Raphael Sanzio
By Quinn Graham
Raphael's Life
Raphael Sanzio was born April 6th, 1483 in Urbino, Italy. At around 16 years old, he worked in the workshop of the painter Perugino, which affected his style of painting very much. He moved around from town to town, but mainly stayed in Italy. He was a very religious type of person, as portrayed in his paintings. His patrons were pope Julius the second and pope Leo the sixth, and they commissioned many paintings from him. Some of his most famous works were the Sistine Madonna, The Transfiguration, and the Madonna of Loreto. He died at age 38 on April 6th, 1520 of a fever in Rome, Italy.
Raphael's Work on the Sistine Madonna
The Sistine Madonna was one of Raphael's best paintings. It was commissioned in 1512 and was finished that same year. This painting has been featured in books everywhere, whereas the real painting is held in a museum in Germany. This painting is famous for its incredible detail, and partly for the two cherubs at the bottom. They are on everything from postcards to candy tins. I find this piece interesting because it is incredibly difficult to paint now, and it must have been much harder to paint back then. Classicism is represented in this painting because the woman is ideal. There are little to no visible flaws.
Madonna of Loreto
Raphael painted many Madonnas, and this was one of his better ones. It is regarded as one of the best works of art in Europe. This was commissioned by Pope Julius the second.
The Transfiguration
This painting, commissioned in 1517 by Cardinal Giulio de Medici, who later became Pope. This was Raphael's last painting, as he died in 1520. This painting exemplifies his development as an artist.
Sistine Madonna
The Sistine Madonna was commissioned in 1512 by Pope Julius the second. It was finished that same year, and was one of the last Madonnas that Raphael ever painted, as well as one of the best ones.
Bibliography
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Madonna
- http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/ss/The-Sistine-Madonna-By-Raphael.htm
- "Raphael." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Transfiguration_Raphael.jpg
- http://uploads4.wikipaintings.org/images/raphael/the-madonna-of-loreto-1509.jpg
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/RAFAEL_-_Madonna_Sixtina_%28Gem%C3%A4ldegalerie_Alter_Meister%2C_Dresde%2C_1513-14._%C3%93leo_sobre_lienzo%2C_265_x_196_cm%29.jpg