Happy Birthday, Raphael!
Master painter and architect Raphael was born on this day in 1483 in Urbino, Italy. Best known for his Madonnas and his large figure compositions in the Vatican, Raphael's work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition.
The young man peering out at us from this drawing is actually thought to be Raphael himself c. 1500-1501, when he would have been around 18 years old. In this drawing, he used black chalk skilfully and finely to model the head, conveying a sense of form and catching the light on the subject's skin. On close observation, there is evidence of revision in the size of the hat and the length of the neck. Raphael drew and redrew the contour lines of his face and neck, darkening stokes with stronger pressure on the chalk as he gained confidence in the realisation of the image.
