The era of the High Renaissance came to a close with the remarkable Italian painter and architect, Raphael Santi. He was one of the three titans of this period, alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who together forged the glory of early 16th-century “Roman classicism.” Fate seemed to conspire to bring these three geniuses together, allowing them to leave an indelible mark on the world of visual art through their rivalry. These three “pillars” of the Renaissance lived in close proximity, worked for the same patrons, and competed for commissions, each creating equally immortal masterpieces. Notably, Raphael was 31 years younger than Leonardo da Vinci and 8 years younger than Michelangelo. Some art historians have referred to this cheerful artist as the “happy painter,” for whom the intense creative process was neither a torment, like it was for Michelangelo, nor a mystery, as it was for Leonardo da Vinci.
The Lucky One from Urbino
Born on March 28, 1483, in the eastern part of Italy, Raphael represented a new generation of the humanist era. His origins from the fortress city of Urbino are reflected in his full name—Raphael Santi da Urbino—and in his official signature on documents—”Raphael Urbinas.” The life of this “chosen one,” as envious peers imagined the handsome, wealthy, and charming young man, began with loss. At the age of 8, he lost his mother, and three years later, his father: Giovanni Santi was also a well-known painter who served as the court artist for Duke Federico of Urbino and Montefeltro. However, even this brief time spent with his first mentor was enough for the young talent to learn something valuable. The artist’s first biographer, Giorgio Vasari, noted that in his childhood, Raphael was already his father’s assistant in fulfilling commissions.
“Madonna and Child” (1498)
Raphael’s earliest work, the fresco “Madonna and Child,” can still be seen five centuries later in the artist’s house-museum in Urbino. As a student of Pietro Perugino, he initially inherited his teacher’s painting style. Critics of Raphael’s artistic legacy have pointed out that had he died before moving to Rome, he would have remained just another painter of the Umbrian or Florentine school. It was only in the third phase of his career that the unique style emerged that would make him extraordinary. After his early years in Umbria, Raphael spent four years absorbing artistic traditions in Florence. The last 12 years of his life in the Eternal City, under the patronage of two popes, Julius II and Leo X, became a true triumph for the painter and architect. The tireless servant of art did not have enough time to start a family, but the 37 years allotted to him by fate were sufficient for him to fulfill his earthly purpose.
Beauty and Style
Raphael was remembered by his contemporaries for his extraordinary productivity. He led a large workshop, had many students, and left behind a significant artistic legacy. At the same time, Raphael’s works were characterized by tranquility, clarity, elevation, and idealism. His “Roman style” in painting, graphics, and architecture was destined to become a new classic. Art historians recognized in this aesthetic a beauty (bellezza) and a grand manner (maniera grande). Raphael’s innovation lay in the creation of “ideal types.” Unique features of Raphael’s paintings during his Roman period included a “harmonic ideal,” which art critics referred to as “artistic convention.” This method was based on contrasting the imperfect nature of reality with his own abstract ideal, rather than merely imitating the classics by copying nature. In other words, Raphael prioritized the perfection of form and high ideals over content.
“The Triumph of Galatea” (1511)
In understanding the aesthetic approach of this artist, a notable example is the correspondence between Raphael and his art admirer Baldassare Castiglione. When the captivated nobleman asked the creator of the fresco “The Triumph of Galatea” who the real model was for such a magnificent figure, Raphael replied, “No one.” He explained that to paint a beauty who would leave a strong impression on everyone, he would have to consider many beauties and reach an agreement with the patron on the best one. “Due to the lack of beautiful women and skilled judges, I have to rely on my own imagination,” the master revealed the secret of his method. At the beginning of the 16th century, the abstract-idealistic style in art was highly esteemed, but shortly after Raphael’s death, this style faced a crisis, and none of his successors could replicate his success.
The Contest for Supremacy
Raphael Santi became wealthy and famous not without the help of a mentor and patron. This person in his life was Donato Bramante (there were even rumors of their kinship): with the assistance of the chief architect of the Vatican, the gifted artist secured a position as the official painter of the papal court. Raphael began working in Rome in 1508 when, at the behest of Pope Julius II, he was commissioned to decorate a suite of four rooms in the papal palace. Thus, a series of frescoes known as the “Raphael Rooms” (stanza translates from Italian as “room” or “chamber”) appeared on the walls of the papal chambers. In the papal reception room, Stanza della Segnatura, Raphael created his renowned masterpiece—”The School of Athens,” recognized as the embodiment of the classical principles of the Renaissance (these works by the great master are available for viewing in the Vatican Museums).
