Rafael Santi. Last years of creativity

Raphael Santi - Transfiguration of Christ 1519-1520. Pinacoteca Vatican, Rome.

The painting was originally created as an altarpiece for the Cathedral of Narbonne, commissioned by Cardinal Giulio Medici, Bishop of Narbonne. The contradictions of the last years of Raphael’s work were most reflected in the huge altar composition “The Transfiguration of Christ” - it was completed after Raphael’s death by Giulio Romano.
Having started working on the painting, the artist simultaneously painted a canvas for the cardinal personally. For his painting, the artist used the well-known biblical story described in the gospels, which tells that Christ decided to show his disciples his true appearance. As the scriptures say, Jesus took with him the three apostles Peter, James and James, and led them to high mountain, where he was transformed before them, appearing in a bright image, surrounded by a divine aura. After this, the voice of God was heard, who confirmed to the apostles that Jesus was his true and only son.
Descending from the mountain, the apostles and Jesus meet a crowd of people who accompany a father and his son, possessed by the devil, to turn to Christ with a request for his cure.

And here begins the plot of Raphael’s painting, which tells about this moment.
In the foreground are the apostles, who recline in various positions awaiting the descent of Christ. Jesus himself floats in a circle of light above the rest of the people, he is weightless and beautiful. People stretch out their hands to him, and the old man and the boy froze in anticipation of healing. The artist also depicted a kneeling woman who, together with everyone else, is waiting for a miracle. All these people point to Christ, their faces full of trembling excitement. He comes and heals the child, driving away the evil spirit.

This picture is divided into two parts. The upper part shows the actual transformation - this more harmonious part of the picture was done by Raphael himself. Below are the apostles trying to heal a possessed boy - there is a lot of artificial pathos here, an unpleasant blackness has appeared in the painting. It is symptomatic that it was Raphael Santi’s altar painting “The Transfiguration of Christ” that became an indisputable model for academic painters for centuries.

History of the painting.

In 1797, Napoleon transported the Transfiguration to France, and the painting returned to the Vatican only after the overthrow of the emperor in 1815. As a result of transportation, it was severely damaged, and the first restoration only worsened its condition. The next restoration, carried out in the seventies of the 20th century, brought the painting as close as possible to the one it had four centuries ago.
Traditionally, artists depicted Christ standing on a mountain (more often just on a hill) between Moses and Elijah, while the apostles reclined at His feet, covering their eyes from bright light. Raphael chooses a different compositional move for his painting.

On it the Savior is depicted floating in the air, as during the Ascension. The radiance enveloping his figure—that very “light cloud”—illuminates the rest of the characters. The lower part of the picture, according to the iconographic tradition, represents the episode that immediately followed the descent of Christ from the mountain: Raphael depicts the miracle of healing of a boy with epilepsy.
Fear, confusion, surprise, vanity in this part of the picture contrast with the majestic calm emanating from the figure of Christ. The variety of poses and gestures expresses different feelings characters and emphasizes the individuality of each of them. The expressiveness of the figures is emphasized by the light falling from the left. Perhaps this is a technique not previously found in his painting; Raphael invented it while working on theatrical scenery. Later, this special method of lighting was borrowed from Raphael by Caravaggio (1573-1610).

A VERY INTERESTING STORY ABOUT THE COMBINATION OF TWO PAINTINGS BY RAFAEL. (Int. version)

Painting by Raphael Care.

Before you are two almost identical paintings, the author of which is the great Italian artist Rafael Sancho (Raphael Sanzio/Santi)... One gets the impression that someone deliberately “moved” the second picture down in order to cut off the top with a “dangerous” object - a superbly depicted “flying saucer”... Which in reality was absolutely true.

Rafael was very an unusual person, often going against holy church. As the famous Vassari called him in his writings, he was “an atheist with a rich imagination”... The first painting (on the left) was painted in the last year of the artist’s life (1520) and was called “Departure”.

