#精品长文创作季#
The three masters of the Renaissance that we know are Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, who were more successful than the two of them at the time, although he only lived for a short 37 years, but his social status and career success at that time were beyond the reach of many artists.
Raphael left behind more than 300 precious works of art. He is a representative of Mannerism, and his works draw on the strengths of many masters, especially Leonardo da Vinci's compositional techniques and Michelangelo's human expression and majestic style, forming his own unique style, and his paintings have the softness, beauty and roundness of the classical spirit. It was also the most admired aesthetic taste at that time, and became an unattainable model for later classicists.
Self-portrait of Raphael
Saint-Raphael was a very charming man, and he had many confidants in his short life. He was gentle and cautious, and he accepted almost all of the women's affection for him.
He was sincere and modest, he was liked by many people, he was a heartthrob like a superstar early on, his character charm was sought after by many people like his paintings, and many artists regarded him as a model of success. His death in 1520 from a high fever shook the city and grieved both the popes and the nobles and the common people. He was given a solemn funeral, and the Pope himself presided over his burial in the Pantheon, an honor like no other!
In fact, we know much less about him than Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and we only know that he painted the frescoes of the "School of Athens", and we don't know anything else.
1. Raphael's family background and career history
Raphael was born on April 6, 1483 in the city of Urbino in central Italy, to a family of five artists, and his father was a second-class painter at the court, with whom he studied painting from an early age. His mother died when he was 7 years old, and his father died when he was 11 years old, after which he was raised by his uncle.
In the city of Urbino, Duke Mondefeld was a humanist who advocated culture and art, and was nicknamed the "Lighthouse of the Renaissance". Raphael's childhood was spent in this artistic atmosphere.
At the age of 14, he became a disciple of the famous painter Perugino, where he received rigorous training in Perugino's workshop, where in addition to painting, he also learned architecture, anatomy, perspective, mathematics, philosophy, literature, and other subjects.
Self-portrait of Raphael
2. Raphael is also known as the painter of the Madonna, and his Madonna is not like a god on high, but closer to life
Although Raphael's life was short, he worked diligently to create nearly 300 works, most of which depict the Madonna, and it is customary to associate Raphael with the delicate and supple image of the Madonna. The portraits of the Virgin Mary painted by him all embody humanist ideas with maternal tenderness and youthful fitness. Raphael's Madonna is clearly different from the Madonna depicted by other painters in three ways: first, the Madonna shows the emotional characteristics of a secular mother, second, the Madonna is a holy and happy queen who can protect ordinary people, and third, Madonna is a self-sacrificing hero.
Among the many paintings of the Virgin, the more famous works are "Madonna in the Chair", "Madonna of Ansidi", "Madonna of the Meadow" and "Sistine Madonna".
01 The biggest feature of "Our Lady in the Chair" is family affection and beauty, which is believed to be a kind mother and two lovely children living together in a loving atmosphere in real life. St. John sits on the left lap of the Virgin and the Holy Child on the right knee of the Virgin. The hijab worn by the Virgin was the same one worn by Italian women at that time, and God became completely secular man.
Madonna in the chair
02 The pyramid structure in Madonna on the Grass is Raphael's most successful work influenced by Leonardo da Vinci, with the three figures in the painting forming an isosceles triangle and the head of the Madonna forming the top of the triangle. Our Lady is in the upper part, the two children are in the lower part, the baby Jesus is standing with a battle in his right hand, and the little St. John is on one knee with a cross in his hand, and the Virgin is looking down at the two children, and her expression of affectionate care is unforgettable.
Our Lady in the Meadow
03 "Our Lady in the Garden" is a kind and beautiful mother who enjoys family fun. This is first and foremost a reflection of the cheerful mood of the Florentine people, and secondly, a manifestation of Raphael's personal cheerful mood. At this time, the young Raphael met a beautiful maiden and was immediately attracted by her charismatic image. Her name is Laphrena, and she is the daughter of a baker. Raphael was madly in love with her.
Our Lady in the Garden
04《Anzai Emperor Mother》
Anzai Emperor Mother
05 "Our Lady of Baghdad"
Our Lady of Baghdad
06 "Our Lady and Child"
07 "Madonna of Flinnoir". The Virgin in this work is not as gentle and kind as an ordinary mother, and there is no beautiful natural scenery behind her, she is a high queen, noble, quiet, dignified, with supreme power and majesty, as if she can defeat the forces of evil and darkness with a wave of her hand.
Our Lady of Flinor
08 "Sistine Madonna" This is Raphael's most famous painting, the picture is like a stage, when the curtain is opened, the Virgin steps on the clouds, and the kamika slowly sends her in. The Virgin is not an ordinary mother, and in order to relieve the suffering of the world, she must selflessly sacrifice her son. This is one of Raphael's most successful Madonnas. This Virgin is the aspiration of the people, a symbol of happiness and a model of self-sacrifice. This painting is simply profound, without the slightest artistic hypocrisy and artificiality, only astonishing simplicity.
