Critical Analysis II: Raffaello Sanzio “Raphael” and The Alba Madonna By: Kenzie Smith Art Appreciation ART 1113V1 September 24, 2015 Raphael was born in Urbino, Italy in the year 1483. He was born with the name Raffaello Sanzio on April sixth. When just a little boy, eleven years old to be exact, Raphael’s father died. His father, Giovanni Santi, was a painter and ran his own workshop. When Giovanni died, Raphael had to take the responsibility and try to maintain his father’s workshop. His success quickly became known when he took on this role. He eventually became known as one of the finest painters in town. When he became well known, a master painter named Pietro Vannunci invited Raphael to become his apprentice. Raphael apprenticeship …show more content…
lasted four years and provided him with knowledge and hands on experience in the painting world. Raphael then left his apprenticeship. He began to study the works of art from the famous painters such as Fra Bartolommeo, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Masaccio. He enjoyed studying these Italian styles because he felt as if their art had a whole new meaning of depth. By studying their work, Raphael changed his whole style of art. He managed to develop an even more complex and dramatic personal style than was obvious in his previous paintings. From 1504 to 1507, Raphael began to experiment with a series of “Madonnas.´ In 1510, Raphael finished the famous painting The Alba Madonna.
This art is an oil based painting portraying Mary, baby Jesus, and John the Baptist. All three are linked by their gaze and focus on the cross that John is handing baby Jesus. He meant for this painting to obtain and understanding and balance through which Mary’s clothing and her outstretched arm does just that. The painting shows anything but Mary sitting on a throne or any type of authority object. She is simply sitting on the ground in a country side. Raphael purposefully grouped the painting into a circle that way it would only draw focus to the characters and they would be able to dominate the image as well. Raphael adapted in the painting’s fragility of color and mood. The figures draped in rose pink, pale blue, and green was to set in a flawless, classical landscape. The representation of Mary is dressed in a traditional costume of turban, sandals, and elegant robes. The peaceful, rural atmosphere of Raphael's tondo contradicts its emotional meaning. Baby Jesus gesture of accepting the cross from the John the Baptist is the focus of attention of all three figures, as if they have foresight of Christ's expense for human beings. The knowledge of Jesus' future cruel death is shared by all three of them and so is the acceptance of sacrifice in each of their lives. Raphael used the element shape to make his painting more circular like.
Not many painting in this time were done as a circle form. The element color shows how he used the vibrant colors to bring her dress and shoes more to life. He took the color he was using and shaded it into a duller and less intense look to it to make the background so they picture itself would pop out to its audience. The texture of the painting was made to seem as if it had a grainy look to it. It was otherwise smooth to the touch. It was said he did this to create an illusion of what was supposed to stand out to his viewers than what should not have. Raphael, also known as Raffaello Sanzio, died on his thirty-seventh birthday in 1520 from an acute disease. The Alba Madonna The Alba Madonna is, so far, the most beautiful painting I have seen. The emotion and love the painting itself brings out is absolutely breath taking. In my opinion, Raphael did a wonderful job on choosing the soft and vibrant colors. These colors make the background and lighting seem more of a photograph than an actual painting. What really caught my eye as I glanced over the entire painting, was the way all three of them are looking at the cross. The soft look on Mary’s face as she gazes at the cross makes me feel like I’m in that time era. I feel as if I can feel their emotion and see that when they look at the cross they can see what is yet to come. As she holds her child, it is as if they all can see the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As John looks into the eyes and cross of baby Jesus, I can see a form of empathy. Every bit of this art form is so elegantly and beautifully painted. In my opinion, this is the most exquisite piece of art I have come upon. The way he used his technique to make her clothing look so real and life like is outstanding. The creases in the fabric he used his repetition to make sure it looked as if it was not ironed and it really brought out the differences in the world today. http://www.biography.com/people/raphael-41051#architecture http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/highlights/highlight26.html
At the top of the artwork the upper part of the cross extends beyond the altarpiece. The edge of John the Evangelist’s red robe on the left of the altarpiece and the edge of Mary Magdalene’s pale blue skirt on the right are cut off when the panel ends, giving the viewer the feeling that, rather than looking in on the scene, the viewer is actually taking part in the scene. This, added to the empathy invoked through the delicate, heart-wrenching rendering of the figures in the artwork, let the observer directly interact with the painting and places him/her within the narrative.
