Raphael

Many great artists have not been called great until after they were dead. Raphael's story is very different. The people of his time recognized him as one of their greatest artists. They called him divino pittore, which means "divine painter". The sweetness and charm of his pictures of the mother of Jesus - his Madonnas won immediate praise. Just as his Madonnas were loved by all kinds of people, the artist was loved by rich and poor, young and old. When he died, such crowds came to his funeral that it seemed all Rome was there.

Raphael (1483-1520) his full name was Raphael Sanzio - was born in Urbino, Italy. His father was a painter and poet. The boy was left an orphan when he was 11. It was clear that Raphael had remarkable talent, and his father had given him lessons in painting. At 16 he entered the workshop of the artist Perugino at Perugia. In time he was painting as well as his master. He began to paint pictures of his own in addition to helping Perugino. When he was 21, Raphael visited Florence for the first time. At this time two of the greatest artists the world has ever known were living there - Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. When Raphael saw their work he knew that he still had much to learn. And he set about learning it. Raphael, like almost all artists, borrowed from other artists any ideas that would help his own work. From Leonardo he learned about drawing and about making rich patterns. From Michelangelo he learned how important it is for an artist to know the human body thoroughly.

Raphael's visit to Florence was a short one, but he soon returned there to live. He remained there almost two years. During these two years he painted many of his most famous Madonnas. The beauty of these paintings has made them popular all over the world. Today they may be seen in museums in Italy and Vienna, Madrid, London, Paris, Munich, Berlin, New York, and a few other cities. The most famous Madonna of all, the Sistine Madonna, was the last one Raphael painted. It belongs to the Dresden Picture Gallery. A Raphael Madonna is almost the most popular painting in any museum that has one.

From 1508 until his death Raphael worked in Rome. There he did more than paint pictures. He was doing at least half a dozen different kinds of work. He had become the architect of St. Peter's Church. He made plans for private palaces. He had charge of digging up and saving relics of ancient Rome. He designed mosaics and tapestries. And he kept on painting frescoes and portraits He could not carry out all this work without help. He had about 50 younger artists working with him.

Raphael's work brought him a high social position. But he did not livelong to enjoy it. He was always rather frail, and he was tired fromoverwork. Late in March of 1520, he caught a fever. He died on April 6, 1520, his 37th birthday.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20