Transfiguration of Jesus

Transfiguration of Jesus by Raphael

Medium: Oil on canvas

The "Transfiguration of Jesus" by Raphael stands as one of the most celebrated masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. Created between 1516 and 1520, this monumental work marks the culmination of Raphael’s career and embodies the transition between the High Renaissance and early Mannerism. The painting is renowned for its spiritual resonance, technical mastery, and complex narrative structure.

The Artist: Raphael’s Background and Significance

Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known as Raphael (1483–1520), was one of the three giants of the Italian High Renaissance, alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Raphael's artistic maturity was shaped in Florence, where he absorbed influences from his contemporaries, and in Rome, where he spent the latter part of his career working for the papal court. He was renowned for his clarity of form, balanced composition, and graceful figures. Raphael’s work, particularly his religious compositions, became models of perfection for generations of artists.

The "Transfiguration of Jesus" was commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, later Pope Clement VII, for the Narbonne Cathedral in France. It was Raphael’s last work, left unfinished at his premature death in 1520 and completed by his pupil Giulio Romano.

Historical Context of the Artwork

The early 16th century was a period of great religious, political, and artistic upheaval in Italy. The Catholic Church was both a patron of the arts and caught in the throes of challenges to its authority, including the nascent Protestant Reformation. Artistic commissions from the Church sought to assert religious doctrine, inspire devotion, and demonstrate ecclesiastical grandeur.

Raphael worked on the "Transfiguration" during his final Roman period, an environment steeped in innovation and rivalry, especially with Michelangelo, whose Sistine Chapel influences are sometimes seen in Raphael’s late works. The painting was intended as an altarpiece but remained in Rome due to the artist’s sudden death, becoming an iconic touchstone for later generations.

Religious and Cultural Significance

The Transfiguration is a pivotal episode in the New Testament, recounted in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to a high mountain, where he is transfigured before them: his face shines like the sun, his clothing becomes dazzlingly white, and Moses and Elijah appear beside him. This theophany reaffirms Jesus' divine nature and foreshadows his resurrection, serving as a testament to the unity of the Old and New Testaments.

In Raphael’s painting, this moment of divine revelation is depicted in the upper half, while the lower half presents the story of the healing of the possessed boy—a narrative that occurred directly after the Transfiguration according to the Gospels. By merging these two episodes, Raphael creates a powerful theological statement about faith, revelation, and salvation.

Symbolism and Iconography

Raphael’s "Transfiguration of Jesus" is layered with rich symbolism:

• Dual Composition: The canvas is split into two registers—a divine sphere above and a troubled, earthly realm below. The upper level depicts the transfigured Christ, floating in glory between Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (the prophets). This grouping symbolizes Christ as the fulfillment of both Judaic law and prophecy.

• Apostles’ Gestures: The apostles below the radiant Christ shield their eyes or gaze in awe, representing human frailty in the face of divine glory.

• The Possessed Boy: In the lower register, an agitated boy surrounded by his desperate family and the apostles reflects humanity’s suffering and the need for faith. His outstretched arm gestures upward, linking the earthly and the divine.

• Light and Color: The contrasting uses of light represent the gulf between divine illumination and earthly darkness, underscoring the Transfiguration as a moment of revelation.

Artistic Techniques Used

Raphael’s masterful command of oil on canvas is evident throughout the piece:

• Composition: The vertical symmetry skillfully unites two separate biblical narratives. Raphael organizes over a dozen figures in a balanced yet dynamic composition, guiding the viewer’s eye seamlessly from the tumultuous struggle below to the tranquil, supernatural realm above.

• Chiaroscuro: The modeling of figures using light and shade enhances the three-dimensionality of the forms and reinforces the spiritual dichotomy of the painting.

• Color Palette: Raphael employs a vibrant palette, with the dazzling luminosity of Christ's white garments contrasting starkly against the deeper, more somber hues of the lower scene. The use of ultramarine and gold leaf adds a sense of celestial otherworldliness.

• Expressive Faces: The intensively expressive faces and gestural drama in the lower half showcase Raphael’s ability to convey profound emotion and narrative complexity through physiognomy and posture.

• Brushwork: The smooth, meticulous brushwork achieves a clarity and harmony typical of Raphael, with fine details in drapery, anatomy, and landscape.

Cultural Impact

The "Transfiguration of Jesus" has exerted a lasting influence on Western art and religious imagination. Upon Raphael’s death, the painting was displayed above his body in state, symbolizing his spiritual and artistic achievements. Revered in the Vatican and later moved to the Pinacoteca Vaticana, it became a pilgrimage object for artists and connoisseurs.

During the Baroque era, painters like Caravaggio and Rubens drew inspiration from Raphael’s integration of drama, spirituality, and formal innovation. Art theorists admired it as the ideal synthesis of classical beauty and Christian symbolism, cited by figures such as Johann Joachim Winckelmann and Eugène Delacroix.

Culturally, the painting’s depiction of faith overcoming darkness has resonated beyond the realm of art, echoing in theological discourse and devotional literature. Today, it remains both a summa of Raphael’s genius and a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of Renaissance art.

Sources

1. The Vatican Museums – Raphael’s “Transfiguration”
2. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Raphael (1483–1520)
3. Britannica – “Transfiguration” painting by Raphael
4. National Gallery – “The Transfiguration” by Raphael
5. Shearman, John. Raphael’s Cartoons in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen and the Tapestries for the Sistine Chapel. Phaidon, 1972.