“The School of Athens” (1509)
Interestingly, among the figures in “The School of Athens,” the artist depicted both himself and his two competitors for papal commissions. Michelangelo is represented as Heraclitus, Leonardo da Vinci as Plato, and Raphael Santi portrayed himself as the ancient Greek artist Apelles. Michelangelo was the least pleased with the “authorial vision” of his character: it is known that the solitary artist, prone to depression and doubt, harbored resentment towards the happy colleague who easily secured ambitious projects and executed them swiftly. Among the top masters of the Vatican, there were disputes rooted in professional competition and creative jealousy. Michelangelo accused Raphael of plagiarism and could not forgive him for the “conspiracy” with his friend Bramante (the architect of St. Peter’s Basilica), when they persuaded Pope Julius II to assign the daunting task of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling to a competitor, hoping to eliminate him in case of failure. If Buonarroti had not succeeded, it would have cost him his reputation and career. Nevertheless, it was this rivalry with Raphael Santi that perhaps helped Michelangelo achieve the impossible and gift the world an unparalleled masterpiece. In turn, Raphael was enriched by the creative stimulation from his brilliant surroundings.
The Beloved Woman
A monumental painting by Raphael Santi, the “Sistine Madonna,” has become a treasure of Western art. This enormous canvas, measuring 2.65 × 1.96 meters, was created between 1512 and 1513 for a church altar at the request of Pope Julius II and is considered the artist’s most perfect work. The basis for this recognition lies in the symbolic complexity of the composition, hidden behind the simplicity of the plot, and the harmonious combination of the “worldly” ideal of beauty with a religious context. After being moved in 1754 from the sacred place for which it was created, the former “object of veneration” from the San Sisto Monastery in Piacenza naturally “adapted” to its new environment—the Gallery of Old Masters in Dresden.
“Sistine Madonna” (1515)
In Raphael Santi’s painting “Sistine Madonna,” the Madonna holds the infant Christ, while Pope Sixtus II and Saint Barbara are depicted at the bottom of the canvas—two angels leaning on their elbows, gazing upward at the ascent of God. The figures form a triangle. The open drapery on the sides further emphasizes the geometric thoughtfulness of the composition. It gives the impression that the Madonna is descending from heaven directly towards the viewer, looking him in the eye.
The Madonna was the artist’s favorite image: depictions of the Virgin Mary appear in 42 of Raphael Santi’s paintings. Various variations of the “Madonna and Child” are filled with the light and warmth of maternal love, which the artist himself lost at such an early age. The Madonnas “with child,” “with a staff,” “with carnations,” “with fish,” “in a chair,” or “under a canopy” were painted by the artist in Umbria, Florence, and Rome. And although the artist claimed that the women depicted in his paintings were purely his creative invention, many of the heroines could have been inspired by his beloved model, Margarita Luti. The seventeen-year-old daughter of a baker, Raphael named her Fornarina (fornaro means “baker” in Italian). According to experts, it was her features that Raphael Santi endowed the “Sistine Madonna” with.
Variations of “Madonna and Child”
Matters of the Heart
With the model Fornarina, the artist was involved for 12 years, and their connection was not solely professional: the mysterious young woman in Raphael’s portraits is often referred to as his secret fiancée. The nature of the relationship between the young beauty and the creator of the “Portrait of a Young Woman” is evident. In the painting from 1518-1519 (also known as “Fornarina”), the artist left an important detail that confirms his closeness to the subject. On the “heart” wrist of the girl is a ribbon bracelet engraved with “Raphael of Urbino.” After recent restoration work, a previously hidden ring appeared on the model’s left hand. It is known that Fornarina was not married. However, in another portrait by Raphael Santi, the model is depicted with her head covered, as a married woman would be. Researchers have suggested secret engagement between the couple.
“Portrait of a Young Woman, or Fornarina” (1518-1519)
The romantic artist also had official betrothal—with the niece of the influential Cardinal Bernardo Dovizi Bibbiena. The drama lay in the fact that the Vatican master would gain more professional advantage from this marriage than from marrying his beloved. Raphael continually postponed the wedding, and on April 6, 1520, he unexpectedly died of pneumonia. According to Giorgio Vasari, this occurred “after an even more dissolute time than usual.” In reality, it was the cold and the medical practices of the time, which treated infections with bloodletting, that claimed the life of the exhausted lover of women. In the same year, his fiancée Maria Bibbiena also passed away. She was buried next to the artist (Raphael Santi rests in the Roman Pantheon), and the ring on the finger of the “secret wife” remained hidden in her portrait for 500 years: shortly after the artist’s death, a friend sold his painting with the “interesting detail” painted over.