Having caused a real storm of indignation on the part of the Holy Church, magnificent work received a sentence of destruction. Then, deciding to play a harmless joke on the Pope, the artist painted a second picture, as if moving the entire composition down, and cutting off the upper (main) part of the picture, which depicted Christ, which strict canons Painting at that time was not allowed in any way. He called the second painting “Transfiguration” (Transfiguration)... Unfortunately, the artist died without finishing the second painting - it was completed by his best students and (at the request of the teacher) presented to the Vatican. Dad was delighted with the work and called it “one of the best” paintings by Raphael...

(1518-1520), now located in Vatican Pinakothek, was commissioned by Raphael in 1517 by Giulio de' Medici for the Cathedral of Narbonne. Raphael began writing it no earlier than July 1518 and did not have time to finish it. The lower part of the painting was completed by students and assistants - mainly Giulio Romano, who received payment for it in 1522.

"And for Giulio de' Medici, cardinal and vice-chancellor, he painted on wood the Transfiguration of Christ, which was intended to be sent to France and on which he continuously worked with his own hands, bringing it to the utmost perfection. In this story he depicted Christ transfigured on the mountain Tabor, at the foot of which eleven disciples were waiting for him. The possessed youth was brought there so that, having descended from the mountain, Christ would free him. In the youth, who, convulsively stretching out his whole body, screams and rolls his eyes, we see all the torment that has penetrated deeply. his flesh, in his veins and in his blood, infected with evil spirits, and the deathly pallor of this body with its tortured and frightened movements. This figure is supported by an old man who was not afraid to hug her and, opening his eyes wide with glare on their pupils, raised him high. eyebrows and wrinkled his forehead, thereby simultaneously expressing both the strength of his spirit and the fear that overwhelmed him, and judging by the gaze he turned to the apostles, it seems that he, in hope of them, encourages himself. There is also one woman, among many others, who, being the main figure in this picture, kneels in front of all the others and, turning her head towards them, stretches out her hands to the demoniac, as if pointing to his suffering. The apostles, some standing, some sitting, and some kneeling, show the greatest sympathy for his misfortune.

And indeed, Raphael painted in this work figures and heads, which, not to mention their exceptional beauty, are so unusual, varied and beautiful that, according to the unanimous opinion of artists, it is the most famous, the most beautiful and the most divine work of all he has ever created. So, anyone who wants to imagine and depict in painting the divine transfiguration of Christ, let him look at this work, in which Raphael presented Christ hovering over the top of this mountain and dissolved in the transparent air, and on his sides Moses and Elijah, who, illuminated by a dazzling radiance, come to life in the light emanating from it. And on the ground below them are Peter, James and John, lying in different and beautiful positions: some bowed their heads to the ground, and some, shading their eyes with their hands, protect themselves from the rays and exorbitant shine surrounding the figure of Christ, who, dressed in snow-white robes, with his arms outstretched and his forehead raised, as if he represents the consubstantiality and divine nature of all three persons of the Holy Trinity, concentrated in one person by the great perfection of Raphael’s art. And it seems that the artist so identified himself with his own skill, having discovered in the face of Christ all the daring and all the power of his art, that, having finished it as the last thing that was bequeathed to him, he therefore no longer touched his brushes when the tragedy befell him. death" (Vasari).

Raphael began work on the Transfiguration in 1518. He painted the picture himself, without the help of numerous students. A sudden fever claimed the life of the great artist and, in the same month in which Raphael was born 37 years earlier, Rome mourned its favorite. The work was completed by him just before his death on April 6, 1520. The artist's body was exhibited in the Pantheon along with the newly completed painting (they said that he painted the head of Christ just before his death).

Human perception and relationship to the Divine is the theme of this in highest degree dramatic work Raphael. In it, the artist combined two stories that follow immediately after each other in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The texts of three evangelists preserved the story of the appearance of the Transfiguration: Gospel of Luke 9:28-36; Matthew 17:1-7; Mark 9:2-9.

After these words, eight days later, He took Peter, John and James and went up to the mountain to pray. When he prayed, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became white and shining. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah; appearing in glory, they spoke of His exodus, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and those who were with him were burdened with sleep; but when they awoke, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him. And when they departed from Him, Peter said to Jesus: Master! It’s good for us to be here; Let us make three tabernacles: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud appeared and overshadowed them; and they were afraid when they entered the cloud. And there came a voice from the cloud, saying: This is My Beloved Son; listen to Him. When this voice came, Jesus was left alone. And they kept silent and did not tell anyone in those days what they saw.

