Raphael
Renaissance Painter & Architect
Biography
- Raphael was born on April 6, 1483 in Urbino, Italy
- He spent the last 12 years of his life in Rome
- He was taught the rudiments of painting by his father, and then by Timoteo Viti, an associate of his uncle Giovanni
- Orphaned at age 11, Raphael moved around a lot
- He went to live with Giovanni right after his parents' deaths
- He then moved on at age 17 to be an apprentice of painter Paragon
- He traveled again to Florence for a few years, then to Rome
- Raphael created paintings and architecture
- Examples of his paintings: School of Athens, Dispute over the Sacrament
- Examples of his architecture: Designed St Peter's Church, Palazzo Branconio del'Aquila, Rome
- His patrons were Pope Julius II and Pope Leo X
School of Athens
- School of Athens was painted by Raphael 1510-1512
- As part of Stanza della Segnatura, it is currently located at the Vatican Palace, Vatican State
- Pope Julius II commissioned Raphael to come up with a scheme for the walls of the papal apartments in the Vatican
- The painting depicts a group of philosophers with Plato and Aristotle at the center, gathered under a vaulted dome
- This piece shows Raphael's genius for architecturally integrated design
- He makes it seem as if the painting is expanding the real size of a room
- Humanism and scientific naturalism are shown in the painting
- The substantial influence of the classics can be seen in the architecture painted in the scene, as well as in the topic of the painting itself
- The realisticness of this piece shows scientific naturalism
- Raphael's detail makes it seem as though he took a picture of the School of Athens taking place in Ancient Greece
- He also painted part of the blue sky which incorporates nature
- I think this piece is really realistic which makes it really interesting to me
- Looking at it, I feel like I'm seeing into the past at a scene that actually happened in Ancient Greece
Works Cited
"Raphael." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 65. Detroit: Gale, 2005.Biography in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
"Raphael." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web.
18 Nov. 2013.
Raphael Self Portrait 1509 Galleria degli Uffizi ARTstor SCALA_ARCHIVES_1039488367 http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=4iFCeTg4NCciJy8laCt2KngqVXQnfVZ5eA%3D%3D
Raphael School of Athens circa 1510-1512 ARTstor LESSING_ART_1039490532 http://library.artstor.org/library/secure/ViewImages?id=%2FThWdC8hIywtPygxFTx5TnQkVnwtfA%3D%3D
ROWLAND, INGRID. "Raphael." Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004.Biography in Context. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.