September 2 • Raphael
Raphael, born Raffaello Sanzio in Urbino in 1483, became one of the three towering masters of the High Renaissance, alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Celebrated for the extraordinary balance, clarity, and grace of his compositions, Raphael created images that joined classical ideals with warmth, beauty, and a profound understanding of human character.
His Vatican frescoes reached their highest expression in The School of Athens, where philosophers of the ancient world appear within a magnificent Renaissance architectural setting. Raphael was also renowned for his Madonnas, including the Sistine Madonna and Madonna of the Goldfinch, works admired for their tenderness, serenity, and harmony.
Raphael was also an accomplished architect and became an important figure in the artistic life of Renaissance Rome. Although he died in 1520 at only thirty-seven years old, his influence spread across Europe and endured for centuries, shaping generations of painters who regarded his work as a model of beauty, proportion, and artistic perfection.