The lower part depicts a scene in which the apostles encounter a demon-possessed youth and realize their powerlessness.

The very next day, when they came down from the mountain, many people met Him. Suddenly one of the people exclaimed: Teacher! I beg You to look at my son, he is the only one with me: the spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams, and torments him, so that he emits foam; and forcibly retreats from him, having exhausted him. I asked Your disciples to drive him out, but they could not. Jesus answered and said: O faithless and perverse generation! How long will I be with you and endure you? bring your son here. While he was still walking, the demon overthrew him and began to beat him; but Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him to his father. And everyone was amazed at the greatness of God.

Gospel of Luke 9:37-43; Matthew 17:14-18; Mark 9:14-27.

Healing, both physical and spiritual, can only be brought by Christ, whose Divine origin is confirmed by the Transfiguration.

August 3, 2012

Continuing the theme "GOD'S EYE OVER VOLOGDA"

Here are two almost identical paintings, the author of which is the great Italian artist Raphael Sanzio/Santi... One gets the impression that someone deliberately “moved” the first painting down in order to cut off the top with the “dangerous” object - beautifully depicted “flying saucer”... Which in reality was absolutely true. Raphael was a very unusual person, often going against the Holy Church. As the famous Vassari called him in his works, he was “an atheist with a rich imagination”... The second painting was painted in the last year of the artist’s life (1520) and was called “Departure”. Having caused a real storm of indignation on the part of the Holy Church, the magnificent work was sentenced to destruction. Then, deciding to play a harmless joke on the Pope, the artist painted a second picture, as if moving the entire composition down, and cutting off the upper (main) part of the picture, which depicted Christ, which, according to the strict canons of painting of that time, was in no way allowed. He called the second painting “Transfiguration”... Unfortunately, the artist died without finishing the second painting - it was completed by his best students and (at the request of the teacher) presented to the Vatican. Dad was delighted with the work and called it “one of the best” paintings by Raphael...

Raphael's painting "Transfiguration"

Painting unknown artist“Departure”. This is a painting by Raphael, which was considered destroyed.

Combination of two paintings by Raphael

________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______

An ancient fresco of the 11th century, which shows a waiting
Whiteman. It's called "Plate at the Tomb of Jesus"
V given time located in the Vatican Museum, Rome
(Fresco of XI century “Saucer at the Tomb of Jesus",
Museo Soccero Vaticano, Roma)
________________________________________ ________________________________________ _______________________

On old paintings, sometimes there are interesting images. One of them, for example, is the painting “Madonna, John and Child Jesus”, which was painted in the 15th century by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449-1494) and is part of the Lozer collection in the Palazzo Vecchio.

Or, for example, another picture. Pay attention to the woman. While reading a book, a dove descends from the sky to her ( enlarged picture below).

Above are two enlarged images: the upper left corner and the upper right. Fresco "The crucifixion", located above the altar of the Visoki Descani monastery in Kosovo, Serbia. The moment of the Savior's crucifixion is captured here ( created ≈ 1350).

This is a fragment of a Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit text "Prajnaparamita Sutra", dating from the 10th century and kept in a Japanese museum.

The vimanas that you see in the top picture are in the lower right corner ( in a red square), surprisingly resemble modern UFOs.

Vimanas are the ancient Indian flying chariots of the gods.

Petroglyphs / Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs found on cave and mountain walls in many parts of the world, imply that ancient aliens may have visited the planet.

In 1898, a wooden model resembling a glider was found in the Egyptian tomb of Saqquara, dating to around 200 BC.

More detailed information You will receive by watching the video:
03.28.10, OTV "Center", Anna Prokhorova

Stone sarcophagus of the ruler in the Temple of Inscriptions, in ancient city Maya of Palenque. The relief on its lid has long been the subject of controversy: did the 7th century artist carve a drawing of a jet aircraft engine?
If this picture is presented in a different color ( not only in black and red), then this may also resemble a similarity with an astronaut sitting in a spacecraft before launch...

