During the High Renaissance, Raphael was a prominent Italian painter whose artworks are still highly celebrated in the art industry. Raphael, together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci makes up the trinity of the high renaissance period and are referred to as the Three Supreme Old Master. However, contrary to these other masters, Raphael’s lifespan was short lived and died at a young age of 38 in 1520. According to art historians, Raphael was a good imitator of his masters and emulated a lot of their styles in his works. Some of his most legendary designs include The Frescos in Raphael Room in Vatican Palace and the Stanza Della Segnatura in The School of Athens. Others include his altarpiece works such as The Sistine Madonna (1513) and the Transfiguration (1519-1520). He was also involved in the architectural designs of this era and aided in the design of the Palazzo Pandolfini – Façade, the Church of St. Maria – Chigi Chapel and the Villa Madama. In his life especially at Rome, Raphael was much influential. In this article, an account of his career in art is discussed, which falls into three stages: life in Umbria, the Florentine experience, and life in Rome. The essay will also outline why he is considered the quintessential artist of Renaissance.
Life in Umbria
Raphael’s birth occurred during the final years of the early Renaissance. He was born on April 6th, 1483 in Urbino – a small town that is in the Marche region of Central Italy. Urbino was an artistically prominent place and formed part of the Papal States. His father, Giovanni Santi, was a painter and scholars believe that he gave him his first lessons in art. Moreover, Raphael had shown interest – he had portrayed his talent in the field of art after making a portrait of himself. His mother, Magia Ciarla, died while he was eight years old followed by his father when he was eleven. Consequently, Raphael was left at the guardianship of his paternal uncle Bartolomeo who was a priest. Historians also argue that Raphael continued with his father’s workshop together with his stepmother. They similarly believe that his father had placed him under the apprenticeship of Pietro Perugino – an Umbrian Art Master.
Raphael mimicking skills came in handy as he could imitate the artistic style of Pietro in every way. Accord to scholars, the works of Raphael and Pietro are identical in every way, which makes it is difficult to distinguish which work is of whose and which is not. For instance, a drawing Raphael did about the Crucifixion in S. Domenico could not be differentiated if Raphael never signed his name on it. Famous commissions that he did while at Umbria includes The Spozalizio, The Marriage of the Virgin and the Coronation of the Virgin. By 1501, Raphael was thoroughly trained and qualified and began to undertake professional contracts. However, it was at this time that he moved to Florence.
Life in Florence
His Florentine stay only lasted for four years (1504-150). Art historians believe that he adopted a nomadic life in which he worked in different regions of Northern Italy. The apprenticeship of Perugino had enabled him to assimilate some of the Florentine artistic skills in his works. As a result, he moved to Florence with the desire to equip himself more with its artistic styles. To perfect this, he would copy the works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, who at the time were masters of portraying the anatomy of the human body in art. Although his work subjects remained serene, Raphael began to take a more dynamic and complex route. For instance, he began producing works of nude men, which however was a custom in Florence. His works of the Madonna are the most prominent works that he did while in Florence. Ironically, it is acknowledged that Raphael was an atheist. His designs were only a product of what he perceived as acceptable and not what he felt to be true. Nonetheless, his artwork depicts that he was an appreciator of the feminine beauty, especially in the Madonna. The Madonnas are believed to have been influenced by Leonardo da Vinci.
Contrary to what one might have expected, his Florentine move did not end his relations and commissions in Urbino. He had few unfinished works such as Ansidei Madonna that he had left. He could make short visits, and it was through this that he was able to finish the Frescoes in Perugia, the San Severo, Christ in Majesty with Saint and the Deposition of Atalanta Baglioni. Raphael also integrated well into the Florentine society and was quickly accepted into the circle of Neo-Platonic. It was in this circle that he became friends with Fra Bartolomeo – a student of Perugia. Furthermore, after the completion of the series of Madonna (the Madonna of Baldachin was the final in the series) and the Holy Families, Raphael achieved much prominence and was recognized as the leading artist during the early years of the 16th century in Florence. Moreover, at this time, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were consistently out of the city and as a result, young and rising artists such as Andrea Del Sarto, Franciabigio and Pontormo modeled themselves based on the example of Raphael and his works. Some of his most renowned altarpieces while in Florence include The Ansidei Madonna and The Baglioni work that he designed for the Perugian clients, and The Madonna Deal Baldacchino, which was a commission for a chapel. His final work during his stay in Florence was the Magnificent Saint Catherine that resides at the moment in the National Gallery of London.
