RAPHAEL
He was known by many names: Raffaello Santi, Raffaello de Urbino, Rafael Sanzio da Urbino, and just plain Raphael. Little was known about his early life, because written evidence such as personal letters or journals have never been produced. This has led many a historian to speculate about his life. Born in Urbino, Italy he was schooled in the well-established and famous school of the arts in Florence. In addition, he was also known as a draftsman and an architect. Inheriting his talents and sensitivities from his father, who was an artist and a poet, and his mother who was schooled in both visual arts as well as music, Raphael learned his famously good manners from being brought up in the world of the court where his parents often worked.
His cherished talents as a painter covered a wide gamut of media, such as canvas, frescoes and tapestries. He was commonly commissioned to paint portraits of the rich and famous, from Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Popes.
Raphael’s works in Rome are still well-known today, as are the mysteries that surrounded his life. No jottings, not even doodles on scraps, have ever been found written in his hand. This lack of documentation has created many legends and even cults that were all created around the mysterious life - and death - of this most prolific artist. His tragic death represented the end of the ‘High Renaissance’ period.
Exerpt from Florence Travel book FLORENCE GEMS & GIANTS by Patty Civalleri.
1-Minute Raphael