Food for thought. Three images above:
1. Painting by an unknown artist “Care”. This is a painting by Raphael, which was considered destroyed.
2. Combination of two paintings by Raphael.
3. Raphael’s painting “Transfiguration”.

“Discoveries objectionable to science” | The progress of human development. Part I
Time travel. Aliens from the future | Ancient astronauts | Part II

UFO Images | Vintage drawings, milling, etc.

Raphael. Transfiguration. 1516-1520.Wood, tempera. 405; 278 cm
Vatican Pinacoteca, Vatican

Transfiguration" (1518-1520) was commissioned from Raphael in 1517 by Giulio de' Medici for the cathedral in Narbonne. Raphael began painting it no earlier than July 1518 and did not have time to finish it. The lower part of the picture was completed by students and assistants - mainly Giulio Romano, who received payment for it in 1522.

Vasari described this picture as follows.
"In this story, he depicted Christ transfigured on Mount Tabor, at the foot of which eleven disciples were waiting for him. A possessed youth was brought there so that, having descended from the mountain, Christ would free him. In the youth, who, convulsively stretching out his whole body, screams and rolls his eyes, we see all the torment that has penetrated deeply into his flesh, into his veins and into his blood, infected with evil spirits, and the deathly pallor of this body with its tortured and frightened movements.

This figure is supported by an old man, who was not afraid to hug her and, opening his eyes wide with glare on their pupils, raised his eyebrows high and wrinkled his forehead, thereby simultaneously expressing the strength of his spirit and the fear that overwhelmed him, and judging by the gaze he turned to apostles, it seems that he, in hope of them, encourages himself.

There is also one woman, among many others, who, being the main figure in this picture, kneels in front of all the others and, turning her head towards them, stretches out her hands to the demoniac, as if pointing to his suffering. The apostles, some standing, some sitting, and some kneeling, show the greatest sympathy for his misfortune.

So, anyone who wants to imagine and depict in painting the divine transfiguration of Christ, let him look at this work, in which Raphael presented Christ hovering over the top of this mountain and dissolved in the transparent air, and on his sides Moses and Elijah, who, illuminated by a dazzling radiance, come to life in the light emanating from it. And on the ground below them are Peter, James and John, lying in different and beautiful positions: some bowed their heads to the ground, and some, shading their eyes with their hands, protect themselves from the rays and exorbitant shine surrounding the figure of Christ, who, dressed in snow-white robes, with his arms outstretched and his forehead raised, as if he represents the consubstantiality and divine nature of all three persons of the Holy Trinity, concentrated in one person by the great perfection of Raphael’s art.

And it seems that the artist so identified himself with his own skill, having discovered in the face of Christ all the daring and all the power of his art, that, having finished it as the last thing that was bequeathed to him, he therefore no longer touched his brushes when the tragedy befell him. death".

Rafael Santi (1483-1520)http://www.rafaelsanti.ru/txt/12end.shtml

The extreme limit of creativity

Raphael was reaching some extreme limit of his creativity. Life, so united in its bright splendor, began to separate and split into two. Calm and sublime art, combining intelligence, fantasy and grace, no longer satisfies him.

TRANSFORMATION can be considered as the artistic testament of an artist whose life was full of excitement, inspiration, and search. It was to Rome that Raphael gave all his strength, helping to transform the city, after centuries of desolation and decline, into a great center of culture and art. Nowadays, Raphael's last masterpiece is the glory of the Vatican Pinacoteca.

Raphael died in Rome on April 6, 1520. All of Rome mourned thirty-seven-year-old Raphael. He died in full bloom of his creative powers. outstanding artist, recognized as the head of the Roman art school.

“When his body was exhibited in the hall where he worked, an altar image was placed in his head, on which he had just completed the Transfiguration for Cardinal dei Medici, and at the sight of the living picture next to the dead body, the soul of each of those present was torn out of grief. After the death of Raphael, the cardinal placed this painting on the main altar in the church of San Pietro in Montorio..." (Vasari).

