Biographies

Raffaello Sanzio (1483 – 1520) One of the great painters of the Italian Renaissance, his art represents the humanist perfection against which the Pre-Raphaelites in England positioned themselves. He was born in Urbino, where his father was a painter with connections to the court of the Duke–a center of humanist learning and art at that time. Rafaello had his first training there and then moved to Perugia where he worked in the studio of Perugino before being recognized as a master in his own right. He then moved to Florence, learning from v and Michelangelo, among others, before being summoned to Rome in 1508 by Pope Julius II. He stayed in Rome for the rest of his life, mainly working on decorating the apartment of the Pope. The rooms he painted are now a major tourist attraction in the Vatican. During his stay in Rome, he also designed “cartoons” for tapestries depicting religious scenes, which became an important influence on later narrative painting.

Madonna and the Goldfinch
— Raffaello Sanzio

The Engagement of the Virgin
—Raffaello Sanzio

The School of Athens
—Raffaello Sanzio