The Renaissance was an important period for the Western world, and whether you approve of it or not, it was like a light in the darkness, bringing hope to a decaying and closed world. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael have created an irreplaceable art world with amazing talent and hard work. They not only surpassed in the expression of skills, but also opened up a new path for Western painting art, leading the entire Western world to a higher level.
Portrait of Raphael
In 1498, at the age of 15, Raphael was sent by his father to Perugia to study in the studio of the famous painter Perugino. Perugino, Leonardo da Vinci
In this issue→ we will continue to tell the story of the three masters of the Renaissance.
This issue is time to talk about our Raphael Sansi, a young and handsome young man who is talented but never arrogant.
His inner and outer beauty succeeded in attracting a large number of powerful fans and beauties at that time, and he was an out-and-out Renaissance darling.
Raphael was born on 28 March 1483 in Urbino, Italy, where his father, Giovanni Sansi, was also a painter, but he was not famous, but he gave birth to a good son.
Raphael is a typical representative of the son inheriting his father's business and shining with it. He learned painting from his father during his childhood.
But before appreciating his works, we must first look at the relationship between the "three masters", so that everyone can better understand Raphael's young man.
In terms of age, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael were born in 1452, 1475, and 1483, respectively. Leonardo da Vinci was a full 23 years older than Michelangelo, and Michelangelo was 8 years older than Raphael. Therefore, Leonardo da Vinci is the beginning of the big man, Raphael can only be said to be a junior.
Leonardo da Vinci self-portrait Michelangelo self-portrait Raphael self-portrait
The longest-lived man among them was Michelangelo, who lived to be 89 years old, and Leonardo da Vinci was 67 years old. Poor Raphael died on April 6, 1520, at the age of 37.
Raphael's life validated the phrase "life is not in length, but in width."
He had a very good quality, which is rare among artists, and that was modesty. He prefers to learn the merits of all his predecessors and translate them into his own artistic style.
He intersected with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and studied in Michelangelo's studio for a while, but there is no direct statement about how.
Unlike Michelangelo's uninhibited personality, Raphael's personality is more gentle and euphemistic, so he is more likely to be liked by the magnates. After all, no one loves to get along with the "thorn head", let alone the ruler who is high above.
Although the three of them have a lot of age differences, they always learn from each other and compete with each other. It seems that no one can look at anyone, but they always secretly "care" about each other, perhaps they are admiring each other in their hearts, but they just don't show it.
Both Chi and Botticelli were students of Verocchio. So in the final analysis, Leonardo da Vinci should be Raphael's uncle.
Raphael, who had already achieved some success after completing his studies, quickly found his uncle and asked him to ask Bramante for help to see if he could send an emissary from Pope Julius II.
So who is Bramante?
As mentioned in my previous article about Michelangelo's "Genesis", because xiaomi's personality and talent are deeply jealous of his peers, he often attracts conspiracies.
This Bramante was a great influencer on the side of Pope Julius II, a very famous architect and artist.
The drudgery of Genesis was Michelangelo, whom he recommended to the Pope, when Raphael had been successfully recommended to Rome. So some books also say that Raphael added a little oil and vinegar to this matter.
In short, in 1508, Michelangelo reluctantly began to create the Book of Genesis for the Sistine Chapel, and Raphael successfully received a large order - frescoes in the pope's private palace.
Here I would like to say that now the Vatican Museums are the Vatican Palace, the center of Christianity. It is also considered the most sacred place by the believers. Pope Julius II wanted to make it a shrine unparalleled in the world, and the Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican Palace.
Raphael's order for the pope's private palace was not originally in the design of the renovation, but Bramante persuaded the pope to add several rooms for rest and office.
Of course, the Pope did not start to use Raphael just by listening to Bramante' words, he decided to do so after reading and getting along with Raphael's works. The Pope wanted to bring the most capable painters of his time to Rome and help him build a holy place of God that attracted worldwide attention.
Raphael must have done his best when he received this task, and although he was famous at this time, he was still a fledgling young boy compared to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The Pope's private chamber order was an extremely rare opportunity for all artists of the time to show their prominence.
Vatican Museums
There are many artistic treasures in the Vatican Museums today, and the Vatican's permanent neutrality and Christian status make it impossible for anyone to shake these treasures. Raphael's works have a special exhibition area, and as the most popular artist of the Pope, many of his works have been preserved intact.
Located opposite St. Peter's Square, the Vatican Palace has been the settlement of successive popes since the 14th century and has been remodeled several times over the centuries. The Vatican Palace has chapels, halls, palaces, etc., and is the center of the World Catholic Church. The palace's world-famous Sistine Chapel used to be the pope's private use.
On the second floor of the palace, the papal chamber, it was designed as four connected halls, where Raphael's order was made.
Let's focus on the third hall, which is 9 meters long and 6 meters wide, where the Pope works and signs documents, so it is called the Signing Hall.
