RAFAEL / Schimbarea la fata / 1518-1520

 

La Transfiguration (Raphaël)

La Transfiguration

Artiste	Raphaël
Date	1518-1520
Commanditaire	Clément VII
Type	Huile sur bois
Dimensions (H × L)	405 × 278 cm
Mouvements	Renaissance italienne, Haute Renaissance
Collection	Pinacothèque vaticane
Localisation	Musées du Vatican

La Transfiguration est le dernier tableau peint par Raphaël, commencé en 1518, inachevé de sa main en 1520, date de sa mort. Il est conservé dans la Pinacothèque de la cité du Vatican.

Éléments historiques

La Transfiguration a été commandée à Raphaël par le cardinal Jules de Médicis (futur pape Clément VII). Il commanda en même temps une deuxième œuvre intitulée La résurrection de Lazare à Sebastiano del Piombo. Les deux tableaux d’autel étaient destinés à sa résidence épiscopale de Narbonne, dont il était l‘archevêque depuis 1515. Raphaël mourut d'un accès de fièvre en avril 1520. Mais il n'a pas le temps d‘achever le tableau. C‘est donc son atelier (probablement Giulio Romano) qui s‘en chargea. Le cardinal Jules de Médicis fit finalement don du tableau à l'église San Pietro in Montorio de Rome où il resta exposé de 1523 à 1797. