Rafael Rapheal

Melquiades Rafael Martinez Ruiz, also known as “Mel Martinez”, is a renowned politician who was born in Cuba on October 23, 1946. Martinez left Cuba in 1962 to flee from extreme violence in his hometown, Sagua la Grande. Later on, he became the secretary of Housing and Urban Development under George W. Bush. Mel Martinez is a very qualified individual because he helped thousands of people purchase affordable homes, while in the presidential Cabinet, became the first Cuban/Latin American to be part of the United States Senate, and currently runs a large region of banking for JPMorgan Chase bank. From the day he started practicing law to present day, he has always focused on bringing people affordable housing.

He was his apprentice at the town of Perugia. Since Perugino was a master painter this greatly influenced Raphael’s young life and encouraged him to become an artist. Raphael, before exiting apprenticeship, made a few amazing paintings. These include the Mond Crucifixion, The Three Graces, The Knight’s Dream, and The Marriage of the Virgin, which I will mention later.

I, Steve Urcino, declare under penalty of perjury that the following statement is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and recollection.

I totally agree with you about Jan van Eyck’s painting of Madonna is more sentimental than Michelangelo’s painting of the Holy family. Jan van Eyck’s painted Madonna in the church in very fine details, he somehow makes the viewer feel connected to the pictures subjects. Resulting in viewers feels close to everything and they feel like they are a part of the picture, not an outsider looking into the picture.

The iconography of Christ in the High and Late Renaissance period was based on the role the artist perceived him to be. Renaissance artist used their art as a religious tool to convey the meaning of Christianity to people who could not read, see, or could not understand the Bible. Many artists perceived Christ in their works as he is described in the Bible. In the Bible Christ is described to be our savior, our teacher, a miracle worker, our loving father who forgives us, the perfect one, and the son of God who was crucified for our sins. However, some artist during this era perceived Christ in their own way. There are many artist during the High and Late Renaissance that depicted Christ in their work however, Leonardo’s Madonna of the Rocks, Tintoretto’s Last Supper, Veronese’s Christ in the House of Levi, Michelangelo’s Pieta, and Last Judgement most exemplify their different perceptions of Christ.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone will have their own interpretation.” - E.A. Bucchianeri. Art is a beautiful construct and it has been seen as such and shall continue to be seen as such for generations to come. History has seen a vast number of extremely talented Artists, and while art may take new forms, its integrity shall remain unshifted. Two men in specific have contributed to art and its history like no other; Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael Sanzio da Urbino. Both of these men, considered masters of their talents, have conceived some of the World’s greatest artworks, but it is here that I would like to specifically examine, compare, and contrast the ideals of both man and his work in a self-portrait from each their own. Leonardo’s Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk and Raphael’s Portrait of a Young Man.

For some of his most famous works, a series of painting known as The Madonnas, Raphael studied anatomy and light in order to achieve the artwork that today are iconic to several religions and their churches. The Italian word ma donna means my lady, and each painting is a representation of ‘The Virgin’ Mary, where she is painted either alone or with a baby Jesus. Raphael was one of the many artists to put their skills into making these very iconic pieces of art, the list also includes; Duccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Giovanni Bellini, Caravaggio, Rubens, Salvador Dalí and Henry Moore. Raphael is famous for the amount of detail he put into every piece of artwork. The painter used depth and perspective to bring his art alive, with significant amounts of keen detail and emotion.

     The style and the form of these two paintings reflect the development of the artistic techniques during the Italian Renaissance. While both reflect a Biblical theme with a central focal point of the Madonna and Child, “Madonna Enthroned” has a key image that is best viewed from a central position and “Madonna and Child…” has a greater degree of importance over the majority of the surface of the canvas. In “Madonna and Child…” the viewer does not perceive that an image is being forced upon them as is found in the work by Giotto. A use of light and space is also key to preventing the Puligo piece from being “forced”, where the organization of distance visibly removes the viewer from “Madonna Enthroned” while drawing the viewer into the painting in “Madonna and Child…”. Color also serves a similar purpose, where Giotto’s work is monochromatic but ocher while Puligo’s work carries a greater expression through the detail involved.

Humberto Fernández-Morán Villalobos (February 18, 1924 - March 17th 1999) was a Latin American scientist from Maracaibo, Venezuela. After graduating college, he applied his knowledge by inventing the diamond scalpel which advanced the development of electromagnetic lenses for the electron microscope and helped develop the electron microscope. Additionally, he helped the increased the progressions of electron cryo-microscopy and introduced the concept of cyro-ultramicrotomy. Villalobos also founded Venezuelan Institute for Neurological and Brain Studies. When he moved to the the United States, he was nominated to win a Nobel Prize; however, he turned it down because he did not want to be considered an American citizen.

Hundreds of years ago, the Renaissance period was the rebirth of many ideas, leading to the advancements of the modern era. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, an Italian inventor and artist, was named the true “Renaissance Man” because of his wonderful creations and achievements in science, art, and arithmetic (UXL Biographies). He is known worldwide, made famous mostly by his astounding works of art such as the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper.” His work and sketches are praised daily in museums around the world. Da Vinci’s name is lodged in history as one of the most accomplished men from the Renaissance.

This Madonna is painted with High renaissance painting styles. Madonna is again painted as a biblical figure wearing traditional garb of the time period. The skin of Madonna and baby is very soft and the expressions a very serene. This piece of work is very symmetrical compared to the work of parmigiano and there is a very strong sense of nature in this piece. Baby Jesus is help in a loving manner in this work compared to the Parmigianino piece where the baby seems to be ready to fall to the ground.

Out of most of the pieces on display in the Renaissance corridor located on the second floor of the museum, Lorenzo Monaco's Madonna and Child caught my eye in such a strange, peculiar manner. This was partially due to my fascination with early renaissance artwork and the artist of that era. It is a medium-sized tempera piece layered on panel placed right of the second room of the corridor. Historically speaking, it was devised between the years of 1370-1371 in Florence, Italy. This was the genesis of the renaissance era which also signaled an end to the medieval era of art. With this passing came renewed interest in the classical Greek philosophical themes and the discovery of humanism. While not the originator of painting,

Raphael was hired to do many paintings, portraits, cartoons, and frescoes for many Roman nobles. One of the first jobs that Raphael had was to create a painting for the Duke of Urbino. This painting was the depiction of St. George’s life. This painting enhanced Raphael’s reputation and made him more popular than he already was. He continued to work for other people and was eventually hired by Pope Julius II.

During the Renaissance, many wealthy families aimed to become patrons of the arts to show their status. As a result, in addition to religious works of art that praised the god and the divinity, the Renaissance period is rich in portraits of popes, dukes, cardinals and other nobilities. It was prestigious to hire famous artists to demonstrate patrons’ power and wealth. Portrait of Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de’Medici and Luigi de’Rossi by Rafael (1518), Cardinal Bandinello Sauli, His Secretary, and Two Geographers by Sebastiano del Piombo (1516), Portrait of Isabella d'Este by Leonardo da Vinci (1499-1500) are just a few examples. While church continued to order art works to spread the religion, many important rulers used art to spread

Although I may love reading, non-fiction books have never been what I love. I believe that it is hard to make a fiction book interesting and inviting because it is suppose to be all facts, and you never want to alter the facts so much that you stay away from the real meaning. As I first began to read the book it certainly did not catch my attention, it was all facts, just strict hard facts. When I began to read more into I thought that maybe if I put myself in his shoes it would be more interesting because then it would be like I am him and I can relate more if I thought that it was me doing everything. I believe that freedom doesn’t come free, and I understand that this book shows that. This man gave his life to help America. After 9/11 every