There are four frescoes on the left hand side of the entrance to the hall, namely the Controversy of the Sacraments, the Academy of Athens, the Mount of Parnas, and the Statue of the Three Virtues.
The most famous of these, the Academy of Athens, became Raphael's masterpiece. On the left-hand side of the entrance, that is, on the east side of the hall, is the "Academy of Athens" because of the more content, so I would like to focus on the next issue.
In this issue, let's start by looking at three other works:
Next to the Academy of Athens, near the south side is the Statue of the Three Virtues.
This fresco is separated by a large window with the statue of the Three Virtues in the upper arch. To the left of the window is the Roman Code promulgated by Emperor Justinian and on the right is the Decree of Pope Gregory IX.
Statue of the Three Virtues 1511 Raphael
On the left side of the picture is a muse symbolizing "bravery", she is clad in armor and majestic, holding a fierce lion in her left hand and holding an oak branch in her right hand, and the little angel next to her is playing with the branch.
The goddess on the right symbolizes "moderation", dressed in a light pink robe, holding a rope in her hand and turning her head to look at the angel, indicating a kind of temperance of desire.
Statue of the Three Virtues 1511 Raphael
The goddess in the middle symbolizes "wisdom", and she wears a blue-green scarf on her head and a white robe. He was looking at the mirror on the left, as if he were examining himself in the mirror, and the angel next to him held a torch in his hand to represent hope.
Raphael incorporated in the fresco the four basic morals of ancient Greek philosophy: wisdom, bravery, moderation, and justice.
He euphemistically expressed the ancient Greek civilization through the image of the goddess, and the picture had both a Catholic atmosphere and a strong humanistic idea. It is an example of the perfect blend of religion and the earthly, a form that is very vividly reflected in many of Raphael's works.
Raphael's order for the pope's private palace was not originally in the design of the renovation, but Bramante persuaded the pope to add several rooms for rest and office.
Of course, the Pope did not start to use Raphael just by listening to Bramante' words, he decided to do so after reading and getting along with Raphael's works. The Pope wanted to bring the most capable painters of his time to Rome and help him build a holy place of God that attracted worldwide attention.
Raphael must have done his best when he received this task, and although he was famous at this time, he was still a fledgling young boy compared to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The Pope's private chamber order was an extremely rare opportunity for all artists of the time to show their prominence.
Vatican Museums
There are many artistic treasures in the Vatican Museums today, and the Vatican's permanent neutrality and Christian status make it impossible for anyone to shake these treasures. Raphael's works have a special exhibition area, and as the most popular artist of the Pope, many of his works have been preserved intact.
On the second floor of the palace, the papal chamber, it was designed as four connected halls, where Raphael's order was made.
Let's focus on the third hall, which is 9 meters long and 6 meters wide, where the Pope works and signs documents, so it is called the Signing Hall.
There are four frescoes on the left hand side of the entrance to the hall, namely the Controversy of the Sacraments, the Academy of Athens, the Mount of Parnas, and the Statue of the Three Virtues.
The most famous of these, the Academy of Athens, became Raphael's masterpiece. On the left-hand side of the entrance, that is, on the east side of the hall, is the "Academy of Athens" because of the more content, so I would like to focus on the next issue.
In this issue, let's start by looking at three other works:
Next to the Academy of Athens, near the south side is the Statue of the Three Virtues.
This fresco is separated by a large window with the statue of the Three Virtues in the upper arch. To the left of the window is the Roman Code promulgated by Emperor Justinian and on the right is the Decree of Pope Gregory IX.
Statue of the Three Virtues 1511 Raphael
On the left side of the picture is a muse symbolizing "bravery", she is clad in armor and majestic, holding a fierce lion in her left hand and holding an oak branch in her right hand, and the little angel next to her is playing with the branch.
The goddess on the right symbolizes "moderation", dressed in a light pink robe, holding a rope in her hand and turning her head to look at the angel, indicating a kind of temperance of desire.
Statue of the Three Virtues 1511 Raphael
The goddess in the middle symbolizes "wisdom", and she wears a blue-green scarf on her head and a white robe. He was looking at the mirror on the left, as if he were examining himself in the mirror, and the angel next to him held a torch in his hand to represent hope.
Raphael incorporated in the fresco the four basic morals of ancient Greek philosophy: wisdom, bravery, moderation, and justice.
He euphemistically expressed the ancient Greek civilization through the image of the goddess, and the picture had both a Catholic atmosphere and a strong humanistic idea. It is an example of the perfect blend of religion and the earthly, a form that is very vividly reflected in many of Raphael's works.
Let's look at the "Emperor Justinian's Promulgation of the Roman Code" on the left side of the window. The painting is based on the deeds of Justinian the Great' codification.
The Justinian Code was the world's first complete slave grammar, which systematically collected and revised all legal and jurisprudential works from the Roman Republic to justinian, marking the maturity of the development of ancient Roman law and having a profound impact on Later Western law.
