"Carrying the Cross" is one of the most tragic works Raphael. It conveys not only the moment of their life of Christ, described in religious sources, but also human emotions that the author so diligently conveyed. The feeling of grief, [...]

"Bridgewater Madonna" is part of a series of paintings by Raphael Santi dedicated to images of the Madonna. The legendary artist’s brush carefully painted the images of the Madonna, each time trying to find, “probe” that very ideal, mysterious and unattainable. The desire to portray [...]

Ceiling fresco, mosaic. Dimensions: 120 by 105 cm. Dated 1509-1511. Located in Stanza della Segnatura, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City. The said stanza – translated from Italian as room – is the Pope’s office […]

Great Italian artist Raphael Santi was left an orphan at an early age, but gained his first experience as a painter in the studio of his father, who painted at the court of the Duke of Urbino. Subsequently, in his work, Raphael was guided by the first [...]

Amazing time The Renaissance gave birth to the stories of many brilliant sculptors and artists. It is noteworthy that talented people of that time they possessed precisely a versatile gift - painting, sculpture, graphic, and sometimes architectural. Raphael's genius is more […]

In the image you can clearly see how much Raphael was influenced by the work of another artist, Michelangelo. In the center of the canvas is a sacred group - the four evangelists are depicted by four beasts. In the center is the unclothed God the Father. His body […]

The work was painted in 1502-1503 for the Oddi altar. Interesting fact When creating this painting, the reason was that the artist did not independently determine the main components of the image. Moreover, his favorite religious theme in the early […]

Raphael (actually Raffaello Santi or Sanzio, Raffaello Santi, Sanzio) (March 26 or 28, 1483, Urbino - April 6, 1520, Rome), Italian painter and architect.

Raphael, son of the painter Giovanni Santi, early years spent in Urbino. In 1500-1504, Raphael, according to Vasari, studied with the artist Perugino in Perugia.

From 1504, Raphael worked in Florence, where he became acquainted with the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Fra Bartolommeo, and studied anatomy and scientific perspective.
The move to Florence played a huge role in creative development Raphael. Of primary importance for the artist was familiarity with the method of the great Leonardo da Vinci.
Following Leonardo, Raphael begins to work a lot from life, studying anatomy, mechanics of movements, complex poses and angles, looking for compact, rhythmically balanced compositional formulas.
The numerous images of Madonnas he created in Florence brought the young artist all-Italian fame.
Raphael received an invitation from Pope Julius II to Rome, where he was able to become more familiar with ancient monuments and took part in archaeological excavations. Having moved to Rome, the 26-year-old master received the position of “artist of the Apostolic See” and the assignment to paint the state rooms of the Vatican Palace, from 1514 he directed the construction of St. Peter’s Cathedral, worked in the field of church and palace architecture, in 1515 he was appointed Commissioner of Antiquities, responsible for the study and protection of ancient monuments, archaeological excavations. Fulfilling the pope's order, Raphael created murals in the halls of the Vatican, glorifying the ideals of freedom and earthly happiness of man, the limitlessness of his physical and spiritual capabilities.

The painting “Madonna Conestabile” by Rafael Santi was created by the artist at the age of twenty.

In this painting, the young artist Raphael created his first remarkable embodiment of the image of the Madonna, which occupied exclusively important place. The image of a young beautiful mother, generally so popular in Renaissance art, is especially close to Raphael, whose talent had a lot of softness and lyricism.

Unlike the masters of the 15th century, new qualities emerged in the paintings of the young artist Raphael Santi, when a harmonious compositional structure does not constrain the images, but, on the contrary, is perceived as a necessary condition for the feeling of naturalness and freedom that they generate.

Holy family 1507-1508. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

Painting by artist Raphael Santi “The Holy Family” by Canigiani.

The customer of the work is Domenico Canigianini from Florence. In the painting "Holy Family" great painter Renaissance era Raphael Santi depicted in the classical key of biblical history - the holy family - the Virgin Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus Christ along with St. Elizabeth and the baby John the Baptist.

However, only in Rome did Raphael overcome the dryness and some stiffness of his early portraits. It was in Rome that Raphael's brilliant talent as a portrait painter reached maturity.

In Raphael's "Madonnas" of the Roman period, his idyllic mood early works is replaced by the recreation of deeper human, maternal feelings, as Mary, full of dignity and spiritual purity, appears as the intercessor of humanity in the very famous work Raphael - “Sistine Madonna”.

The painting “The Sistine Madonna” by Raphael Santi was originally created by the great painter as an altar image for the church of San Sisto (St. Sixtus) in Piacenza.

In the painting, the artist depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, Pope Sixtus II and Saint Barbara. The painting “The Sistine Madonna” is one of the most famous works of world art.

How was the image of the Madonna created? Was there for him real prototype? In this regard, a number of ancient legends are associated with the Dresden painting. Researchers find similarities in the Madonna's facial features with the model of one of Raphael's female portraits - the so-called “Lady in the Veil”. But in resolving this issue, first of all, one should take into account famous saying Raphael himself from a letter to his friend Baldassare Castiglione that in creating the image of a perfect female beauty he is guided by a certain idea, which arises on the basis of many impressions from the beauties the artist saw in life. In other words, basically creative method The painter Raphael Santi turns out to be a selection and synthesis of observations of reality.

In the last years of his life, Raphael was so overloaded with orders that he entrusted the execution of many of them to his students and assistants (Giulio Romano, Giovanni da Udine, Perino del Vaga, Francesco Penni and others), usually limiting himself to general supervision of the works.

Rafael provided a huge impact on the subsequent development of Italian and European painting, becoming, along with the masters of antiquity, the highest example of artistic perfection. The art of Raphael, which had a huge influence on European painting The 16th-19th and, partly, 20th centuries, for centuries, retained the meaning of indisputable artistic authority and example for artists and viewers.

In the last years of his creativity, based on the artist’s drawings, his students created huge cardboards on biblical themes with episodes from the life of the apostles. Based on these cardboards, Brussels masters were supposed to create monumental tapestries, which were intended for decoration Sistine Chapel on holidays.

