There were three masters in the Renaissance, and we often think that the most popular is either Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo.
Not really! It must be the youngest, most beautiful, quiet and elegant man - Raphael.
Raphael Sansi (1483 –1520), Raffaello Santi
From his self-portrait, we can see what a perfect face God gave him.
What is rare is that his personality is still gentle and humble, and he responds to the orders of the gold lord, which can be said to be "angel B".
As a result, his life was smooth sailing, and he "went out of the circle" early in his 20s and achieved financial freedom.
However, perhaps the greatest misfortune of his fortunate life was his early death.
He only lived to be 37 years old. But he was appreciated by several popes during his short life, leaving behind more than 300 heirloom works.
Raphael is indeed not just a "small fresh meat" with a golden face, but also quite talented.
If there is a metaphor for Raphael's ability, it is most appropriate to use the "juicer".
"His artistic career is to throw all kinds of vegetables into it, squeeze out a cup of thick juice, not only can not see the original appearance of vegetables, but also retain nutrients, and can also be unique in taste." 」
First of all, Raphael was born lucky.
He was born into an artistic family, the son of a painter and poet, and his own studio.
Left/Guido Baldo da Montefertero, right/Elisabeth Gonzaga
But raphael was 15 years old and basically ate all the learning of his father's life.
His father was unable to teach Raphael anymore because of his talent, so he sent his son to Perugino to learn to draw.
At the age of 16, he came to Perugia and entered the studio of the painter Perugino to learn to paint.
Perugino was a classmate of Leonardo da Vinci,D.' with a face that looked like he was always angry, and was a master painter of the time.
Under Perugino's door, Raphael once again showed a strong ability to learn, he was almost the same as the teacher's drawing, and even his own people could not distinguish between true and false.
Raphael was simply a "duplicator".
At that time, Perugino had just begun to depict the theme of "The Wedding of the Virgin", and the young Raphael was also engaged in the practice of this theme.
But Raphael presents a better sense of space in the picture, highlighting his own painting style;
The horizontal cornices depicted by the teacher and the way the characters are presented are slightly blunt.
The Wedding of the Virgin. The first was by Raphael and the second by Perugino
This painting not only shows that he fully absorbed the essence of Perugino's art, but also came to the fore.
At the age of 17, Raphael's signature in his paintings was already ranked ahead of his colleagues, and the payment was "magister", that is, "master painter".
He no longer painted as a student, but was able to sign a painting contract in an independent capacity.
After leaving the school, Raphael was blue, often grabbed orders with his teacher Perugino, and was often more popular with Party A.
Raphael was a natural bully.
He will continue to learn from worshipping one idol to worshipping another, and absorb the essence of each person's art.
In order to absorb more artistic nutrition, at the age of 21, he came to Florence alone.
Because there are two super masters here: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
At that time, Raphael, who had not yet become famous, was still a fan of the two masters.
Once he was drawing a commissioned draft, and when he heard that the idol Da Vinci and Michelangelo were painting murals together in Florence, he immediately left his job and went to Florence to see the idol, almost like a star-chasing boy.
But Michelangelo disliked, and even envied, the feminine, handsome young man, calling him an "abominable plagiarist."
It is said that Michelangelo was worried that the ceiling painting of St. Peter's Basilica that he was working on would be copied and sealed.
But Raphael was not willing to give up, even if he "stole the teacher" to learn - he found the architect to "go through the back door" and finally saw the work.
In contrast, another master, Leonardo da Vinci, was much more generous.
He almost taught this junior, did not spare his knowledge, and even let Raphael observe it when he created the Mona Lisa.
Leonardo da Vinci also showed Raphael many manuscripts.
Raphael copied the Mona Lisa manuscript
By constantly absorbing imitations, Raphael learned cold lines and bright atmospheres from Michelangelo's works, and from leonardo da Vinci's works, he understood the fluidity of composition and the overall beauty.
After absorbing the strengths of the two masters and fusing his own style, he quickly made a bloody road in the art world.
The work became better and better, and he began to receive bigger orders.
In an important commission, Party A asked Raphael to paint a group of portraits of couples.
After the portrait came out, the wife of the rich merchant Party A blossomed, which is simply a rich flower version of the Mona Lisa.
The gesture of the woman in the painting is similar to that of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, but it does not portray the ambiguous and preoccupied expressions of the characters as the latter.
Raphael's good vision allowed him to capture the market's demand for "beauty".
