“Sistine Madonna” by Raphael Sanzio, who is considered to be one of the greatest, the most talented and the most popular artists of all times, is one of the most widely-discussed paintings of the period of Renaissance which still serves the best example of western painting. All people who wrote about this picture and who tried to discover what is hidden behind the face expressions of Mary and the child Jesus never succeeded in trying to decipher the meaning of those expressions. Raphael painted this picture for a small town called S. Sisto in Piacenza. In 1512 S. Sisto in Piacenza became a part of Vatican state and that is when the picture became popular and when its value started rising day by day. Raphael is known not only as an outstanding painter of the Renaissance period but as an architect as well though as a painter he is told to be more expressive and more frequently observed. Nevertheless, he is known as a designer of two chapels for Agostino Chigi who was a very influential banker in Rome. “Sistine Madonna” is with no doubt his most remarkable painting but among others there are also “Coronation of the Virgin”, “Marriage of the Virgin” which are his early works as well as “Julius II”, “Stanza della Segnatura”,” Madonna of the Goldfinch” and his last major work which he never managed to complete, “Transfiguration”. In the place where “Sistine Madonna” is now, Royal Gallery at Dresden, it is the only picture in the room. Every time people enter this room they become silent as this place is holy like a church. This painting is very popular there and some of people come to the gallery in order to look at it alone: “Perhaps the museum’s most famous painting is Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna” depicting the Virgin and Child with two cherubs leaning on the frame at the bottom of the painting.” (Corinna Lothar, 2006).
Discussing “Sistine Madonna” it should be mentioned above all that the figures in it are of life size and this is what gives this painting even more reverence. The Virgin Mother is depicted in the centre of the canvas. The features of her face are the most beautiful and, it should be admitted, the most spiritual in the world’s art. Her face is considered to be perfect for all times and one of the greatest mysteries to who have seen this painting with their own eyes is where Raphael managed to find such a face. At first sight it is impossible to understand which nationality this woman belongs to. Her face is not typical for any of ages and nations. The woman is holding the Divine Child in her arms. His far-away-looking eyes seem to be reading future since the very infancy. Though the child is very small his look is very adult and serious and is of a great contrast with the angels’ faces which seem to express bareness and impatience. St. Sixtus is depicted below them, kneeling on one side, and on the other side there is Santa Barbara who is turning her face away and closing her eyes unable to look at this beauty and glory the mortals have no strength to look at. At the background there are incalculable faces which, if one looks at them more attentively, turn out to be little faces of angels who are admiring Madonna and her child. The painting fills the one who looks at it with “tender passions and affectations expressed by the figures” (Giancarlo Fiorenza, 2007).
The figures depicted on “Sistine Madonna” create a large imaginary space. It is striking how “structural devices such as the para pet, putti, and curtains create a vision, the Transfiguration evokes a visionary world through light, color, and a transcendence over narrative.” (Jodi Cranston, 2003). What surrounds Madonna and her child is very symbolistic and it is not for nothing that Raphael chose namely these objects. The painting is framed with curtains which open on the either side of the canvas. It looks like they are trying to hide or protect the painting but at the same time give those who look at it a possibility to look into the wonderful and mysterious world and share with Madonna the moment of her biggest joy. At the same time the curtains create the illusion of Madonna and other figures’ being at the stage. The fact that Madonna with a child and other figures stand on the clouds give the work even a more spiritual character. The whole composition gives a feeling like Madonna has descended from the heavens and brought clouds with her as a sign of her purity. The play of light and shadow, depth, perspective and extremely vivid natural colors make the painting warm and lifelike. There is no doubt that light colors prevail though dark curtains create a significant contrast with white and light-grey clouds Madonna is standing on.
The importance of Raphael’s piece of art is difficult to overestimate. The only fact that looking at this picture you feel closer to God and feel religion penetrating your body and brain is worth a thousand of more bright colors the other artist would have used when painting the same picture. Sometimes, looking at a painting one may want to add or remove something from it or to make colors brighter or darker. “Sistine Madonna” seems to be perfect and balanced and looking at it you feel nothing but tender emotions and reverence for Madonna and the child she is holding in her arms. Madonna’s face expressing humility, submissiveness and joy makes you feel appeased. It is impossible to find out what the painting is like if one has never looked at it. Such paintings as “Sistine Madonna” cannot let people indifferent and even the most hard-hearted person looking at it is going to feel a warm wave coming over the body and reaching the heart when he will be looking in Madonna’s eyes.
Raphael will always be considered one of the best artists of the High Renaissance period. Those who will be trying to imitate him will never succeed in this though Raphael himself imitated him master so closely that sometimes their works were hard to distinguish. However, nobody ever managed to imitate Raphael and even the best reproductions of his works are not even half as good as the original paintings. “Sistine Madonna” may serve an inspiration for all the artists because even as a regular person looks at it the desire to take a brush and paint something on the canvas seems irresistible.
Reference List
- Giancarlo Fiorenza. (2007). The Cabinet of Eros: Renaissance Mythological Painting and the Studiolo of Isabella d’Este. The Art Bulletin, 89(4), 815.
- Jodi Cranston. (2003). Tropes of Revelation in Raphael’s Transfiguration. Renaissance Quarterly, 56. 1.
- Corinna Lothar. (2006). Dresden’s New Magnificence; Baroque Glory Returns to Florence on the Elbe. The Washington Times, p. D01.