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.