Raphael was known as an exceptional Italian artist and famous in the High Renaissance, particularly the Italian Renaissance. He was well known because of his “intricate and expressive personal style” (Biography), which was heavy influenced by his principal teachers in Florence. There are resemblances of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo techniques in Raphael’s paintings since he had moderately used Leonardo’s chiaroscuro and sfumato in most of his work. However, the goal that Raphael was aiming at was nowhere near those masters, it was a completely different path. He wanted his style to touch every single aspect accessible form of visual communication yet has a calmer feeling compared to the dark intensity of his teachers. In my opinion, Raphael is a master of his style because of the way he had harmonized all of the figures despite the chaos atmosphere, which was an outstanding achievement back then. “School of Athens” is a great example of this chaotic beauty, it looks vivid as well as engaging like it is inviting the viewers to “enter the space” (theartstory) and to be engulfed in the scene. I could feel the bright, cool light within those marvelous marble walls and statues. It is indeed that Raphael was a leading artist of Italian High Renaissance classicism which had later influenced many in the Baroque era.
I think it is the mixed feelings that make me fall in love with this piece. I could both feel disrupted yet pleasant at the same time. Raphael had used his chiaroscuro technique to convey the pain of the figures, especially the face of Jesus against the man’s chest which created these deep shadows that look like Jesus slowly sinks in the darkness. The pleasant feeling comes from the background, it reminds me of the rural paintings that always give the viewer a sense of calmness.
From my point of view, this painting is so powerful because of how Raphael had separated it into two different atmospheres. It has this strong contrast that draws the viewer’s’ attention to Jesus and the glow behind his back. I love the fact that I could feel the surprisingness of the figures on the ground as Jesus about to soar into the sky. Raphael was good at showing the tightness of the scene, which I think is also another excellent proof that he was a great artist at the time.
I love how Raphael was playing with perspective in this piece. I also love the feeling it gives me as I take a closer look at it, which is the pleasantness and loveliness of this marriage. It is not a very crowded marriage, but only with a few important figures. He also created groups of figures far away, circling the building which contributed to the overall dept. The painting is easy to understand yet does not make one feels bored. It appears that Raphael had put mindful thoughts into this piece.
This is another painting of Raphael that shows how good he was with his techniques. I think that ‘Disputation of the Holy Sacrament’ is not lively as ‘The School of Athens’ but it allows us to take a look at another Raphael’s techniques, the ability to create liveness within a crowded space (tight space). If anyone could observe this piece close enough, they would be able to see that there is an order within the chaos. Every single figure in the painting is interacting differently, it seems like they are all engaging in the subject matter placed in the middle.
Depth and Brightness are the two most standout elements of this piece, and it is also the reason why I love this painting more than the others. As a viewer, I feel like as I am standing in another room of the building, watching the figures having conversations. It feels so lively, which is super extraordinary that an artist could pull this off. Sometimes I wondered if Raphael’s method of painting is better than Michelangelo’s just because of this particular piece.
Source:
- http://www.raphael-sanzio.com/self-portrait/
- https://www.theartstory.org/artist/raphael/artworks/
- https://www.biography.com/artist/raphael
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Raphael-Italian-painter-and-architect