Paintings by Rafael Santi

The painting “Angel” by Raphael Santi was created by the artist at the age of 17-18 at the very beginning of the 16th century.

This gorgeous early work by the young artist is part or a fragment of the Baroncha altar, damaged by the earthquake of 1789. The altarpiece “Coronation of Blessed Nicholas of Tolentino, conqueror of Satan” was commissioned by Andrea Baronci for his home chapel in the church of San Agostinho in Citta de Castello. In addition to the fragment of the painting “Angel”, three more parts of the altar have been preserved: “The Most High Creator” and “The Blessed Virgin Mary” in the Capodimonte Museum (Naples) and another fragment “Angel” in the Louvre (Paris).

The painting “Madonna Granduca” was painted by the artist Rafael Santi after moving to Florence.

The numerous images of Madonnas created by the young artist in Florence (“Madonna of Granduca”, “Madonna of the Goldfinch”, “Madonna of the Greens”, “Madonna with the Child Christ and John the Baptist” or “The Beautiful Gardener” and others) brought Raphael Santi all-Italian fame.

The painting “The Dream of a Knight” was painted by the artist Rafael Santi in the early years of his work.

The painting is from Borghese’s legacy, probably paired with another work by the artist, “The Three Graces.” These paintings - "The Dream of a Knight" and "The Three Graces" - are almost miniature in composition size.

The theme of “The Knight’s Dream” is a unique refraction of the ancient myth of Hercules at the crossroads between the allegorical embodiments of Valor and Pleasure. Near the young knight, depicted sleeping against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape, stand two young women. One of them, in formal attire, offers him a sword and a book, the other a branch with flowers.

In the painting “The Three Graces” the compositional motif of three naked female figures apparently borrowed from an antique cameo. And although there is still a lot of uncertainty in these works of the artist (“The Three Graces” and “The Dream of a Knight”), they attract with their naive charm and poetic purity. Already here some features inherent in Raphael’s talent were revealed - the poetry of images, a sense of rhythm and the soft melodiousness of lines.

The altarpiece “Madonna of Ansidei” by Raphael Santi was painted by the artist in Florence; the young painter was not yet 25 years old.

Unicorn, a mythical animal with the body of a bull, horse or goat and one long straight horn on its forehead.

The unicorn is a symbol of purity and virginity. According to legend, only an innocent girl can tame the ferocious unicorn. The painting “Lady with a Unicorn” was painted by Raphael Santi based on a painting popular during the Renaissance and mannerism mythological plot, which many artists used in their paintings.

The painting “Lady with a Unicorn” was badly damaged in the past, but has now been partially restored.

Painting by Raphael Santi “Madonna in Greenery” or “Mary and Child and John the Baptist”.

In Florence, Raphael created the Madonna cycle, indicating the onset of a new stage in his work. Belonging to the most famous of them, “Madonna of the Greens” (Vienna, Museum), “Madonna with the Goldfinch” (Uffizi) and “Madonna of the Gardener” (Louvre) represent a kind of variants of a common motif - the image of a young beautiful mother with the child Christ and little John the Baptist against the backdrop of a landscape. These are also variants of one theme - the theme mother's love, bright and serene.

Altarpiece painting "Madonna di Foligno" by Raphael Santi.

In the 1510s, Raphael worked a lot in the field of altar composition. A number of his works of this kind, among which should be called the Madonna di Foligno, lead us to greatest creation his easel painting- “The Sistine Madonna.” This painting was created in 1515-1519 for the Church of St. Sixtus in Piacenza and is now in the Dresden Art Gallery.

The painting "Madonna di Foligno" in its own way compositional construction similar to the famous “Sistine Madonna”, with the only difference that in the painting “Madonna di Foligno” there is more characters and the image of the Madonna is distinguished by a peculiar internal isolation - her gaze is occupied with her child - the infant Christ.

The painting “Madonna del Impannata” by Rafael Santi was created by the great painter almost at the same time as the famous “Sistine Madonna”.

In the painting, the artist depicts the Virgin Mary with the children Christ and John the Baptist, Saint Elizabeth and Saint Catherine. The painting “Madonna del Impannata” testifies to the further improvement of the artist’s style, the complication of images in comparison with soft lyrical images his Florentine Madonnas.

The mid-1510s were the time of Raphael's best portrait work.

Castiglione, Count Baldassare (Castiglione; 1478-1526) - Italian diplomat and writer. Born near Mantua, he served at various Italian courts, was the ambassador of the Duke of Urbino in the 1500s for Henry VII of England, and from 1507 in France for King Louis XII. In 1525, already at a fairly advanced age, he was sent by the papal nuncio to Spain.

In this portrait, Raphael showed himself to be an outstanding colorist, able to sense color in its complex shades and tonal transitions. The portrait of the Lady in the Veil differs from the portrait of Baldassare Castiglione in its remarkable coloristic qualities.

Researchers of the artist Raphael Santi and historians of Renaissance painting find models of this in the features portrait of a woman Raphael's resemblance to the face of the Virgin Mary in his famous painting "The Sistine Madonna".

Joan of Aragon 1518 Louvre Museum, Paris.

The customer of the painting is Cardinal Bibbiena, writer and secretary to Pope Leo X; the painting was intended as a gift to the French king Francis I. The portrait was only begun by the artist, and it is not known for certain which of his students (Giulio Romano, Francesco Penni or Perino del Vaga) completed it.

Joanna of Aragon (? -1577) - daughter of the Neapolitan king Federigo (later deposed), wife of Ascanio, Prince Taliacosso, famous for her beauty.

The extraordinary beauty of Joan of Aragon was glorified by contemporary poets in a number of poetic dedications, the collection of which comprised an entire volume, published in Venice

The artist depicts in the painting classic version biblical chapter from the Revelation of John the Theologian or the Apocalypse.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they did not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him...”

Frescoes by Raphael

The fresco by artist Raphael Santi “Adam and Eve” also has another name - “The Fall”.

