This is one of the most enigmatic paintings by the master, Da Vinci, and the story behind the art piece is even more intriguing. The faces show the ideal beauty of man, which is expressed even more so in the angelic face of the Virgin Mary. The play on color is similar to the Transfiguration, where the darker colors are below and as your eyes naturally ascend upwards, the color scheme becomes lighter. There are angels surrounding them and some are even playing musical instruments. The upper portion of the painting depicts the Virgin Mary and Jesus, who is crowning her as the blessed mother. The apostles are all looking in amazement as they see her image above with Jesus. Where she would have been in the tomb, there are flowers as she has since ascended to heaven. Thomas is holding the girdle, which was given as a gift from the virgin herself. The bottom half shows the grave where the Virgin Mary was laid to rest with the apostles around her. The painting is broken down into two scenes. I have to say that this is one of my personal favorites due to the simple and elegant beauty that the Master shows in the figures of each individual person depicted. This painting was also part of the altarpiece for the Oddi family chapel in Perugia. Raphael would have studied under the Early Renaissance master and, eventually, he achieved such mastery that many said that they couldn’t tell the difference between master and student. This painting resembles a very similar painting by his teacher Perugino. You will also notice the 3D effect he creates with the columns and the dove in the distance. One of Raphael’s trademarks was to add deep perspective in his paintings with a light blue color sky to show the most distant point. In the background you can see two arches that open up to a clear sky. With ideal beauty reflected in her face and we see this even in the way she holds up her one hand in welcoming the Angel. Mary is sitting by herself reading a book and seems to be expecting this moment. The Angel Gabriel is approaching the Virgin Mary to let her know of the imminent coming of Jesus Christ (Annunciation). It was commissioned for the Oddi family for their family chapel in Perugia. Painted between the years 1502-1504, this is one of Raphael’s earliest works. He was buried, and remains to this day, in the Pantheon in Rome. Unfortunately, Raphael died at the young age of 37, supposedly from syphilis. Georgio Vasari, Raphael’s contemporary and biographer, called this painting “the most famous, the most beautiful, and most divine.” It was supposedly laid over his tomb during his funeral. The artist wants you to look at the scene below first and then work your way up to the top of the painting, culminating in Christ himself. In doing so, Raphael is guiding you on how to look at this painting by using your own senses. Our eyes are naturally attracted to brighter colors, and Raphael played on this perfectly by gradually making the colors brighter the further up you look. Remember that this was made specifically to be an altarpiece, so it would be up above our heads. Especially now, after the painting has been cleaned, we can see the colors the way Raphael and his contemporaries would have seen them. Raphael was famous for his use of vivid colors. The mastery of the painting is shown in numerous ways, so let’s start with the color. The painting depicts two stories from the Gospel according to Matthew: the Transfiguration and the meeting of the apostles with the obsessed youth who will be cured when Jesus returns from Mount Tabor.
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