Raphael

Lore & Background

Raphael was born in Urbino, where his father Giovanni Santi was court painter. Orphaned at eight, he likely managed the family workshop and trained under Pietro Perugino. By 1500 he was described as a fully trained master. He worked in several north Italian cities before moving to Rome in 1508 at the invitation of Pope Julius II to work on the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. There he received important commissions and began working as an architect. He died at the height of his powers in 1520 at age 37.

His career falls into three phases: early years in Umbria, a period absorbing Florentine artistic traditions (about 1504–1508), and his final twelve years in Rome working for two popes. Many of his works are in the Vatican Palace, with the frescoed Raphael Rooms being the central and largest work of his career. The best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura. After his early years in Rome, much of his work was executed by his workshop from his drawings, with considerable loss of quality.

Reader's Guide

Raphael was enormously productive, running an unusually large workshop and leaving a large body of work despite his early death. He was extremely influential in his lifetime, though outside Rome his work was mostly known from collaborative printmaking. After his death, the influence of his rival Michelangelo exceeded his until the 18th and 19th centuries, when Raphael's more serene and harmonious qualities were again regarded as the highest models. Through the influence of art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann, his work became a formative influence on Neoclassical painting. His techniques were later explicitly and emphatically rejected by groups such as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His career, marked by excellent manners and social skills, allowed him to mix easily in the highest circles, contributing to a misleading impression of effortlessness.

Did You Know?

• Raphael's father Giovanni Santi was court painter to the Duke of Urbino and died when Raphael was eight.
• He was described as a fully trained 'master' by 1500.
• His best known work is The School of Athens in the Vatican Stanza della Segnatura.
• After his death, his influence was exceeded by Michelangelo until the 18th and 19th centuries.