Raphael

=Raphael's work and influence=

Commonly known as Raphael, Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino was born in Italy in 1483. Raphael was so incredibly gifted in the arts that he had become an apprentice of an accomplished artist, Pietro Perugino by the time he was eight years old. Raphael continued to study under Perugino until he had mastered all of the techniques by the time he turned 17. By then he was able to have a steady client base in the town of Citta di Castello. In 1504 Raphael moved to Florence in order to learn more by studying the famous Florentine artists. During his time in Florence, Raphael was truly able to develop his own style all while mastering the techniques that he was studying from other great artists. When he was 25 years old, Raphael moved to Rome. At this young age he was so renowned that Pope Julius II recruited him to paint two rooms in the Vatican. These frescoes consist of some of Raphael’s most famous works, including //The School of Athens// and //the Judgment of Solomon//. This job opportunity of Raphael’s spurred jealousy and competition in Michelangelo, who at the time was in the process of painting the Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, Raphael’s incredible success and influence was cut short by his death in 1520 at age 37. M.M.

// The Judgment of Solomon // was created by Raphael in 1510 in the same room of the Vatican as //the School of Athens//. This portrait portrays a story of Solomon in the Old Testament of the Bible. In it, two women claim to be the mother of the same child. When Solomon decides to settle the dispute by cutting the child in half, one woman gives up her claim to the child in order to save his life. Solomon then realizes that she was the child’s true mother.

// The School of Athens //, painted by Raphael in the Vatican, does not actually depict a school, but instead it shows the greatest philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists of the time all together. Raphael’s expertise was incredibly renowned, for the pope’s architect, Donato Bramante, recommended his work to Julius II. In fact, Julius II loved his work so much that Raphael was given permission to redesign the pope’s entire suite by painting over all the other frescoes made by other famous painters such as Perugino (who was Raphael’s teacher at one point). The two main characters in the center are Plato and Aristotle. It is thought that Raphael chose them because of the influence that their philosophy had on the Western world, while at the same time being incorporated into Christianity. Ptolemy and Pythagoras are also depicted in this fresco. The overall goal of this work of art was to show the link between the human world and heaven. D.Z. Raphael became so successful and influential in such a short period of time because of his ability to master the new techniques of the High Renaissance for painting, which were developed during the High Renaissance period. The pyramidal composition and uses of light and shadow techniques, which Leonardo had developed, Raphael studied and mastered. This allowed him to be able to precisely portray depth, perspective, and detail within his art (chiaroscuro). Raphael also mastered Michelangelo’s use of full-bodied, dynamic figures and the contrapposto pose, which is a technique that optimizes asymmetry of the human body. D.K.

Works Cited Alexandros, Kallistos. “The School of Athens.” //AncientWorlds//. n.d. Web. 23 October 2011. Goffen, Rona. “ Raphael's Designer Labels: From the Virgin Mary to La Fornarina.” // Artibus et Historiae // Vol. 24, No. 48 (2003): 123-142. Web. 23 October 2011.

“Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520).” //The Worldwide Art Gallery//. 2000. Web. 23 October 2011.

“The Life of Raphael Sanzio.” //Fine Art Touch. n.d.// Web. 23 October 2011.