Raphael's Sistine Madonna

Architect and painter Raphael Santi is one of the most famous representatives of the Florentine school. The artist spends a lot of time in the Vatican, painting the walls of churches and palace rooms. Here he also draws inspiration for his works.Madonna di foligno Raphael, according to most, this is the period when the master's talent reaches its apogee. At this time, Raphael was commissioned by the papal secretary Sigismondo de Conti to paint the Madonna di Foligno. It got its name from the place of its initial stay, in one of the churches in Foligno. Finding common features in the nature of the composition and the number of characters in the paintings, this work of Raphael can rightfully be called the predecessor and "sister" of the world-famous "Sistine Madonna". It is also so called because the light coming from it, which unfortunately cannot be transmitted on the monitor screen, is similar to the image of the Sistine.The Sistine Madonna image of the Mother of God with a baby in her arms was one of the leading motifs of Raphael's work. Over the years, he returned to this topic, trying to find a new way of depicting, playing with light and different techniques.Madonna di Foligno manages to realize his ideas when creating "Madonna di Foligno". The Madonna and Child of Christ seems to float in the clouds against the background of the gilded disk of the sun, a sign of her heavenly glory. If you look more closely at what surrounds Mary on both sides, you can see cherubs, as if they are an extension of heaven. They are like a protective shield for the little Christ.In the background, we observe the views of the city of Foligno, or rather, the appearance of the house of Sigismondo de Conti, illuminated by light, something resembling the shape of a rainbow. According to one version, it was lightning that miraculously did not hit the house directly, but struck nearby without damaging anything. Such a happy event was the reason for writing this picture, where in addition to the Mother of God and Christ, the customer himself is present: depicted on the right in the picture, he directed his gaze upward, offering his gratitude in prayer. Next to him is St. Jerome, who shows Conti to those to whom he should be indebted for his salvation. On the left are John the Baptist and St. Francis, who is on his knees, pulling his hands up, trusting and entrusting himself completely to heaven and their will.Speaking about the image of the Madonna, it is impossible not to cancel the rigor and simplicity of her image, which are simultaneously associated with incredible warmth and care radiated towards her child.The picture clearly shows the division into earthly and heavenly. These two parts are very far from each other, but on the other hand, they are inextricably linked. In confirmation of this, an angel with a plaque is placed at the bottom of the picture, on which there was originally supposed to be a commemorative inscription. In this work, the image of an angel is a kind of connecting element, the personification of our connection with God, the continuity of this connection.Today, this canvas has gone through more than one restoration, and it is already difficult to say where the great master's hand really is in the picture. And even despite this fact, the image of the Madonna and Child depicted in this painting is a very important step on the way to creating the main masterpiece of Raphael. Самые дешёвые авиабилеты