Raphael: A Mortal God | Arts Unveiled Special

The unexpected demise of the esteemed painter Raffaello Santi on Good Friday in 1520, at the age of 37, reverberated throughout the city of Rome and the artistic circles of the time. Little did the world anticipate that his name would become legend and that the two angels on his most famous painting, the Sistine Madonna, would become his most reproduced and recognisable motif in the modern era. Raphael’s life and career were marked by a prodigious talent that manifested at a remarkably young age. Born in Urbino, Italy, in 1483, he showcased an extraordinary aptitude for painting and drawing that eventually propelled him into the illustrious triumvirate of High Renaissance artists, alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. His ability to infuse his works with harmony, equilibrium, and emotional profundity distinguished him as a master of his craft. Among his most celebrated and revered creations stands the “Sistine Madonna.“ Painted between 1512 and 1513, this masterpiece stand