The Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione free essay sample

Raphael’s Contradiction to Sculpture It is clear that Raphael’s Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione is an active attempt to undermine the artistic and cultural influence of sculpture in comparison to painting. As is made perfectly clear in The Book of the Courtier, Castiglione’s opinion of painting is a biased one. For example: For when all is said and done, the very fabric of the universe, which can contemplate in the vast spaces of heaven, so resplendent with their shining stars, in the earth at its centre, girdled by the seas, varied with mountains, rivers and valleys, and adorned with so many different varieties of trees, lovely flowers and grasses, can be said to be a great and noble painting, composed by Nature and the hand of God. And, in my opinion, whoever can imitate it deserves the highest praise. Baldassare Castiglione 153) The opinion of Castiglione in this situation matters a great deal, as he and Raphael were close friends, and therefore must have had a certain amount of influence over each other. We will write a custom essay sample on The Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since The Book of the Courtier and the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione were created so close to each other, it is reasonable to assume that Castiglione was on the cusp of forming his opinion of painters/sculptors or had already reached his conclusion that painting was a far more noble art form. Would it then be so far fetched to suggest that Castiglione proposed, or even required that Raphael emphasize the differences between painting and sculpture in the Portrait? The way I have reached this conclusion about the Portrait is through the examination of Raphael’s previous portraits in comparison to the piece in question. Not only does Castiglione’s portrait achieve a level of realism surpassing sculpture, it also surpasses his previous portraiture. Looking at Raphael’s Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga (ca. 504), pictured left, we can clearly see the lack of focus on realism in exchange for a lavish setting. There is also a certain flatness to the figure that doesn’t convey space in a way that is as true-to-life as The Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione. Take, as another example, the Portrait of Pope Julius II (ca. 1512), again pictured left. Although the background of the piece has been brought into a more realistic setting, the lighting of the piece is still not reaching the level of meticulousness and detail that the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione achieves. From these facts, it is reasonable to conclude that Castiglione’s influences, contributed to the way that Raphael has treated this particular Portrait. By emphasizing a more faithful lighting and by using a calculated color palate, Raphael has attained a level of authenticity that no sculptor ever could. It is for these reasons that I believe Raphael attempted to appease his friend Castiglione by creating a portrait of him that he could use in an argument to reinforce painting’s superiority as an art form to sculpture.