Sistine Madonna
3. Raphael's figure paintings are also warm and peaceful, with friendly and delicate expressions, and the scenes of religious paintings are also ingenious
01 "The Girl in the Scarf" is also called "Donna Vilata", which is said to be a portrait of Raphael's lover Finalina, Raphael not only depicts her beauty and affection, but also depicts her face and exposed breasts very delicately. The simple shawl contrasts with the intricate and delicate folds, which further sets off the tenderness and charm unique to the female body.
A girl in a scarf
02 "Portrait of the Count of Baldassare" This masterpiece is made by Raphael for his close friend Count Baldasaray, this painting adopts a regular triangle, making the picture solemn and calm, and it is very consistent with the character's identity, cultivation and mentality. Raphael delicately portrayed the Count's image and personality, using subtle color variations to depict the Count's velvet silver-grey coat and hat with a vivid texture. More interested in excavating the wisdom, depth, and kindness of this real person, Raphael's image as a statesman, diplomat, writer and scholar is vivid.
Statue of the Count of Bardassare
03 "The Wedding of the Virgin" is the center of sight of the bishop who represents the will of God presiding over the ceremony, Joseph puts the engagement ring on Mary's hand, a group of women behind Mary are her girlfriends, and the young men behind Joseph are suitors. They all have the stick of the proposal sign in their hands, and whoever has the head of the club blossoms is Mary's destined fiancé. Only Joseph's rod bloomed into a small flower, and God's will caused the other suitors to fall into uneasiness and pain, and some were even extremely angry, and the young man in the foreground broke the proposal stick in his hand in despair, a scene full of drama. Raphael uses a large number of horizontal lines, vertical lines and semi-circular curves in this painting, resulting in multiple aesthetics of simplicity and brightness, rigidity and softness, and unity and variation. The figures of the men and women in the painting are very handsome, and the use of various curves, the changes in the folds of the clothes and the posture and appearance of the characters all give people a sense of softness and elegance.
The Wedding of the Virgin
04 "St. George and the Dragon" Raphael arranges the composition of the picture in the form of diagonal composition, the leaping white horse shows an upward trend, and the young and handsome St. George raises his knife to make a slashing momentum, and the action is very chic and heroic and graceful.
St. George and the Dragon
05 "The Appearance of Christ", also known as "The Transfiguration of Christ", this is Raphael's last masterpiece before his death, this is an altarpiece painted for the church of Narbonne in France, in this painting, the figure is illuminated by the light of Christ's apparition, and the light on the ground is dark. The content of the painting is taken from the Gospel of Matthew: Jesus took the three disciples of Peter, James and John up the mountain in secret, and suddenly Jesus changed in front of the disciples, his clothes were as white as light, and his face was as bright as the sun. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus. Then a bright cloud covered them, and out of the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, and you must hear him." When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were exceedingly afraid. Jesus came in, caressed them, and said, "Get up and do not be afraid. "When they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one, but only Jesus was here.
The Manifestation of Christ
4. The magnificent frescoes of the Vatican are the pinnacle of Raphael's artistic creation, and the success of these frescoes has made him one of the three masters of the Renaissance, along with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelcilo
Raphael's architect uncle Brattman recommended him to Pope Julius II to complete the Vatican's frescoes, which took ten years, beginning in 1508. If the statue of the Virgin gave Raphael his own artistic style, then the Vatican frescoes brought Raphael's artistic creativity to its peak.
Raphael created four sets of frescoes for the Vatican, entitled "The Establishment and Consolidation of the Holy See", which celebrated and praised the authority and faith of the Church. Hall 1: Vatican Hall of Signing, this room has four frescoes with the names "Theology", "Philosophy", "Poetics" and "Jurisprudence" representing the academic authority of the Church. Room 2: also four frescoes, painted by Raphael based on the poems of the poet Elioro: "The Expulsion of Hereodoro", "The Mass of Bolshenna", "Peter Rescued from Prison", "The Pope and Attila Meet", the theme of which is to praise the power of the Pope and his victory. Hall 3: The fresco of the Fire Hall is called "The Fire of the Poelci Hall", which is a tribute to Pope Leo IV's miraculous skill in extinguishing the fire with prayers, and the painting was completed by his students. The School of Athens is the most famous of these frescoes.
Academy of Athens
This work is based on the Athens School established by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, and the theme of the work is that the artist takes truth and wisdom as his highest pursuit, and also regards the Greek spirit as his highest pursuit, and it is also the highest pursuit of all humanist artists.
In this painting, the scene is a tall building in depth, where many famous scholars gathered, as if some ceremony was being held, filled with the warm atmosphere of a hundred schools of thought, on both sides of the building, there are two statues, one is Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and the other is Apollo, the god of music. It is an extremely sacred place, where two of the greatest scholars of ancient Greece, Plato and Aristotle, appeared, and more than fifty of the most famous scholars of ancient Greece were freely discussing with the two of them.