The piece was chosen primarily because of the magnificent presence that is felt as one enters the room, or cathedral, where the piece may be located. The viewer's eye is drawn immediately to the central figure of Saint Peter who was seated as pope at the time. Giving the main focus of the work to the pope is representative of the importance that was placed on the papal seat. This importance was exemplified, during the time of this altarpiece's creation, by the crisis of the Great Schism. Furthermore, a scene of Christ's crucifixion can be seen directly above the panel of Saint Peter further emphasizing the importance of Christ in the painting, and in the medieval time period as well. Overall, the piece depicts four images from the life of Saint Peter, which surround the center panel on the left and the right sides. In addition, scenes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and St. Blaise, a fourth century martyr, are also present. All the characters in the panels more or less have halos and therefore are holy figures. The twelve apostles line the bottom of the panels, perhaps suggesting that they were the foundation of the Catholic religion. Basically, the painting is designed for a church altar, it has religious figures in it, and it is filled with Bibles and images of Christ's crucifixion. All of this relays a strong message to the viewer that this is what is important in life; one should pay close attention to religion and have respect for it.
The immediate background consists of natural mounds of dirt and a brick wall that enclose the Virgin, Child, and St. John, amplifying the protective effect that Mary’s figure has. The dirt mounds roll inward with a brick wall bordering them on the right, drawing the viewer’s attention towards the three figures. The background is painted in broad terms, with a simple, uniform depiction of tree leaves and smooth rock faces on the horizon. This contrasts with the fine-lined detail and texture of Mary’s hair, facial features, and veil, which further contribute to her elegance and highlight her
Raphael Sanizo, usually known just by his first name, was born in 1483 in Urbino, Italy. He was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. He was celebreated for the perfection and grace of his paintings and drawings. He was very productive in his life, but had an early death at the age of thirty-seven years old, letting his rival Michelangelo take the reins on the art world. He is one of the great masters of his time. He died on March 28 of 1483 at the age of thirty-seven years old.
Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6th 1475. His family was politically prominent as his family had large land property. His father was a banker and was looking to his son to engage in his businesses. As a young boy, he has ambitions of becoming a sculptor, but his father was very discouraging of this. He wanted his son to live up to the family name and take up his father’s businesses. Michelangelo became friends with Francesco Granacci, who introduced him to Domenico Ghirlandio(biography.com). Michelangelo and his father got into a series of arguments until eventually they arranged for him to study under Ghirlandaio at the age of thirteen. Ghirlandaio watched Michelangelo work and recognized his talent for the art and recommended him into an apprenticeship for the Medici family palace studio after only one year of at the workshop. The Medici’s were very rich from making the finest cloths. Lorenzo, which was one of the most famous of the family had a soft side for art and is credited for helping the Italian Renaissance become a time of illustrious art and sculpting. At ...
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one’s mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman – like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven.
Raphael’s painting is arranged with the Madonna in the middle and the two infants placed in her arms and at her feet, allowing for them to capture the viewer’s attention as well. There is no one focal character, as each is placed to draw attention to all three of the characters as a whole, something that is not seen in Titian’s Venus of Urbino. In Titian’s, Venus of Urbino, Venus is clearly intended to be the main focal point, whereas the two other characters in the background are meant to support but not overpower Venus herself. The differentiation between these two character placements in each painting is extremely important when it comes to determining the overall meaning and understanding what the artist was trying to portray with their works of
Michelangelo’s family moved to Florence, Italy a month after his birth. Although his family was not wealthy, Michelangelo went to school in 1482. When Michelangelo started to excel in the arts his dad was not happy. He wanted Michelangelo to become a government or military figure. He beat Michelangelo to steer him away from the arts. Finally, at age 13 Michelangelo’s dad gave up and let Michelangelo start an apprenticeship under Domenico Ghirlando to learn (McNeese 11-21).
