Fine Canvas Art Blog

Raphael’s Transfiguration of Christ

Paintings (Reproductions) / Raphael / Vatican - 2 years ago - troycapc

This “Transfiguration of Christ” of 1520 was the last work of the great master of the late Renaissance, Raphael.  Guilio de Medici, bishop of Noyon and future Pope Clement VII, commissioned Raphael to create this masterpiece in 1516.  It was not finished when the artist died in 1520 and was probably completed by his pupil Giulio Romano shortly thereafter.  It is housed in the Pinacoteca Vaticana in Rome.

Medici’s bishopric was in France when the painting was completed but instead of shipping it there, Guilio donated the painting to the church of San Pietro in Rome.  French troops took the painting to Paris in 1797 but it was brought to the Vatican in 1816 where it has remained.

This masterpiece is very important in the development of Mannerism and the Baroque period.  Mannerist stylists were sophisticated, restrained and balanced – qualities which can be seen here.  The Baroque period is foreshadowed in this work as Raphael depicts the very moment of transfiguration.  This is in contrast to the Renaissance preference of depicting scenes just prior to the action taking place.  The high drama of the scene is also a characteristic of Baroque art and a third characteristic of Baroque style is the use of Chiaroscuro, the close juxtaposition of light and dark areas for dramatic effect.

The ascension of Christ and the transfiguration are often confused: this scene is of the transfiguration, as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew, in which Jesus was seen on a mountain in the company of Moses and Elijah.  The upper part of the painting is of the transfiguration itself, while the lower part depicts the efforts of the apostles to drive demons out of a possessed boy.

Most commentators have drawn attention to the dichotomy of the glory of Christ and the impotence of his Apostles.  Nietzsche referred to the painting in his “Birth of Tragedy” in which he saw a conflict between the Apollonian principles of Christ and the Dionysian principles of his Disciples.

About the artist:

Raphael was born in Urbino, to the north of Rome, where his father was count painter to the ruler.  Though orphaned at the age of eleven, he had probably helped in his father’s workshop.  Completing his training by 1501 when he was eighteen years old, Raphael was soon completing art for churches in Urbino and Perugia.  Within three years he was working in Florence, Sienna, Perugia, Urbino and appears to come under the influence of the work of Leonardo da Vinci.

By 1508 Raphael settled in Rome at the invitation of Pope Julius II and where he was disliked by Michelangelo, who probably viewed the younger man as a rival for Papal commissions.  Raphael began working on the Stanze which included the School of Athens, the Parnassus and the Disputation of the Eucharist.  Michelangelo ungraciously accused Raphael of plagiarism of his Sistine Chapel work, particularly after Raphael’s death.

Raphael created the largest workshop in Italy and many later masters apprenticed there.  In his personal life, he never married but was apparently closely attached to a mistress.  He fell into a mysterious illness at the age of thirty-seven and died after lingering for fifteen days.  His funeral was grand and he was buried by his own wish in the Pantheon.

We are pleased to offer a large framed canvas print of Raphael’s Transfiguration of Jesus Christ at our online store.