Life in Rome
The final phase of his life was in Rome where he moved around 1508. It is not clear what propelled his drive to shift. However, some scholars believe that Raphael had reached a turning point in his life while others argue that Pope Julius II invited him and commissioned him to design the frescos in what was proposed to be the Pope’s library within the Vatican. The room still holds some of the best works that Raphael did in Rome and include the school of Athens, The Disputation of the Sacrament and the Parnassus. Many people viewed the Vatican with high esteem, and his commission showed that he was regarded highly as an artist. Similarly, this was the most superior commission that he did in comparison to his previous enlistments. Nonetheless, he did not decorate the whole of the Vatican on his own as there were others commission to do the same in other rooms. Michelangelo was among them and was infuriated by the way Raphael could mimic different works including his styles. Furthermore, this commission was demanding, and Raphael had to depend on his assistance, who were headed by Giulio Romano, in the completion process.
After the demise of Pope Julius II in 1513, Raphael remained in terms with his successor – the Medici Pope Leo X. As a result, his work progress was not interrupted. Pope Leo gave much attention to the study of Ancient Rome, which significantly impacted Raphael. Moreover, he was promoted to the role of an architect under the directive of the Pope during the reconstruction of various buildings such as Saint Peter. Due to his prominence, he still managed to undertake minor commissions and produced portraits of friends and rulers among others. Other works that he did were the ornamental fresco for the church of Santa Maria Del Popolo and the Villas of the wealthy patrons. He also excelled in tapestry art and was commissioned to create a series of cartoons by Pope Leo in 1515, which were to depict the life of Saint Peter and Saint Paul for the Sistine Chapel. These were taken later for engraving in Brussels. However, scholars believe that he might not have lived to see the completed work of these engraving. His final commission was a portrait known as The Transfiguration, which he did not complete and his apprentice, Giulio Romano finished it. The work currently resides at the Vatican Museum, Pinacoteca Vaticana. Art historians believe that his last commission shows that he was on the verge of moving toward a more Mannerist approach, which is depicted by grandeur and drama.
The course of his death is a debatable issue with his premature death being attributed to various possibilities. For instance, scholars argue that his death may have resulted from a fever ailment, which had lasted for several days. Nevertheless, Raphael was buried in Pantheon in which he was given a princely homage. His remain lay under the uncompleted Transfiguration that he had commenced in 1519 in the Vatican.
Raphael is recognized as a quintessential artist of the Renaissance art for various reasons. For example, he had established an unusually large workshop. Moreover, his was highly hardworking, and regardless of his premature death in 1520, he left a large composition of designs. Many of his achievements are still visible such as the Frescos in the Vatican, which is perhaps the most celebrated work in his career. Similarly, to his father who was an esteemed thinker and painter, Raphael was fond of the high mode of analytical thought.
Conclusion
Even though Raphael did not have much influence on artistic styles as compared to the other two old masters, his contemporaries still esteemed him highly. He is recognized as the best designer in the western art history. During the time of his death, mannerism and then Baroque approach to art had begun their impact on art. These approaches took artworks to a different direction as opposed to the previous techniques. His apprentices such as Giulio Romano swiftly adopted to mannerism and therefore did not continue the legacy of Raphael and adapted to the Michelangelo’s methodology. The influence of his rivals such as Michelangelo became widely spread up to the 18th century. However, in the 19th century, Raphael’s serene and harmonious attributes of his work became widely spread. Raphael’s death, therefore, subsided with the high renaissance classic art. However, he still left a massive amount of work and a strong reputation as an extraordinary artist in the history of art.
Reference
Chapman, H., Henry, T., Plazzotta, C., " Nesselrath, A. (2004). Raphael: From Urbino to Rome. National Gallery.
Melrose, A. S. (1937). The artistic reputation of Raphael (Doctoral dissertation, Boston University).
Passavant, J. D. (1872). Raphael of Urbino and his father Giovanni Santi. Macmillan and Company.
Raphael | Italian painter and architect. (2018). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 21 February 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raphael-Italian-painter-and-architect