After painting the woman's plump figure and imperfect appearance, he also continued to add soft light to the portrait, so that many flaws were hidden and the beautiful silhouette was highlighted.
The happy couple introduced Raphael to the Pope, and he gradually embarked on the peak of his life.
In 1508, at the age of 26, Raphael defeated rivals Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci to an invitation from Pope Julius II to paint frescoes for the Pope's private library in the Vatican.
This painting "The Academy of Athens" is his masterpiece.
The more than 50 university students in the painting all depict different personalities and strengths.
In this fresco, Raphael also pays tribute to his idols Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Plato used the face of Leonardo da Vinci, and Aristotle used the face of Michelangelo, painting them together as masters through the ages and the stars of ancient Greece and Rome to highlight their position.
However, he painted himself on one side and humbly watched, low-key and modest.
The young Raphael was eclectic and achieved the evolution of his artistic style.
He attributed the techniques of other artists to his own use, but not simply copied, but stood on the shoulders of his predecessors to achieve transcendence.
Art historian Christopher Tenes has made it clear: "He never wanted to be different, he just wanted to do better." Benefiting from a deep understanding of his predecessors, he explored new artistic paths from them, thus leading to the peak. ”
In 1514, Raphael was appointed architectural director of St. Peter's Basilica.
Because of his handsome appearance, gentle and elegant conversation and extraordinary artistic ability, there are traffic jams everywhere he goes.
He was not only a regular visitor to the noble residence, but also a guest of honor at the Vatican's Ecclesiastical Palace.
Although the profession was an artist, he had become accustomed to the extravagant upper-society lifestyle.
At the age of 34, Raphael bought a large villa for three thousand gold coins, and at the age of 35, he bought a vineyard in Rome with full payment.
Since then, Raphael has truly advanced to become a veritable rich man.
Raphael was so intoxicated by the satisfaction of honor and power that he even hoped to climb to the throne of the bishop and enjoy the bliss of ten thousand people under one man forever.
To become a bishop, you have to get more votes, including the pope and cardinals.
Hearing that the cardinal had a niece who had not yet married, Raphael quickly made the dowry.
Raphael and Maria are engaged
Of course, Raphael also had the love of her life, Fenalina, the daughter of the baker of Sierna.
He has many confidants with red faces, but in the end, only this girl occupies his heart.
Raphael's affection for Vernalina is clearly expressed in his three masterpieces: "The Veiled Woman", "Vernalina", and "Our Lady in the Chair".
In "The Veiled Lady", the woman Fernalina is half-covered under the gold tulle, and the moving eyes of Chuchu show a strong sense of love, like a bride about to enter the church.
Hundreds of years later, researchers found traces of the work, symbolic plant motifs in the background, and wedding rings on the fingers of the ladies.
It seems to confirm an inference of people for hundreds of years from another side: in fact, Raphael and Vernalina have been secretly married, but the painter who is hungry for power is forced by the pressure of public opinion and dare not disclose it.
After Raphael promised to marry the cardinal niece, the painting apparently tarnished his image.
Therefore, later his students painted off all the symbols related to marriage, and also buried the teacher's love affair.
Funalina, 1518
Raphael was engaged to the bishop's niece shortly after, and it is not known whether he was too excited about the foreseeable future and needed to be reveled, or because he was too guilty of Fernalina to vent, in short, he was infected by the indulgence of Theadel in the brothel.
Of course, he said nothing about his absurdity.
The doctor's choice of bloodletting therapy accelerated the deterioration of the disease, and on April 6, 1520, Raphael died mysteriously after 15 consecutive days of high fever.
The tomb of Raphael in the Pantheon of Rome
At the final confession, the Papal emissaries saw the silent Vernalina and refused to allow her to approach Raphael's body on the grounds that "she was not an official wife"
So, a grief-stricken Vernalina escaped into the empty door as an undead.
In the history of painting, there are no artists like Raphael who were enthusiastically sought after before and after his death.
Not only has his paintings been hyped up to the realm of "gods", but even his death has been hyped up.
According to research, raphael died on the same day as his birth, and that day was good friday.
And "The Resurrection of Christ" is Raphael's last work left to the world.
Raphael's final work, The Apparition of Jesus
Raphael was buried in the Pantheon after his death.
Cardinal Pietro Benbo inscribed an epitaph: "He lives, and nature fears being conquered by him; when he dies, he fears that he will wither with him." ”
This sentence is the most weighty recognition and respect for a painter at that time and even now.