biography and paintings of the Italian artist

🙂 Greetings, dear readers! The article “Raphael: biography, facts and pictures of the artist” is devoted to the life of the great Italian painter.

Contemporaries called him “divine”. He earned fame and honor at a fairly early age. His opinion was carefully listened to by the rulers and popes. And he remained modest and a little shy. This is the genius of painting of the XNUMXth century – Raphael Santi, who served as a magic brush for Beauty.

Raphael Santi: biography

In 1508, a slender young man appeared in the luxurious Vatican palace. He is only 25 years old, but he is known and he was sent an invitation by Pope Julius II. Several rooms need to be painted. The architect Donato Bramante, his distant relative, advised the Pope to invite this artist.

Raphael was born in Urbino in 1483. At the age of eight, the boy lost his mother. The upbringing of his son, as far as possible, was taken care of by his father, Giovanni Santi, who was an artist. Only three years later, his father died too. The boy became an orphan.

He received basic drawing lessons from his father. Then he became an apprentice in the workshop of Pietro Vannucci, who is known by the nickname Perugino. The master immediately identified attentiveness and incredible efficiency in the charming boy. And the new student also loved nature in all its manifestations and painting.

The young man studies the works of his teacher and other famous masters, ponders a lot, compares all the time, carefully copies something, and devotes all the time to study. However, for all his busyness, he does not withdraw into himself, does not isolate himself from his comrades in the workshop. He is simple, friendly and happy to respond to requests for help.

Its takeoff is incredibly fast. He is like a nightingale, which, just flying out of the nest, immediately takes the necessary notes for its enchanting melodies. Rafael Santi also found his song and the whole world froze, listening. This song sounds now.

At the age of 17, he creates images of the Mother of God, inimitable in his tenderness. Quite a little time will pass and the young man will be famous.

Pinturicchio teaches Raphael how to correctly sketch the giant frescoes that will be located in the Sienese library. The young man studies a new style of famous Florentine artists for him, delves into the essence of the mysterious nature of Leonardo da Vinci’s creations.

But so far nothing has been created more beautiful than the Madonnas, whom he wrote in his early youth. Their delicate, light appearance is impeccable perfection.

An invitation to Rome

In Rome, a slender, modest youth with a trusting gaze looked rather strange among various flatterers, strict ministers of the Church and ladies dressed in the latest fashion. Raphael always wore black.

Five years later, this young man will be appointed head of the Roman school of painting. His frescoes will glorify the palaces of the Vatican, will be an indisputable canon for many generations of artists … The walls of the Pope’s chambers are gradually being covered with amazing frescoes. Dad is delighted.

The Sistine Chapel

Here, literally five to ten meters away, Michelangelo is working, he is painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But the master does not allow anyone, even with one eye, to look at his creation. Raphael really wants to see, he is literally burned by curiosity, but …

Raphael dreams of seeing the paintings, but the work is still far from completion. He, of course, has no idea that everything will change very soon.

Michelangelo finally quarreled with his dad and went home. The chapel was closed, the key was entrusted to Donato Bramante, who on the same day will show his protégé the unfinished paintings.

Santi is overwhelmed by the power of the talent of the author of this magnificence. It will change as if by magic. He changes technique, enlarges the scale and thereby achieves the greatness that he learned from Michelangelo.

At the end of the Golden Age of painting, it is Raphael in his work that talentedly sums up all the most perfect, which the Renaissance will be proud of. But his path to immortality is just beginning.

Vasari writes that Santi lived like a king. He was cheerful and people became kinder around him. If someone asked for help to depict some complex detail, the artist immediately left his work and patiently explained to a friend how best to paint it.

He has many devoted disciples who, opening their mouths, eagerly listened to his every word. Santi taught and treated them like children.

There are a lot of orders. They are sent by: the king of France, ministers of the Church and simply rich Romans. They all dream of decorating their collections with the work of the “divine” Raphael. It is simply impossible to refuse any of the orders, since they come from the most influential persons in Europe.

To fulfill these orders, Raphael recruits more and more apprentices and apprentices. They try, work with enviable zeal, but even the most talented of them, alas, are immeasurably far from the genius of their beloved teacher.

“School of Athens”

And he has less time and energy left for painting. The bustle of the great city is approaching. There are only 24 hours in a day, which is so little … Every hour is scheduled by the minute. No time to focus on work.

Raphael came to Rome to reach the pinnacle of painting. Even before his arrival, he created the famous frescoes in the Vatican Stanzas and the “School of Athens”, which gave him the right to immortality. And now he has many, often uninteresting orders for him, he wastes his invaluable time on empty conversations and endless feasts.

After the death of Bramante, Raphael was appointed chief architect of the Eternal City. This is an honor, but far from painting. Now the artist supervises the construction of the Church of St. Peter, oversees the laying of pavements, describes the ancient values ​​found.

“Sistine Madonna”

It seems that fate seeks to make Raphael a painter, architect and courtier. But she unexpectedly sends a chance that often comes to an extraordinary personality. Monks order the image of “Madonna and Child”.

And a miracle happens. He chooses the largest canvas and, not allowing any of the students, creates a priceless masterpiece that has conquered the whole world for centuries.

It is worth looking at Madonna once and you are forever captured by this splendor and tenderness. It is impossible to forget this moment of the meeting. It is like the first date with the ocean, when the surging feelings do not lend themselves to explanation in simple words, and the ornateness of the syllable seems obscenely pitiful and inappropriate.

This work is a miracle that embodied the wisdom and beauty of the Renaissance. This is the image of all mothers who adore their babies endlessly. While working, Time was next to the genius.

Cruel, dark, filled with bloody battles, inescapable grief, merry festivities, monstrous atrocities, rampant all kinds of vices. But the Master, in spite of darkness and ignorance, seeks to bring Love to the world. His magic brush carried Goodness and Mercy. And they are not afraid of the ruthless Time.

Some art historians suggest that in the guise of the Madonna, the artist captured the black-eyed daughter of the baker, Fornarina. Having fallen in love, he simply could not be away from her. When he painted frescoes at the Villa Farnezina, Fornarina was nearby.

The customer, having learned about this, forbade to bring anyone to his house. Raphael lost his appetite, lost sleep and could not work without his muse. Then the banker allowed the presence of the girl.

His muse was with him to the end. Rafael Santi passed away at the age of 37. Next to it is a canvas with an unfinished “Transfiguration”. Rome was plunged into deep sadness. He completed his short earthly path and set foot … into Eternity. He was only 37 years old (1483-1520).

On his tombstone in the Roman Pantheon, one can read: “Raphael is buried here. During his lifetime, Nature was afraid to be defeated. After his death, it seemed to her that she was dying too ”.

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Paintings of the artist on the theme “Raphael: biography and creativity”

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