Transfiguration (Raphael)

Transfiguration (Raphael)

Infobox Painting|



title=The Transfiguration
artist=Raphael
year=1516-1520
type=oil on wood
height=405
width=278
city=Vatican City
museum=Pinacoteca Vaticana

"The Transfiguration" is considered the last painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael. It was left unfinished by Raphael, and is believed to have been completed by his pupil, Giulio Romano, shortly after Raphael's death in 1520. The picture is now housed in the Pinacoteca Vaticana of the Vatican Museum in the Vatican City.

Provenance

The work was commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de Medici in 1516 for the cathedral of San Giusto in Narbonne, France. The Italian artist Sebastiano del Piombo was contemporaneously commissioned to paint the Raising of Lazarus for the cathedral.

Following Raphael's premature death in 1520, the cardinal retained the picture rather than send it to France. He subsequently donated it to the church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome. It was taken by French troops to fak fak))in 1797, but after 1815 it was brought to the Vatican, to its present location.

A mosaic copy of the painting was installed in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in 1767.

Narrative

The composition is divided in two distinct parts, relating to successive episodes of the Gospel of Matthew. The upper part of the painting shows the Transfiguration itself on Mount Tabor, with the transfigured Christ floating in front of softly illuminated clouds, between the prophets Moses and Elijah with whom he is discoursing in the account of Matthew.

In the lower part, Raphael depicts the Apostles attempting, unsuccessfully, to free the possessed boy of his demonic possession. They are unable to cure the sick child until the arrival of the recently-transfigured Christ, who performs a miracle.

Analysis and interpretation

Raphael's "Transfiguration" can be considered a prefiguration of both Mannerism, as evidenced by the stylised, contorted poses of the figures at the bottom of the picture; and of Baroque painting, as evidenced by the dramatic tension imbued within those figures, and the strong use of chiaroscuro throughout.

On the simplest level, the painting can be interpreted as a depicting a dichotomy: the redemptive power of Christ, as symbolised by the purity and symmetry of the top half of the painting; contrasted with the flaws of Man, as symbolised by the dark, chaotic scenes in the bottom half of the painting.

The philosopher Nietzsche interpreted the painting in his book "The Birth of Tragedy" as an image of the conflict between Apollonian and Dionysian principles.

The sixteenth century painter and biographer, Giorgio Vasari, wrote in his Lives of the Artists that the "Transfiguration" was Raphael's "most beautiful and most divine" work.

References

* [http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/x-Schede/PINs/PINs_Sala08_05_035.html The Transfiguration at the Vatican Museum]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • La Transfiguration (Raphaël) — La Transfiguration Artiste Raphaël Année 1516 1520 Type Huile sur bois Dimensions (H × L) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Transfiguration — may refer to:* Transfiguration of Jesus, an event reported by the Synoptic Gospels in which Jesus underwent transfiguration * Transfiguration (Raphael), a painting depicting the Transfiguration of Jesus * Transfiguration (in religion), a… …   Wikipedia

  • Raphael — (Raffaele Sanzio, 1483 1520)    The youngest of the three major figures of the artistic High Renaissance, known primarily as a painter but also employed as an architect. Born at Urbino and ini tially trained by his father, he subsequently studied …   Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

  • transfiguration — [ trɑ̃sfigyrasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1265; lat. transfiguratio 1 ♦ Relig. chrét. Changement miraculeux dans l apparence du Christ transfiguré. Fête de la Transfiguration (6 août). 2 ♦ Action de transfigurer, état de ce qui est transfiguré. « À partir de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Raphael (peintre) — Raphaël (peintre) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Raphaël. Raphaël Autoportrait (1506 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raphael Sanzio — Raphaël (peintre) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Raphaël. Raphaël Autoportrait (1506 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raphael sanzio — Raphaël (peintre) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Raphaël. Raphaël Autoportrait (1506 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raphaël (Peintre) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Raphaël. Raphaël Autoportrait (1506 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raphaël Sanzio — Raphaël (peintre) Pour les articles homonymes, voir Raphaël. Raphaël Autoportrait (1506 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Raphael Santi — (Raphael Sanzio; 1483 1520)    One of the greatest figures of the High Renaissance and among the most influential, Raphael s works are known for their graceful and aesthetically pleasing qualities. Truthfully, although he is among the most… …   Dictionary of Renaissance art

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”