The size of the fresco is 120 x 105 cm. Raphael painted the fresco “Adam and Eve” on the ceiling of the pontiff’s chambers.

Fresco by artist Rafael Santi " Athens school"has another name - "Philosophical Conversations." The size of the fresco, the length of the base is 770 cm. After moving to Rome in 1508, Raphael was entrusted with painting the pope's apartments - the so-called stanzas (that is, rooms), which include three rooms on the second floor of the Vatican Palace and the adjacent hall. The general ideological program of the fresco cycles in the stanzas, as conceived by the customers, was supposed to serve the glorification of authority catholic church and its head - the Roman high priest.

Along with allegorical and biblical images, individual frescoes depict episodes from the history of the papacy, and some compositions include portrait images Julius II and his successor Leo X.

The customer of the painting “The Triumph of Galatea” is Agostino Chigi, a banker from Siena; The fresco was painted by the artist in the banquet hall of the villa.

Raphael Santi's fresco "The Triumph of Galatea" depicts beautiful Galatea swiftly moving through the waves on a shell pulled by dolphins, surrounded by newts and naiads.

In one of the first frescoes executed by Raphael, the Dispute, which depicts a conversation about the sacrament of the sacrament, cult motifs were most prominent. The symbol of communion itself - the host (wafer) - is installed on the altar in the center of the composition. The action takes place on two planes - on earth and in heaven. Below, on a stepped dais, the church fathers, popes, prelates, clergy, elders and youths were located on both sides of the altar.

Among other participants here you can recognize Dante, Savonarola, and the pious monk-painter Fra Beato Angelico. Above the entire mass of figures in the lower part of the fresco, like a heavenly vision, the personification of the Trinity appears: God the Father, below him, in a halo of golden rays, is Christ with the Mother of God and John the Baptist, even lower, as if marking the geometric center of the fresco, is a dove in sphere, a symbol of the holy spirit, and on the sides the apostles are seated on floating clouds. And all this huge number of figures, with such a complex compositional design, is distributed with such skill that the fresco leaves an impression of amazing clarity and beauty.

Prophet Isaiah 1511-1512. San Agostinho, Rome.

Raphael's fresco depicts the great biblical prophet of the Old Testament at the moment of revelation of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah (9th century BC), Hebrew prophet, zealous champion of the religion of Yahweh and denouncer of idolatry. The biblical Book of the Prophet Isaiah bears his name.

One of the four great Old Testament prophets. For Christians special meaning has the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah (Immanuel; ch. 7, 9 - “... behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call his name Immanuel”). The memory of the prophet is revered in Orthodox Church 9 (May 22), in Catholic - July 6.

Frescoes and latest paintings Raphael

The fresco “The Deliverance of the Apostle Peter from Prison,” which depicts the miraculous release of the Apostle Peter from prison by an angel (an allusion to the release of Pope Leo X from French captivity when he was papal legate), makes a very strong impression.

On the ceiling lamps of the papal apartments - Stanza della Segnatura, Raphael painted the frescoes “The Fall”, “The Victory of Apollo over Marsyas”, “Astronomy” and a fresco on the famous Old Testament story “The Judgment of Solomon”.
It is difficult to find any other artistic ensemble, which would give the impression of such figurative richness in terms of ideological and visual-decorative design as Raphael’s Vatican stanzas. Walls covered with multi-figure frescoes, vaulted ceilings with rich gilded decor, with fresco and mosaic inserts, floor beautiful pattern- all this could create the impression of overload, if not for the high orderliness inherent in the general plan of Rafael Santi, which brings the necessary clarity and visibility to this complex artistic complex.

Before recent years Rafael paid great attention to his life monumental painting. One of the artist’s largest works was the painting of the Villa Farnesina, which belonged to the richest Roman banker Chigi.

In the early 1910s, Raphael painted the fresco “The Triumph of Galatea” in the main hall of this villa, which is one of his best works.

Myths about Princess Psyche tell about the desire human soul merge with love. For her indescribable beauty, people revered Psyche more than Aphrodite. According to one version, a jealous goddess sent her son, the deity of love Cupid, to arouse in the girl a passion for the ugliest of people, however, when he saw the beauty, the young man lost his head and forgot about his mother’s order. Having become the husband of Psyche, he did not allow her to look at him. She, burning with curiosity, lit a lamp at night and looked at her husband, not noticing a hot drop of oil falling on his skin, and Cupid disappeared. In the end, by the will of Zeus, the lovers united. Apuleius in Metamorphoses retells the myth of romantic story Cupid and Psyche; the wanderings of the human soul, eager to meet its love.

The painting depicts Fornarina, the lover of Rafael Santi, whose real name is Margherita Luti. Fornarina's real name was established by researcher Antonio Valeri, who discovered it in a manuscript from a Florentine library and in a list of nuns of a monastery, where the novice was identified as the widow of the artist Raphael.

Fornarina is the legendary lover and model of Raphael, whose real name is Margherita Luti. According to many Renaissance art critics and historians of the artist’s work, Fornarina is depicted on two famous paintings Rafael Santi - “Fornarina” and “The Veiled Lady”. It is also believed that Fornarina, in all likelihood, served as a model for creating the image of the Virgin Mary in the painting “The Sistine Madonna”, as well as some others female images Raphael.

Transfiguration of Christ 1519-1520. Pinacoteca Vatican, Rome.

The painting was originally created as an altar image cathedral in Narbonne, commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, Bishop of Narbonne. IN to the greatest extent The contradictions of the last years of Raphael’s work were reflected in the huge altarpiece “The Transfiguration of Christ” - it was completed after Raphael’s death by Giulio Romano.

This picture is divided into two parts. The upper part shows the actual transformation - this more harmonious part of the picture was done by Raphael himself. Below are the apostles trying to heal a possessed boy

It was Raphael Santi’s altar painting “The Transfiguration of Christ” that became an indisputable model for academic painters for centuries.
Raphael died in 1520. His premature death was unexpected and made a deep impression on his contemporaries.

Rafael Santi deserves his place among greatest masters the era of the High Renaissance.

