Raphael Santa is often mentioned along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci because they were the three major artistic masters of Renaissance. As one of the perfect representatives, we can see clearly the time-spirit in his works. He is best known for his Madonna and his large figure compositions in the Vatican in Rome.
In the creation of his Madonna, Raphael always pursues beauty, happiness and intentness. Therefore, Madonna is always painted as a loving mother and an elegant woman. Of course, Sistine Madonna is no exception.
In this painting, the curtain is drawn back. The Virgin Mary, leaning forward and standing on a fleecy cloud, is set within a bright background. Meanwhile, she is holding the Christ Child in her arms. There are two saints – Saint Sixtus on her left side and Saint Barbara on the right side. At the bottom of the painting, two angles are entranced to see this scene, with their elbows bent and their chins in hands.
A gust of strong wind ripples Madonna's dress which roaming in the sky. The calm expression is slipping and the naked worry begins to be clear on her face. She is holding the Messiah on the path to the world. Saint Sixtus, with a rough appearance, points with his right hand towards miseries in the world. On the other hand, Saint Barbara lowers her eyes and clasps her hands, with an expression which contained all that is possible to prayer in the way of violence and tenderness. The image of angles makes this painting more far away from earth, giving off a sense of silent and solemn.
The technique used in this painting is the same as his earlier works. Lines are not too straight or rigid and angles are not too sharp. On the contrary, lines and angles are soft and round, which is the harmony of this painting. Raphael's figures, with round, gentle faces to suggest a calm and happy mood in viewers. It is worth noting that in this painting, the wrinkles of Madonna's dress is different from that in La Belle Gardiner because they are more powerful to show Madonna's character. Besides, we also can see difference between Madonna and Saint Barbara. As the mother of God, she gives comforts to people and encourage them to overcome difficulties when they are in despair. As a result, she is described as a female deity with beauty of an ideal personality. On the other hand, Saint Barbara is not as great as the Virgin Mary. There are only signs of common beauty on her face. It seems that she is a virtuous woman, without an ideal image.
Raphael's Sistine Madonna is one of the most important representatives of his works because it has his ways of thinking and his major technique used in his painting.