In Giotto’s Madonna and Child Enthroned I see an older renaissance painting of a woman and her child. The child is sitting on the lap of his mother who is sitting on a large burgundy throne in the middle of the painting. The woman is dressed in a navy cloak while her child is clothed in a pink robe. Above the child’s head there is a yellow circle. This circle is a renaissance symbol for religious leadership or importance. Surrounding this throne are a gathering of angels. There are exactly seven angels on each side worshiping this mother and child. The background consists of a yellow brick pattern.
The scene takes place in the clouds, she is in the heavens surrounded angels. It's a moment of pure devotion, love, and fantasy. Clouds are often connected to the gates of heaven. It is at these gates where you are in a liminal space between life and death. Your judgement is being decided. Thus, again suggesting that this is a vision of Mary's. Mary is looking at her child and seeing that he is meant to "live and die for our sins", and there is no way to stop it. He was born only to be led to his death. He is in the liminal space between life and death, thus the physical setting within the sculpture and the ethereal setting of the Madonna and Child parallel each other to help convey Donatello's idea that Mary is an extremely powerful figure whose life was entirely led by the idea of faith and trusting that there is a plan. Christ came into Mary's life by Gabriel, an angel, coming down from heaven to tell her that god has a plan for her and that she will be the mother of Gods son. Her life was predetermined by god and she was meant to have complete trust in her god. Donatello's purpose with this sculpture was to convince his viewers to trust in god, protect Christ, and show complete devotion to Mary and the angels. It was to convey that Mary is the Queen of the heavens and is someone one must tout and
The artist was born March 6th, 1475 in the city of Caprese, which is located near Arezzo, Tuscany. His father, Lodovico di Leonardo di Buonarroti di Simoni was mayor of Caprese at the time of his birth, and his mother was Francesca di Neri del Miniato di Siena. His mother got sick not long after his birth and in combination of his father being called back to Florence he was taken under the arms of a foster family in the city of Settignano. The family lived on a stonecutters yard, which is where the sounds and sights of stonecutting were engraved into the mind of Michelanglo leading him to become one of the greatest sculptors in history. According to Marcel Brion, author of Michelangelo, “All day long he heard the sound of the saw biting into the stone, the blows of the mallet, the grinding of the chisel” (7). As you can see, Michelangelo was brought up in the atmosphere of stonecutting so he was almost destined to be one himself. Michelangelo later returned to his family in Florence ...
An architect, poet, sculptor, and painter are some of the terms that define Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni. Michelangelo was one the of the most influential artists of his generation. He was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6, 1475 and died in Rome on February 18, 1564. Michelangelo’s early life and work consisted of him becoming an apprentice to Domenico Ghirlandaio, a painter in Florence, at the age of 13, after his father knew that he had no interest in the family business. The painter then moves on and joins Lorenzo de’ Medici’s household, where he learns and studies with the painters and sculptors that lived under the Medici roof. As a sculptor Michelangelo carved magnificent statues, he was invited to Rome
During the Renaissance, the Virgin Mary was prevalent theme throughout this period where artists such as: Fra Angelico, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Bothicellical and Perugino were inspired to paint the Virgin Mary. The paintings show a motherly pleasant looking women holding or caring for her child. The paints are capturing the Mary as a human but giving her a divine appearance. The child being Christ shows her power by giving birth to him and by caring for the Son of God. In essence providing love, caring, and protection for the young child of God. For example, plate 15 and frame 23, these plates show a compassionate caring mother that is humanistic in depiction but larger or more encompassing of the painting than the Christ child. This is implying her importance in the early life of Christ. This also shows the power or her earthly influence over the child even though she is a human and not a deity. This gives her a special place in the church as the earthly Mother that is the most perfect of humans, other than Christ.
On March 6, 1475, Michelangelo, the second oldest out of three children, was born in Caprese, Italy, a small town around 100 kilometers away from Florence. His mom was very weak and couldn’t take care of him, so Michelangelo was sent to live with a nurse, or maid. When he was six years old, his frail mom, Francesca Neri, died from a fever. His family soon moved to Florence, where Michelangelo grew up. Luduvico di Leonardo Buonarotto Simoni, his father, hoped for Michelangelo to become a prosperous businessman or wealthy merchant. Instead, when he was 13 years old, Michelangelo angered his dad when he told him he ...