Raphael (actually Raffaello Santi or Sanzio, Raffaello Santi, Sanzio) (March 26 or 28, 1483, Urbino - April 6, 1520, Rome), Italian painter and architect.

Raphael, the son of the painter Giovanni Santi, spent his early years in Urbino. In 1500-1504, Raphael, according to Vasari, studied with the artist Perugino in Perugia.

From 1504, Raphael worked in Florence, where he became acquainted with the works of Leonardo da Vinci and Fra Bartolommeo, and studied anatomy and scientific perspective.
Moving to Florence played a huge role in Raphael's creative development. Of primary importance for the artist was familiarity with the method of the great Leonardo da Vinci.

Following Leonardo, Raphael begins to work a lot from life, studying anatomy, mechanics of movements, complex poses and angles, looking for compact, rhythmically balanced compositional formulas.
The numerous images of Madonnas he created in Florence brought the young artist all-Italian fame.
Raphael received an invitation from Pope Julius II to Rome, where he was able to become more familiar with ancient monuments and took part in archaeological excavations. Having moved to Rome, the 26-year-old master received the position of “artist of the Apostolic See” and the assignment to paint the state rooms of the Vatican Palace, from 1514 he directed the construction of St. Peter’s Cathedral, worked in the field of church and palace architecture, in 1515 he was appointed Commissioner of Antiquities, responsible for the study and protection of ancient monuments, archaeological excavations. Fulfilling the pope's order, Raphael created murals in the halls of the Vatican, glorifying the ideals of freedom and earthly happiness of man, the limitlessness of his physical and spiritual capabilities.

The painting “Madonna Conestabile” by Rafael Santi was created by the artist at the age of twenty.

In this painting, the young artist Raphael created his first remarkable embodiment of the image of the Madonna, which occupied an extremely important place in his art. The image of a young beautiful mother, generally so popular in Renaissance art, is especially close to Raphael, whose talent had a lot of softness and lyricism.

Unlike the masters of the 15th century, new qualities emerged in the paintings of the young artist Raphael Santi, when a harmonious compositional structure does not constrain the images, but, on the contrary, is perceived as a necessary condition for the feeling of naturalness and freedom that they generate.

Holy family 1507-1508. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

Painting by artist Raphael Santi “The Holy Family” by Canigiani.

The customer of the work is Domenico Canigianini from Florence. In the painting “The Holy Family”, the great Renaissance painter Raphael Santi depicted the Holy Family in the classical vein of biblical history - the Virgin Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus Christ along with St. Elizabeth and the baby John the Baptist.

However, only in Rome did Raphael overcome the dryness and some stiffness of his early portraits. It was in Rome that Raphael's brilliant talent as a portrait painter reached maturity.

In Raphael’s “Madonnas” of the Roman period, the idyllic mood of his early works is replaced by the recreation of deeper human, maternal feelings, as Mary, full of dignity and spiritual purity, appears as the intercessor of humanity in Raphael’s most famous work - “The Sistine Madonna”.

The painting “The Sistine Madonna” by Raphael Santi was originally created by the great painter as an altar image for the church of San Sisto (St. Sixtus) in Piacenza.

In the painting, the artist depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, Pope Sixtus II and Saint Barbara. The painting “The Sistine Madonna” is one of the most famous works of world art.

How was the image of the Madonna created? Was there a real prototype for it? In this regard, a number of ancient legends are associated with the Dresden painting. Researchers find similarities in the Madonna's facial features with the model of one of Raphael's female portraits - the so-called “Lady in the Veil”. But in resolving this issue, first of all, one should take into account the famous statement of Raphael himself from a letter to his friend Baldassare Castiglione that in creating the image of perfect female beauty he is guided by a certain idea, which arises on the basis of many impressions from the beauties the artist saw in life. In other words, the basis of the creative method of the painter Raphael Santi is the selection and synthesis of observations of reality.

In the last years of his life, Raphael was so overloaded with orders that he entrusted the execution of many of them to his students and assistants (Giulio Romano, Giovanni da Udine, Perino del Vaga, Francesco Penni and others), usually limiting himself to general supervision of the works.

Raphael had a huge influence on the subsequent development of Italian and European painting, becoming, along with the masters of antiquity, the highest example of artistic perfection. The art of Raphael, which had a tremendous influence on European painting of the 16th-19th and, partly, 20th centuries, for centuries retained the meaning of indisputable artistic authority and model for artists and viewers.

In the last years of his creative work, based on the artist’s drawings, his students created huge cardboards on biblical themes with episodes from the life of the apostles. Based on these cardboards, Brussels masters were supposed to create monumental tapestries that were intended to decorate the Sistine Chapel on holidays.

Paintings by Rafael Santi

The painting “Angel” by Raphael Santi was created by the artist at the age of 17-18 at the very beginning of the 16th century.

This magnificent early work by the young artist is part or fragment of the Baroncha altarpiece, damaged by the 1789 earthquake. The altarpiece “Coronation of Blessed Nicholas of Tolentino, conqueror of Satan” was commissioned by Andrea Baronci for his home chapel in the church of San Agostinho in Citta de Castello. In addition to the fragment of the painting “Angel”, three more parts of the altar have been preserved: “The Most High Creator” and “The Blessed Virgin Mary” in the Capodimonte Museum (Naples) and another fragment “Angel” in the Louvre (Paris).

The painting “Madonna Granduca” was painted by the artist Rafael Santi after moving to Florence.

The numerous images of Madonnas created by the young artist in Florence (“Madonna of Granduca”, “Madonna of the Goldfinch”, “Madonna of the Greens”, “Madonna with the Child Christ and John the Baptist” or “The Beautiful Gardener” and others) brought Raphael Santi all-Italian fame.

The painting “The Dream of a Knight” was painted by the artist Rafael Santi in the early years of his work.

The painting is from Borghese’s legacy, probably paired with another work by the artist, “The Three Graces.” These paintings - "The Dream of a Knight" and "The Three Graces" - are almost miniature in composition size.

