Raphael’S Madonna And Child Enthroned With Saints: Uniformity And Conformity

Raphael, an Italian painter and architect, was one of the most renowned artists of the High Renaissance. His work is best known to be excelling in visual composition, form, and clarity. Among his most famous pieces, in 1504/5 he created his altarpiece, “The Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints” encompasses the prominence of the High Renaissance while reflecting the events of the Middle Ages. This piece was recognized all over the world as one of the most modernized religious works of art. “The Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints”, has exquisite composition, rich colors, light and darkness, intricate brushstrokes, and subtle and dramatic tones that allows Raphael to express uniformity and conformity in this altarpiece.

This piece is reposed with composition in several ways, which are divided into three important panels. The first panel is the center of the piece; it is of three prominent saints “Mary, Mother of Christ, Christ Child, and St. John. ” One can infer that Raphael made them the center of attention because of their religious significance. The way Christ is gently sitting on Mary’s lap, as she gazes into St. John’s eyes gives the viewer a sense of innocence and through his use of tones, this panel also exhibits unity. The second panel is of four saints, two on each side of the first central panel. These saints are Peter, Catherine, Paul, and although today there are many debates on who the fourth saint is, the fourth saint’s name remains unknown. One is drawn to the faces of all four saints, who all have halos above their head; the light falls on them, illuminating their skin. However, the expressions of all saints have a concerned yet calm look on their face, assuming that it is because they are in the presence of the Virgin and Child. Which explains why two of the saints, one in the front and back, are bowing their heads out of respect.

The top panel is the third portion of this altarpiece and it depicts The Father, and two angels and two Seraphim. The way Raphael placed The Father above the seven figures proves that He has ultimate power over everything. The number seven has an extensive amount of symbolism in religious faith. In the bible, the number seven represents perfection and how God created the earth in seven days. Therefore, one can interpret that Raphael showed The Father above seven figures to represent spiritual perfection. Even though God is the ultimate being, Raphael perfectly placed him above to keep the attention still on the “Madonna and Child. ” Raphael’s use of composition and placement of all figures is what allows him to express uniformity and conformity in this altarpiece. Along with composition, Raphael painted this piece with “oil and gold on wood. ” His usage of “oil and gold on wood” creates bold and subtle colors on the clothes of each figure which represents their spiritual significance. For example, the “Madonna” is wearing two basic yet bold colors, red and black. Her drape is black with glistening gold specks, perhaps to show her purity and power and the “Madonna” is completely covered which shows her modesty and virginity. Also, the background of the painting is a luminous sky which can symbolize heaven. Raphael painted the sky in an ombré effect; the sky goes from a dark indigo, to symbolize God’s power, to a light blue as the sky gets closer to the saints. One can feel joy and curiosity just by his usage of colors throughout the painting because Raphael uses the right amount of light and contrast.

As the colors are a pivotal part of his altarpiece, so is the size of the painting. His piece is on a “67 7/8 x 67 7/8 in” panel which is quite large, and can highlight the magnificence of this painting. Also, the size of this painting allows the viewer to examine every small detail such as his brushstrokes and tones. For instance, the “Madonna and Child” have a brighter tone than The Father, the angels, and saints, allowing them to be the main focus of the painting. The “Madonna and Child” have a gleam of luminosity on them representing their purity and divinity. Raphael’s usage of brushstrokes serves as a very important part of this painting; one can examine the way Raphael used them to create wrinkles on St. Peters forehead, the hair follicles on top of The Fathers’ head, or the plumpness of St. Johns legs. His usage of brushstrokes allows him to make each figure have their own individuality and to create a more captivating painting that makes the viewer compelled to almost touch the work of art. Therefore, one can infer that Raphael’s use of rich colors, light and darkness, intricate brushstrokes, and subtle and dramatic tones that allows Raphael to express uniformity and conformity in this altarpiece.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that Raphael used exquisite composition, rich colors, light and darkness, intricate brushstrokes, and subtle and dramatic tones that allowed him to express uniformity and conformity throughout his altarpiece “The Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints. ” Raphael’s work will inevitably be crucial throughout art history because of the religious significance that many of his pieces contain. This can be attributed to the fact that religion was an extremely important part of everyday life at the time of the High Renaissance. Also, Raphael’s artistic capabilities and style influenced several artists after him to create similar paintings, thus strengthening the importance of art history throughout the world.