Raphael Biography
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Transcript of Raphael Biography
Raphael
Griffin Perry 10/24/13
Honors Global Studies Raphael Biography
Throughout the years, many amazing artists have walked this earth, all from
different backgrounds. Among these artists we find Raffaello Sanzio, also known as
Raphael. Raphael and others such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci defined the
art of the Renaissance, representing new aspects of humanism and perspective. Born in
1483 in Urbino, Italy, Raphael’s childhood was very influenced by art. His father was a
painter for the Duke of Urbino and court of Federico da Montefeltro and his mother was a
large patron of the arts. Ever since he was a child, Raphael had a true talent for art. He
caught the eye of many around him, including Pietro Perugino, an artist thriving in High
Renaissance. Perugino took Raphael under his wing and mentored him in art. As he grew
up as a child prodigy, Raphael moved to Florence, Italy in 1504 to further explore his
potential. Raphael stayed in Florence until 1508 where he painted many famous
masterpieces including Saint Catherine and the Knight’s Dream. This period where he
painted in Florence was known as the Florentine Period. In 1508, Pope Julius II
summoned him to Rome where he was ordered to paint for all of the next popes until his
death. His first order was to decorate the Stanza della Segnatura, which was a room in the
upper floors of the Vatican, which the Pope mostly used as a personal library. Here, he
painted some of the most well known paintings that are still recognized today. Among
these paintings was the School of Athens, which was arguably Raphael’s most famous
painting. This painting shows a group of thinking philosophers including Plato and
Aristotle. Raphael even included a self-portrait in this painting. Many other projects
succeeded this one and Raphael lived his life in Rome as a painter for the church. He
became engaged to Cardinal Medici Bibbiena's niece, Maria Bibbiena even though this
was by the choice of the Cardinal. Other than this affair, Raphael had no substantial
relationships with any women. Another one of Raphael’s well known paintings were
named Galatea, who was a Greek nymph brought to life by Aphrodite. In this painting,
Raphael shows Galatea transforming upon death into a beautiful human that would live
on eternally as a reward for suffering patiently in real life. The painting is supposed to
represent triumph of Platonic Love, which is the love of the spirit as opposed to love of
flesh. This painting was painted for one of the richest men of the Renaissance in a
beautiful villa on the outskirts of Rome. In Raphael’s last altarpiece, the Transfiguration,
painted in 1518, Raphael shows a bottom half of the painting extremely dark and
mysterious with a group of apostles who are pleading god to cure a possessed boy
because they cannot. In a lighter upper half of the painting, he shows Jesus surrounded by
a blaze of light. As his life continued, he mostly painted portraits of wealthy people such
as Pope Julius II and his close circle of friends. Raphael also saw the significance of
engraving in his paintings, which added a more real 3-Dimension effect. He partnered up
with engraver Marcantonio Raimondo and the two of them made engraving very well
known and influential in Europe. Raphael and Raimondo would make engravings of
already-paintings painted by Raphael and also sketches made solely for the purpose of
engraving. As his life wore on, Raphael painted smaller paintings and portraitures but no
major paintings toward the end of his life. At the age of thirty-seven in Rome, Raphael
died from a fever lasting ten days. His legacy of his artwork still lives on today and
amazes people just as it did in High Renaissance. His early death also sparked the end of
the Italian Renaissance, transitioning to a more explorative and liberal time period. His
work today is still characterized by his perfect use of color, balance of composition, and
sweetness in the main attraction of his paintings. Raphael Sanzio had a massive impact
on the Italian Renaissance which and his breathtaking paintings still amaze millions of
people today.