Raphael and Perspective

The revolutionary Renaissance artist Raphael (Italian name: Raffaello Sanzio) is remembered today because he died the 6th of April 1520 in Rome, exactly 500 years ago.

What is perspective? Linear perspective uses a geometric system consisting of a horizon line at eye level, vanishing points and lines that converge toward the vanishing points called orthogonal lines to recreate the illusion of space and distance on a two-dimensional surface. Linear perspective reflects Raphael’s idea of beauty, which according to him was not an abstract order of geometric representation but rather “to do things not as nature does them but as she should be doing.”

A wonderful example of linear perspective can be found in the High Renaissance painting by Raphael called “Marriage of the Virgin” (1504, oil on panel, 174 × 121 cm) currently displayed at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. If we follow the linear perspective and we track the orthogonals created by the paving stones behind the frieze of the figures in the front, we can see a temple in the background which is placed centrally. The octagon was considered an ideal form by the architects of the High Renaissance. As Giorgio Vasari wrote in his artists’ biographical collection titled Lives of the Artists: “there is a temple drawn in perspective with such evident care that it is marvellous to behold the difficulty of the problems which he [Raphael] has there set himself to solve.” Linear perspective in this painting leads the observer’s eye towards a place far in the back, past the group of figures concentrated at the front. Our eye is then pushed to observe around the temple’s arched, where smaller figures are located. Then we as viewers are led to look through the doorway of the building and beyond, where the sky is revealed.

With the use of linear perspective, Raphael wants to create an illusion, shifting the sizes of the figures while moving further back in the space. It is a representation of an ideal and heavenly place, Mary representing an ideal type of female beauty typical of the Italian High Renaissance. At this time, there was a tendency towards perfection; the artists wanted to create harmonious, elegant and balanced compositions.

More about this painting. It was commissioned by Filippo degli Albezzini to hang in a church dedicated to Saint Francis. The story was taken from a book called The Golden Legend, which is a Medieval text that tries to fill in all the missing stories in the Bible. The main theme is the marriage of the Virgin Mary to St Joseph.

What is your favourite painting by Raphael and why? Tell us in the comments below!

Published by Belen De Bacco

Co-founder, editor and manager of Art Gate blog. 3rd-year History of Art and English Literature student at the University of Glasgow. Currently volunteering at the Hunterian Art Gallery and creating online content for the initiative #MuseumFromHome.