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Europe 1300 - 1800
Course: Europe 1300 - 1800 > Unit 4
Lesson 5: Raphael- Raphael, an introduction
- Raphael and his drawings
- Raphael, Marriage of the Virgin, 1504
- Raphael, Madonna of the Goldfinch
- Raphael, La belle jardinière
- Raphael, School of Athens
- Raphael, School of Athens
- Raphael, Alba Madonna
- Raphael, Portrait of Pope Julius II
- Raphael, Galatea
- Raphael, Pope Leo X
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Raphael, Portrait of Pope Julius II
Raphael, Portrait of Pope Julius II, 1511, oil on poplar, 108.7 x 81 cm (National Gallery, London) Speakers: Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker. Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Want to join the conversation?
- At"Oil is a relatively new medium" 3:42
When did they start using oil paint, and is it known what painting was the first oil-painting?(15 votes)- Although oil paint was first used for the Buddhist Paintings by Indian and Chinese painters in western Afghanistan sometime between the fifth and tenth centuries, it did not gain popularity until the 15th century. Its practice may have migrated westward Although oil paint was first used for the Buddhist Paintings by Indian and Chinese painters in western Afghanistan sometime between the fifth and tenth centuries, [1] it did not gain popularity until the 15th century. Its practice may have migrated westward during the Middle Ages. Oil paint eventually became the principal medium used for creating artworks as its advantages became widely known. The transition began with Early Netherlandish painting in northern Europe, and by the height of the Renaissance oil painting techniques had almost completely replaced tempera paints in the majority of Europe. taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_painting(16 votes)
- Are they saying that's a fake beard?(5 votes)
- It says atthat this painting is dated by the fact that he has the beard that he grew as a symbol of mourning for the city (Bologna I think) which he had "lost in battle". The pope did NOT lose his beard in battle! 1:15(4 votes)
- At 2,30 his "clenched" teeth are mentioned representing determinism. I do wonder if we do sometimes over interpret. He is an old or elderly man and we would expect a man of that age living in the 16th century to have tooth decay. His wealth probably meant he was enjoying sweet foods. So maybe the beautifully painted face represents a man, determined or otherwise , who has lost his teeth. I think Freud once said sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Anyone agree?(5 votes)
- I'd agree with that. My first thought upon looking at his mouth was that he hadn't put his dentures in (if in fact he had any).(2 votes)
- At, Dr Zucker says the keys in the background have been 'painted out' by Raphael. Does that mean he intended them not to be visible? Have they 'reappeared' in some way over time? Or did he just make them less prominent? Or maybe I've misunderstood the phrase 'painted out' entirely? 3:15(5 votes)
- probabaly he did it on purpose i dont think that raphael would mak one of his painting not visible(1 vote)
- Comparing to the age of Pope Julius || his beard is very small, why??(1 vote)
- There is the key like print in the wall behind. Does it signifies anything?(1 vote)
- Yes and the meaning of the keys are discussed in the video.(1 vote)
- Who commissioned this painting?(1 vote)
- What does the portrait of Pope Julius II reveal about him?(1 vote)
- It shows the size of his nose, the length of his beard, the quality of his rings, and gives us an idea of how old he was.(1 vote)
- when did they start using oil paint and why?(1 vote)
- There are marvelous lessons about art materials earlier in the course. Look here: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/special-topics-art-history/creating-conserving#painting-materials-techniques(1 vote)
- Could anyone explain why he is facing right? Isn't it customary for portraits to have the opposite orientation? The light is also coming in from the right and I can't help feeling as if the painting has been horizontally flipped.(1 vote)
Video transcript
(music playing) Beth: And here we have
Julius II, painted by Rafael. Julius II, the great patron
of the high Renaissance, and it's thanks to Julius that we have, oh gosh, so many things. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the Basilica of Saint Peter's, Rafael's frescoes in the Stanza. Steven: He was also a warrior. He financed that extraordinary
building campaign through his military campaigns and through some excesses,
in fact, ultimately, in the political realm. You know, it will be Luther
that responds against some of the excesses of
the Church under this pope that will actually spark the Reformation. Beth: Yeah, it's hard for us to
imagine a pope leading armies, and yet that's certainly what Julius did. Steven: But look at the
way that he's represented. You know, he is a monarch. He sits on a throne. He wields power that is both spiritual and that is political. Beth: Absolutely. At this time, the papacy
claimed political right to various lands in Italy, and it actually wasn't until the
20th century that the papacy, the Vatican relinquished those rights. Steven: And, in fact, the way
the national gallery in London dates this painting is because
of the beard that he wears, which he wore in mourning
for the city of Bologna, which he had lost in battle. The other issue is the way
in which economic power and spiritual power are linked. I mean, look at the size of the gems in the rings that he wears, and look at the crispness and the clarity with which those jewels are rendered. Compare them to the softness
of the edging of the fur of his cloak and of the cap that he wears. And I'm especially taken by the
flowing crisp lightness of ... Beth: The crinkles. Steven: Yes, exactly. Of the crinkles of that undergarment. I think what's most striking and what's most, I think,
effective about this portrait is the psychology and the
humanity of that face. Beth: He's shown very thoughtfully. He's not shown as a warrior at all, and he looks down toward the right. His body's turned a little bit off center, and so he's depicted in a very human way, not as an all-powerful
figure, but as a man. Steven: He's not idealized. He's older. He's not beautiful. Beth: No. Steven: And he's clenching his teeth. There's a kind of determination, a kind of inwardness of thought that's being represented here
that's incredibly effective. Beth: Yeah, and that I
think is carried down into his hands, too. That with one hand,
he's got a handkerchief, so there's a softness there, and a kind of thoughtfulness, even, in the holding of the handkerchief which we can imagine
being put up to the head, and then the way that he
clasps the arm of the chair, kind of more forcefully
with his left hand, so in a way, all sides of
Julius' personality emerge as we contemplate this picture by Rafael. Steven: There are some
other sort of iconographic elements that are probably
worth just mentioning. You'll notice that at
the tops of the chairs, there are these large, upside down acorns, and that refers to his actual family name, which means 'oak' in Italian. Beth: Della Rovere. Steven: And then there are, that have been painted out by Rafael, in the green background, you can actually see
these keys of Saint Peter, the papal symbol. Beth: And I'm also thinking about the way that red and green
are complementary colors and this whole painting is
about red and green, also. Steven: It's true, and that really does create a kind of intensity, a kind of visual animation. Beth: I'm struck by the way that, as you said, so in love with it, what the oil paint can do, right? Steven: Yes. here, in Italy, in the high Renaissance, and the fur, the crinkles,
the velvet, the gold, the beard, the way that the
beard has a different texture Steven: All these textures, that's right. Beth: Remarkable. of the satin of his sleeve compared to the crinkles below. It's really quite remarkable. The painting glows. (music plays)