Raphael Italian Renaissance

Italian Renaissance The Renaissance started in Italy around 1450 A.D. That’s about 550 years ago. The Renaissance speaks of a time when interest in art and science are renewed after the hard years of the Middle Ages. Art became more realistic, and artists began painting pictures of all kinds of things – even things that had nothing to do with religion. Artists would paint pictures of nature, and when they painted people, they really tried to show their subjects’ emotions. What do you see in this picture? Notice the unicorn. Do you like this picture?

Raphael Early Period Raphael is known as one of the three greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance. He was born in Italy in If he were alive today he would be 525 years old! His father was the court painter for the Duke in Umbria. Raphael learned not only about painting from his father but also about how to behave using excellent manners and social skills. Raphael’s parents had both died by the time he was 11. But by then, Raphael was already working as an apprentice to an artist. This is a face from the first work that we are certain that Raphael worked on. He was about 17 years old when he painted this. What do you think of this painting?

Florentine Period Raphael was a very popular artist even when he was still young. Other artists would ask him to come work with them on special projects. He spent a lot of time in a city called Florence. Raphael learned a lot from other artists and was always incorporating new ideas and styles into his paintings. Even though Renaissance artists explored non-religious themes in their art, much of Raphael’s art is about religion. What is this a picture of? What do you think of the baby? What do you notice about the sky? What colors does he use here? How do you think he decided on his colors? How does this picture make you feel? Do you like this picture?

Raphael in Rome Raphael had such a good reputation as an artist that Pope Julius II invited him to come to Rome to work for him in Raphael was 24 years old. The pope was the most powerful person in Italy at the time. It would be like the President of the United States offering you a job without ever having met you. Raphael first worked for the Pope as an artist and painted murals on the walls of the Vatican, the Pope’s palace.

This is one of the most famous paintings that Raphael ever did. He painted giant paintings on all of the walls of this room. This room is really big. Notice the size of the doors and of the statues underneath the painting. This is a painting of important thinkers (philosophers) that lived hundreds of years before Raphael. Raphael put the faces of people he knew in the painting – so some of the faces shown here are really Raphael’s friends or people he admired! What do you think of this room?

Raphael’s Work Can you guess who this is a picture of? –This is a portrait of Mary, Jesus & Joseph from the Bible Who is the other child in the picture? Raphael used rich colors in his paintings. What colors do you notice here? Raphael was good at creating depth in his paintings. That means that you can look at his work and easily tell what is supposed to be near you and what is far away. What is far away in this picture? Raphael is also known for painting faces that look kind and loving. Do you think that he did that well in this painting? Why do you think so?

Self-Portrait of Raphael How is this painting different from some of the other paintings we have looked at today? How is it the same? Raphael used different colors in his self portrait than he used in some of his other paintings. How are the colors different? Why do you think he chose darker, more somber colors to paint himself? What do you think of the way Raphael looks? Does he look nice? Does he look friendly? Would you want to be his friend?

Art in Action! Raphael is most famous for his paintings of Mary and the baby Jesus from the Bible. Draw a picture of a mother, a child and an angel. Try to use the colors that Raphael used in his paintings. Suggested story to read to the class: The Renaissance by Maria Ruiz