The theme of “The Knight’s Dream” is a unique refraction of the ancient myth of Hercules at the crossroads between the allegorical embodiments of Valor and Pleasure. Near the young knight, depicted sleeping against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape, stand two young women. One of them, in formal attire, offers him a sword and a book, the other a branch with flowers.

In the painting “The Three Graces” the very compositional motif of three naked female figures is apparently borrowed from an antique cameo. And although there is still a lot of uncertainty in these works of the artist (“The Three Graces” and “The Dream of a Knight”), they attract with their naive charm and poetic purity. Already here some features inherent in Raphael’s talent were revealed - the poetry of images, a sense of rhythm and the soft melodiousness of lines.

Battle of St. George with the Dragon 1504-1505. Louvre Museum, Paris.

The painting “The Battle of St. George with the Dragon” by Raphael Santi was painted by the artist in Florence, after he left Perugia.

“The Battle of St. George with the Dragon” is based on a biblical story popular in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

The altarpiece “Madonna of Ansidei” by Raphael Santi was painted by the artist in Florence; the young painter was not yet 25 years old.

Unicorn, a mythical animal with the body of a bull, horse or goat and one long straight horn on its forehead.

The unicorn is a symbol of purity and virginity. According to legend, only an innocent girl can tame the ferocious unicorn. The painting “Lady with a Unicorn” was painted by Rafael Santi based on a mythological plot popular during the Renaissance and mannerism, which many artists used in their paintings.

The painting “Lady with a Unicorn” was badly damaged in the past, but has now been partially restored.

Painting by Raphael Santi “Madonna in Greenery” or “Mary and Child and John the Baptist”.

In Florence, Raphael created the Madonna cycle, indicating the onset of a new stage in his work. Belonging to the most famous of them, “Madonna of the Greens” (Vienna, Museum), “Madonna with the Goldfinch” (Uffizi) and “Madonna of the Gardener” (Louvre) represent a kind of variants of a common motif - the image of a young beautiful mother with the child Christ and little John the Baptist against the backdrop of a landscape. These are also variations of one theme - the theme of maternal love, bright and serene.

Altarpiece painting "Madonna di Foligno" by Raphael Santi.

In the 1510s, Raphael worked a lot in the field of altar composition. A number of his works of this kind, including the Madonna di Foligno, lead us to the greatest creation of his easel painting - the Sistine Madonna. This painting was created in 1515-1519 for the Church of St. Sixtus in Piacenza and is now in the Dresden Art Gallery.

The painting “Madonna di Foligno” in its compositional structure is similar to the famous “Sistine Madonna”, with the only difference that in the painting “Madonna di Foligno” there are more characters and the image of the Madonna is distinguished by a kind of internal isolation - her gaze is occupied with her child - the Christ Child .

The painting “Madonna del Impannata” by Rafael Santi was created by the great painter almost at the same time as the famous “Sistine Madonna”.

In the painting, the artist depicts the Virgin Mary with the children Christ and John the Baptist, Saint Elizabeth and Saint Catherine. The painting “Madonna del Impannata” testifies to the further improvement of the artist’s style, to the complication of images in comparison with the soft lyrical images of his Florentine Madonnas.

The mid-1510s were the time of Raphael's best portrait work.

Castiglione, Count Baldassare (Castiglione; 1478-1526) - Italian diplomat and writer. Born near Mantua, he served at various Italian courts, was the ambassador of the Duke of Urbino in the 1500s for Henry VII of England, and from 1507 in France for King Louis XII. In 1525, already at a fairly advanced age, he was sent by the papal nuncio to Spain.

In this portrait, Raphael showed himself to be an outstanding colorist, able to sense color in its complex shades and tonal transitions. The portrait of the Lady in the Veil differs from the portrait of Baldassare Castiglione in its remarkable coloristic qualities.

Researchers of the work of the artist Raphael Santi and historians of Renaissance painting find in the features of the model of this female portrait of Raphael a resemblance to the face of the Virgin Mary in his famous painting “The Sistine Madonna.”

Joan of Aragon 1518 Louvre Museum, Paris.

The customer of the painting is Cardinal Bibbiena, writer and secretary to Pope Leo X; the painting was intended as a gift to the French king Francis I. The portrait was only begun by the artist, and it is not known for certain which of his students (Giulio Romano, Francesco Penni or Perino del Vaga) completed it.

Joanna of Aragon (? -1577) - daughter of the Neapolitan king Federigo (later deposed), wife of Ascanio, Prince Taliacosso, famous for her beauty.

The extraordinary beauty of Joan of Aragon was glorified by contemporary poets in a number of poetic dedications, the collection of which comprised an entire volume, published in Venice

The artist’s painting depicts a classic version of the biblical chapter from the Revelation of John the Theologian or the Apocalypse.
“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they did not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him...”

Frescoes by Raphael

The fresco by artist Raphael Santi “Adam and Eve” also has another name - “The Fall”.

The size of the fresco is 120 x 105 cm. Raphael painted the fresco “Adam and Eve” on the ceiling of the pontiff’s chambers.

The fresco by artist Raphael Santi “The School of Athens” also has another name - “Philosophical Conversations”. The size of the fresco, the length of the base is 770 cm. After moving to Rome in 1508, Raphael was entrusted with painting the pope's apartments - the so-called stanzas (that is, rooms), which include three rooms on the second floor of the Vatican Palace and the adjacent hall. The general ideological program of the fresco cycles in the stanzas, as conceived by the customers, was supposed to serve to glorify the authority of the Catholic Church and its head - the Roman high priest.

Along with allegorical and biblical images, individual frescoes depict episodes from the history of the papacy; some compositions include portrait images of Julius II and his successor Leo X.

The customer of the painting “The Triumph of Galatea” is Agostino Chigi, a banker from Siena; The fresco was painted by the artist in the banquet hall of the villa.

Raphael Santi's fresco "The Triumph of Galatea" depicts the beautiful Galatea swiftly moving through the waves on a shell drawn by dolphins, surrounded by newts and naiads.