Emperor Justinian promulgates the Roman Code raphael
The fresco on the right side of the window is the Papal Decree of Gregory IX, which is based on the scene when the Papal Decrees were published.
In 1234 the decree was promulgated and was revered by the Church in later generations. The pope on his throne adopts the image of Julius II, next to a cardinal named Giovanni de' Medici, or Leo X, and another Alessandro Farnes, or Paul III.
Papal Gregory IX decrees Raphael
From this group of paintings, it is not difficult to see that Raphael was a person with a very high emotional intelligence and extremely intelligent.
On the one hand, he vigorously promoted the power and sublimity of the Pope through his works;
On the other hand, he did not forget to add content with liberal, democratic, and humanistic ideas. He well integrated the philosophical thought of ancient Greece with the religious thought of the present, and used his own painting language to express the yearning for human freedom.
▎ Interlude: Raphael had secretly entered the Sistine Chapel under Bramante's leadership when he painted these frescoes. Because Michelangelo and the Pope quarreled over creative problems at that time, they went to Florence for a while. It was this gaping opportunity that gave him the privilege of seeing the unfinished Genesis.
It was at this glance that Raphael thoroughly understood the gap between himself and the master, and Michelangelo's paintings completely shocked him. Since then, his paintings have more or less carried some of Michelangelo's shadow.
Michelangelo was furious and thought that Raphael had been copying him.
But Raphael didn't think so, in his opinion, I just absorbed the strengths of a hundred families, and did not copy any of you.
Personally, he did learn a lot of the techniques and styles of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. But Raphael's style is obviously more gorgeous and soft, and his works are very close to reality and close to life, just like his people, very intimate.
If the available information says that he went to Michelangelo when he needed to study, and michelangelo laughed at this thing when he was tortured and crippled by Genesis, it would be false. Then he is just a good boy who loves to learn.
Then on the above, this is a mural on the west side of the hall called the "Controversy of the Sacraments", which is a very typical trinity composition in religious painting, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The whole picture is divided into three parts vertically, and the topmost is God, who is surrounded by golden light and looks at the world. Three angels are surrounded on each side of the left and right.
The Controversy of the Sacraments Raphael
On the middle floor, directly below God is Jesus, on the left side of Jesus is St. John the Baptist, and on the right is the Virgin Mary. Directly below the throne of Jesus are doves of the Holy Spirit, flanked by angels unfolding the Gospels.
This is the trinity composition I mentioned above.
On either side of Jesus are surrounded by many saints, all of whom are figures from the Bible, from the left are St. Peter, Adam, St. John, David, St. Lawrence, Judas Maccabee, St. Stephen, Moses, St. James, Abraham, and St. Paul. Interested friends can find some high-definition pictures to enjoy carefully.
The Controversy of the Sacraments HD Partial Figure Raphael
Here it has to be said that although Raphael's modeling skills are not as good as Michelangelo's, his depictions are more human, vivid and flexible. Moreover, it can be said that at this time, he has completely detached himself from the shadow of past religious paintings and is full of Renaissance vitality.
The Controversy of the Sacraments HD Partial Figure Raphael
There is a platform in the center of the lowest floor, and the holy masters on the left and right are arguing fiercely. Many saints were watching the debate, and one of the men on the right with the laurels was Dante.
The Controversy of the Sacraments HD Partial Figure Raphael
Dante, Pietroac, and Boccaccio were arguably the pioneers of the Renaissance Chinese revival. Raphael's many clever inclusions of Renaissance masters show how eager this young man in his 20s is for a new era.
Finally, let's take a look at the mural Mount Parnasus, located on the north side of the hall, which originates from ancient Greek mythology, where the gods Apollo and muses lived.
Mount Parnasus by Raphael
In the picture, the god Apollo is playing the seven-stringed piano under the laurel tree, and a total of 9 muses surround him on both sides. On the left is a man in a blue robe, Homer, the author of Homer's Epic, a green robe of Homer the poet Virgil, and a man in a red robe with a laurel crown.
Mount Parnasus by Raphael
Near the window is the ancient Greek poetess Sappho, holding a scroll of paper with the meaning Sappho written on it.
In this painting, each person actually comes from a different time and space, but they are cleverly arranged together by Raphael, breaking the definition. Everyone is enjoying this musical gathering from ancient Greece, and I personally feel that this is the ideal life scene that Raphael himself aspired to.
Mount Parnasus by Raphael
Raphael had several mistresses and was more indulgent in the question of men and women. But this did not in any way affect the Pope's appreciation of him, and his exploration and innovation of painting showed the unworldly character of a young painter, a polite and highly emotionally intelligent young master who gave his work a new life.
Pushing the Renaissance to another climax, in his short life, he surpassed countless people, talent and diligence, humility and continuous learning to finally achieve this master.
In the next issue, I will give a concise lecture on his work "Academy of Athens", and interested friends can continue to pay attention!