent," Victoria Markova said.

One of the greatest Russian writers of the late 18th and early 19th century, Alexander Pushkin, was so inspired by Raphael's work that he frequently referred to the painter in his poems.

"Pushkin, starting with the poem 'Monk', that he made when he was at school, he compared Raphael by putting him into the range of top values of the world: "The gold, the marble, Raphael". Pushkin wrote this at the time when he was entirely youth. He didn't leave this subject. The name of Raphael appears in his different works during all of his lifetime," Victoria Markova said.

It's the first exhibition in Russia to be entirely dedicated to the Italian painter. Markova hopes this exhibit will inspire its visitors and preserve the memory of these famous classical painters.

The exhibit runs until December 11th.