In one of the first frescoes executed by Raphael, the Dispute, which depicts a conversation about the sacrament of the sacrament, cult motifs were most prominent. The symbol of communion itself - the host (wafer) - is installed on the altar in the center of the composition. The action takes place on two planes - on earth and in heaven. Below, on a stepped dais, the church fathers, popes, prelates, clergy, elders and youths were located on both sides of the altar.

Among other participants here you can recognize Dante, Savonarola, and the pious monk-painter Fra Beato Angelico. Above the entire mass of figures in the lower part of the fresco, like a heavenly vision, the personification of the Trinity appears: God the Father, below him, in a halo of golden rays, is Christ with the Mother of God and John the Baptist, even lower, as if marking the geometric center of the fresco, is a dove in sphere, a symbol of the holy spirit, and on the sides the apostles are seated on floating clouds. And all this huge number of figures, with such a complex compositional design, is distributed with such skill that the fresco leaves an impression of amazing clarity and beauty.

Prophet Isaiah 1511-1512. San Agostinho, Rome.

Raphael's fresco depicts the great biblical prophet of the Old Testament at the moment of revelation of the coming of the Messiah. Isaiah (9th century BC), Hebrew prophet, zealous champion of the religion of Yahweh and denouncer of idolatry. The biblical Book of the Prophet Isaiah bears his name.

One of the four great Old Testament prophets. For Christians, Isaiah’s prophecy about the Messiah (Immanuel; ch. 7, 9 - “...behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call his name Immanuel”) is of particular significance. The memory of the prophet is revered in the Orthodox Church on May 9 (May 22), in the Catholic Church on July 6.

Frescoes and last paintings of Raphael

The fresco “The Deliverance of the Apostle Peter from Prison,” which depicts the miraculous release of the Apostle Peter from prison by an angel (an allusion to the release of Pope Leo X from French captivity when he was papal legate), makes a very strong impression.

On the ceiling lamps of the papal apartments - Stanza della Segnatura, Raphael painted the frescoes “The Fall”, “The Victory of Apollo over Marsyas”, “Astronomy” and a fresco on the famous Old Testament story “The Judgment of Solomon”.
It is difficult to find in the history of art any other artistic ensemble that would give the impression of such figurative richness in terms of ideological and visual-decorative design as Raphael’s Vatican stanzas. Walls covered with multi-figure frescoes, vaulted ceilings with rich gilded decor, with fresco and mosaic inserts, a beautifully patterned floor - all this could create the impression of overload, if not for the high orderliness inherent in the general design of Raphael Santi, which brings to this complex artistic complex necessary clarity and visibility.

Until the last years of his life, Raphael paid great attention to monumental painting. One of the artist’s largest works was the painting of the Villa Farnesina, which belonged to the richest Roman banker Chigi.

In the early 1910s, Raphael painted the fresco “The Triumph of Galatea” in the main hall of this villa, which is one of his best works.

Myths about Princess Psyche tell about the desire of the human soul to merge with love. For her indescribable beauty, people revered Psyche more than Aphrodite. According to one version, a jealous goddess sent her son, the deity of love Cupid, to arouse in the girl a passion for the ugliest of people, however, when he saw the beauty, the young man lost his head and forgot about his mother’s order. Having become the husband of Psyche, he did not allow her to look at him. She, burning with curiosity, lit a lamp at night and looked at her husband, not noticing a hot drop of oil falling on his skin, and Cupid disappeared. In the end, by the will of Zeus, the lovers united. Apuleius in Metamorphoses retells the myth of the romantic story of Cupid and Psyche; the wanderings of the human soul, eager to meet its love.

The painting depicts Fornarina, the lover of Rafael Santi, whose real name is Margherita Luti. Fornarina's real name was established by researcher Antonio Valeri, who discovered it in a manuscript from a Florentine library and in a list of nuns of a monastery, where the novice was identified as the widow of the artist Raphael.

Fornarina is the legendary lover and model of Raphael, whose real name is Margherita Luti. According to many Renaissance art critics and historians of the artist’s work, Fornarina is depicted in two famous paintings by Rafael Santi - “Fornarina” and “The Veiled Lady.” It is also believed that Fornarina, in all likelihood, served as a model for the creation of the image of the Virgin Mary in the painting “The Sistine Madonna”, as well as some other female images of Raphael.

Transfiguration of Christ 1519-1520. Pinacoteca Vatican, Rome.

The painting was originally created as an altarpiece for the Cathedral of Narbonne, commissioned by Cardinal Giulio Medici, Bishop of Narbonne. The contradictions of the last years of Raphael’s work were most reflected in the huge altar composition “The Transfiguration of Christ” - it was completed after Raphael’s death by Giulio Romano.

This picture is divided into two parts. The upper part shows the actual transformation - this more harmonious part of the picture was done by Raphael himself. Below are the apostles trying to heal a possessed boy

It was Raphael Santi’s altar painting “The Transfiguration of Christ” that became an indisputable model for academic painters for centuries.
Raphael died in 1520. His premature death was unexpected and made a deep impression on his contemporaries.

Raphael Santi deservedly ranks among the greatest masters of the High Renaissance.

An Italian artist of the Renaissance, a brilliant graphic artist and a master of architectural solutions, Rafael Santi absorbed the experience of the Umbrian school of painting. His paintings, like a mirror, reflected the ideals of the Renaissance. The world became kinder and purer when the eyes of Raphael's Madonnas looked at it - Sistine, Conestabile, Pasadena, Orleans.

Childhood and youth

The painter was born in the spring of 1483 in the town of Urbino with a population of 15,000 in eastern Italy. Father Giovanni dei Santi worked as a court artist for the Duke, and Margie's mother Charla raised her son and ran the household. Rafael's family had the means to pay for a wet nurse, but Giovanni insisted that his wife feed the baby herself. As a child, Rafael Santi showed a talent for painting. The father noticed this when he took the boy to the castle, where masters who masterfully wielded the brush worked - the Duke welcomed art, highlighting artists.