He was buried in the Roman pantheon. The grave is decorated with a marble statue of the Madonna with the inscription:

"Here lies that Raphael, during whose lifetime great nature she was afraid of being defeated, and after his death she was afraid of dying."

The text with illustrations can be seen here. http://maxpark.com/community/6782/content/5165598

Raphael Santi - Transfiguration of Christ, 1519-1520. Pinacoteca Vatican, Rome.

The painting was originally created as an altarpiece for the Cathedral of Narbonne, commissioned by Cardinal Giulio Medici, Bishop of Narbonne. To the greatest extent, the contradictions of the last years of Raphael’s work were reflected in the huge altar composition “The Transfiguration of Christ” - it was completed after Raphael’s death by Giulio Romano.

Having started working on the painting, the artist simultaneously painted a canvas for the cardinal personally. For his painting, the artist used a well-known biblical story described in the gospels, which tells that Christ decided to show his disciples his true appearance. As the scriptures say, Jesus took with him the three apostles Peter, James and Jacob, and led them to a high mountain, where he was transformed before them, appearing in a bright image, surrounded by a divine aura. After this, the voice of God was heard, who confirmed to the apostles that Jesus was his true and only son.

Descending from the mountain, the apostles and Jesus meet a crowd of people who accompany a father and his son, possessed by the devil, to turn to Christ with a request for his cure.

This picture is divided into two parts. The upper part shows the actual transformation - this more harmonious part of the picture was done by Raphael himself. Below are depicted the apostles trying to heal a possessed boy - there is a lot of artificial pathos here, an unpleasant blackness has appeared in the painting. It is symptomatic that it was Raphael Santi’s altar painting “The Transfiguration of Christ” that became an indisputable model for academic painters for centuries.

History of the painting.

Traditionally, artists depicted Christ standing on a mountain (more often just on a hill) between Moses and Elijah, while the apostles reclined at His feet, shielding their eyes from the bright light. Raphael chooses a different compositional move for his painting.

On it the Savior is depicted floating in the air, as during the Ascension. The radiance enveloping his figure - that very “light cloud” - illuminates the rest of the characters. The lower part of the picture, according to the iconographic tradition, represents the episode that immediately followed the descent of Christ from the mountain: Raphael depicts the miracle of healing of a boy with epilepsy.

Fear, confusion, surprise, vanity in this part of the picture contrast with the majestic calm emanating from the figure of Christ. The variety of poses and gestures expresses the different feelings of the characters and emphasizes the individuality of each of them. The expressiveness of the figures is emphasized by the light falling from the left. Perhaps this is a technique not previously found in his painting; Raphael invented it while working on theatrical scenery. Later, this special method of lighting was borrowed from Raphael by Caravaggio (1573-1610).

A VERY INTERESTING STORY ABOUT THE COMBINATION OF TWO PAINTINGS BY RAFAEL. (Int. version)

Painting by Raphael Care.

Here are two almost identical paintings, the author of which is the great Italian artist Raphael Sanzio/Santi... One gets the impression that someone deliberately “moved” the second painting down in order to cut off the top with the “dangerous” object - beautifully depicted “flying saucer”... Which in reality was absolutely true.

Raphael was a very unusual person, often going against the Holy Church. As the famous Vassari called him in his writings, he was “an atheist with a rich imagination”... The first painting (on the left) was painted in the last year of the artist’s life (1520) and was called “Departure”.

Having caused a real storm of indignation on the part of the Holy Church, the magnificent work was sentenced to destruction. Then, deciding to play a harmless joke on the Pope, the artist painted a second picture, as if moving the entire composition down, and cutting off the upper (main) part of the picture, which depicted Christ, which, according to the strict canons of painting of that time, was in no way allowed.

He called the second painting “Transfiguration”... Unfortunately, the artist died without finishing the second painting - it was completed by his best students and (at the request of the teacher) presented to the Vatican. Dad was delighted with the work and called it “one of the best” paintings by Raphael...

You can see both versions of the picture here. http://maxpark.com/community/6782/content/5165598