Paolo Uccello, Luca Signorelli are the names of painters known to every Italian. The masters painted portraits of the Duke and his relatives and painted the palace walls. The eyes of young Raphael closely watched the masters’ brushes. Soon Santi realized that his son would leave both him and Uccello and Signorelli in the shadows. Rafael Santi was orphaned early: as soon as he was 8 years old, his mother died. Care itself dear person left a mark on creative biography painter. His Madonnas and portraits of his beloved women seem to glow with maternal love, which the artist did not receive in childhood.

Soon Bernardina's stepmother appeared in the house, for whom her husband's son was someone else's child. At 12, the artist was left an orphan. Even then, the teenager demonstrated amazing skill, and he was assigned to the workshop of the artist Pietro Perugino. The painter taught the boy until sophisticated experts could no longer distinguish copies of Raphael from paintings by Perugino. Santi, like a sponge, absorbed the experience of teachers and left all the students behind, while not being arrogant and being friends with them.

Painting

In 1504, 21-year-old Raphael Santi found himself in Florence: the young painter moved to the cradle of the Renaissance following Perugino. The move had a beneficial effect on the young man’s career and skill - the teacher introduced Raphael to famous painters, sculptors and architects. In the city on the banks of the Arno, Santi met. About the lost painting the brilliant Leonardo We know “Leda and the Swan” thanks to a copy by Raphael Santi. Florentine period the artist gave the world 20 Raphaelian Madonnas and Babies, in which Santi put all his longing for his mother.

The year of his move to Florence was marked by the writing of several early masterpieces by Raphael. The painting “The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary” and the painting “The Dream of a Knight” date back to 1504. “Madonna Conestabile” and “The Three Graces” appeared in Florence. The last painting, which is now kept in the museum of the French city of Chantilly, depicts the goddesses Innocence, Beauty and Love, holding golden balls in their hands - symbols of perfection. Rafael Santi's early paintings show the influence of his teacher, but after 2-3 years the artist demonstrates his own style.

Since 1508, the painter has lived in Rome, where he received an invitation from Pope Julius II. Having heard about the young man, the priest invited Santi to paint the stanzas - the ceremonial rooms of the Vatican Palace. Having seen the sketch of Raphael's fresco, Julius II was so delighted that he gave all the surfaces to the painter, ordering the old drawings to be removed. From 1509, Raphael Santi would remain in the Eternal City, painting the stanzas, until the day of his death. Raphael's Stanzas are four halls measuring 6 by 9 meters, each of which has four fresco compositions. The artist was helped by his students; one fresco was completed after the painter’s death according to his sketches.

The most famous stanza is the fresco “The School of Athens” (the second name is “Philosophical Conversations”). On it, Rafael Santi placed 50 figures of philosophers, in whose appearance the faces of artists and thinkers of Italy are recognizable (written with da Vinci, similar to). Pope Leo X, who took the place of the deceased Julius II, appointed Santi chief architect and custodian of valuables in 1514. Raphael built St. Peter's Basilica, making changes to the original plan of his deceased predecessor Donato Bramante, and made a census of monuments Ancient Rome. The genius of the master belongs to the Church of Sant'Eligio degli Orefici, the Chigi Chapel, and the Vidoni-Caffarelli Palace.

In Rome, Raphael Santi continued the gallery of Madonnas, bringing the number of paintings to 42. They are just as touching, and the charm of motherhood shines through in the eyes, hands, and every line of clothing. But in the Roman gallery of Madonnas and Children, the artist’s signature and individuality are already visible. The women's faces are sensual, there is concern for the child in their eyes. Landscape compositions in the background become more complex, introducing shades of meaning into the picture.

Art critics point to the Quattrocento style prevailing in early images of Madonnas: the figures are frontal and constrained, the faces are solemnly abstract, the gaze is calm. The Quattrocento is eroded by sensuality in the Florentine period, and the Roman Madonnas are painted in the emerging Baroque style.

In the master's house in Urbino, which is now called the "House-Museum of Raphael Santi", the artist's early work "Madonna of the House of Santi" is exhibited. Art historians are not sure that the canvas was painted by Raphael: there is an opinion that it belongs to the brush of his father, who depicted his wife and little son. In the painting, the Madonna’s profile is turned to the viewer, her eyes are fixed on the book, her hands gently touch her son. The work dates back to 1498. The most mysterious is called the Granduca Madonna, an early work by Raphael dating back to 1505. It is kept in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

From an x-ray of the canvas, scientists determined that upper layer painted a century after Raphael Santi painted the painting. Art historians agree that the artist Carlo Dolci, the owner of the canvas, painted a dark background because he considered it appropriate for religious rites. "Madonna Granduca" is in the gallery of Florence.

“Madonna Conestabile” is an early work of the 20-year-old artist, painted in Umbria in 1502-04. This is an unfinished miniature, which Raphael did not have time to complete due to his move to Florence. Its second title is “Madonna with a Book.” The Mother of God sadly looks at the smiling baby, holding a book with his hand (presumably Holy Bible).

Personal life

The artist’s talent was appreciated during his lifetime: the patrons, not wanting the master to be lured away by the French, paid him generously for his work. Raphael had a mansion in the antique style, built according to his own design. Merchants and dukes dreamed of marrying their daughter to a famous painter, but the subtle connoisseur of female beauty held firm. Cardinal Bibbiena, who wanted to become related to Santi, achieved Raphael's engagement to his niece, but the maestro refused last moment.

The woman who was able to win the heart of 30-year-old Rafael was the baker’s daughter, whom Santi nicknamed “Fornarina” (bun, crumpet). The artist saw 17-year-old Margarita Luti in the Chigi garden, where he was working on the images of Cupid and Psyche. Rafael Santi paid the baker 50 gold so that his daughter would pose for him, and he was so carried away by the young beauty that he bought it from his father for 3 thousand coins.

For six years Margarita was the artist’s muse, inspiring masterpieces. After the death of Raphael, “Fornarina”, having inherited a house and contents, abandoned everything and went to a monastery. In the records of the monastery, Margarita is listed as the painter's widow.

Death

The cause of the artist's death is unknown. According to Raphael's contemporary, the painter and writer Vasari, the death of the 37-year-old maestro was the result of debauchery. After a stormy night, Santi returned home and complained of feeling unwell. The doctor performed bloodletting, which worsened the patient’s condition, and he died. The second version talks about a cold that Raphael caught in the burial galleries, where he participated in excavations.

The artist died on April 6, 1520. The final resting place was a tomb in the Roman Pantheon. The epitaph is engraved on the slab covering the remains: “Here lies great Raphael, during whose life nature was afraid of being defeated, and after his death she was afraid to die.”

Works

• 1504 – “Betrothal of the Virgin Mary”
• 1504-1505 – “The Three Graces”
• 1506 – “Madonna in Greenery”
• 1506 – “Portrait of Agnolo Doni”
• 1506 – “Madonna with the Goldfinch”
• 1506 – “Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn”
• 1507 – “The Beautiful Gardener”
• 1508 – “Great Madonna of Cowper”
• 1508 – “Madonna of Esterhazy”
• 1509 – “The School of Athens”
• 1510-1511 – “Dispute”
• 1511 – “Madonna Alba”
• 1511-1512 – “Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple”
• 1514 – “Meeting of Pope Leo I and Attila”
• 1513-1514 – “Sistine Madonna”
• 1518-1519 – “Portrait of a Young Woman” (“Fornarina”)
• 1518-1520 – “Transfiguration”

He created his first painted Madonna at the age of 17, and his most famous painting - also an image of the Virgin and Child, the great “Sistine Madonna” - is kept in the Dresden Gallery.

Discipleship

They say about people like Rafael Santi: he lived a short but very bright life. Yes, leaving at 37 means depriving the world of many, many more of your masterpieces. For example, Michelangelo continued to create until his death in old age. In the sad eyes of Raphael in the replicated “Self-Portrait” one can guess the tragically imminent end of his earthly existence.

Raphael's parents were also not long-lived. The father died when the boy was just 11 (but he, the artist, managed to pass on the basics of his craft to his heir), and the mother of the future genius of the Renaissance outlived her husband by 7 years.

Now nothing kept him in his native Urbino. And Raffaello becomes one of the students of master Perugino in Perugia. There he meets another talent of the Umbrian school - Pinturicchio; the artists perform several works together.

First masterpieces

In 1504 (the painter was only 21 years old) the masterpiece “The Three Graces” was born. Santi gradually moves away from imitating the teacher and acquires own style. The miniature “Madonna Conestabile” also dates back to the same period. This is one of two paintings by the master that are kept in Russia (in the Hermitage collection). The second is “Madonna with beardless Joseph"(another name is "Holy Family").

The aspiring painter’s “baggage” was greatly enriched by his acquaintance with the “pillars” of the Renaissance - Michelangelo Buonarotti and Leonardo da Vinci. This happened in what was then almost the “capital Italian art» Florence. Leonardo's influence is felt in the portrait of "Lady with a Unicorn". It’s amazing to see a tiny one-horned animal (the look is more familiar to the cinematic white-maned chic horses with a horn in the forehead), sitting quietly on the lap of a blond girl (precisely girls - according to legend, unicorns became tame only with virgins). The Florentine period was marked by the creation of two dozen Madonnas. Probably, the theme of maternal love was very close to Raphael - after all, he lost this benefit early.

The best works of Raphael

One of most famous works Raphael Santi was created in Rome, where the painter moved in 1508. The fresco “School of Athens” (it adorns the Apostolic Vatican Palace) is very complex composition(more than 50 heroes are depicted on the canvas). In the center are the sages Plato and Aristotle, the first proclaims the primacy of the spiritual (raising his hand up to the sky), the second is a supporter of the earthly (he points to the floor). In the faces of some characters one can discern the features of the author's friends (Plato-da Vinci, Heraclitus-Michelangelo), and he himself appears in the image of Ptolemy.

Among the dozen Roman Raphael Madonnas, the most touching and famous of all existing images of the Mother of God is the “Sistine Madonna”. “A piece of sky, a bridge of clouds - and Madonna comes down to you and me. She hugged her son so lovingly, protecting him from his enemies...” The main figure on the canvas is, of course, Mary. She, carrying an unusually serious child, is greeted by Saint Barbara and Pope Sixtus II with the “encrypted” right hand name (look closely - it has 6 fingers). Below, a pair of phlegmatic, plump angels admired the mother and child. It is impossible to tear yourself away from her anxious eyes.

Love of my life

In the guise main character « Sistine Madonna“You can recognize the love of the life of the great Italian creator - she went down in history under the nickname “Fornarina”. Literal translation words - "bakery". The beautiful Margherita Lute really grew up in a baker's family. The girl spent time as a model and lover of Raffaello long years- until the death of the artist.

Her beautiful features can be admired in the “Portrait of a Young Woman” (also called “Fornarina”), dated 1519. After the teacher’s death (which occurred a year later), one of Raphael’s most famous students, Giulio Romano, painted a bracelet with the author’s name on canvas for a woman. Other famous image Muses – “Donna Velato” (“The Veiled Lady”). Seeing 17-year-old Margherita, Rafael fell madly in love with her and bought her from his father. Many representatives of the bohemians of that time were homosexual (the Renaissance was generally characterized by an unbridled triumph of the flesh), but Santi turned out to be an exception.

Two versions of death

One of the legends about his death says that death overtook the artist in Fornarina’s bed. The same evil gossip claims: the girl was not faithful to her lover. And after his early departure, having received a considerable fortune, she nevertheless followed the lead of her vicious nature and became one of the famous courtesans of Rome.

But admirers of the painter’s talent adhere to a different version: a fever brought him to his grave. And the love of the Rafael-Fornarina couple could be the envy of many. After the death of her unmarried husband, she took monastic vows and briefly outlived the maestro, considering herself his widow.

Raffaello's talent was multifaceted. He proved himself as an architect and a poet. And one of his drawings was auctioned at Sotheby’s at the end of 2012 for a record price of 29,721,250 British pounds.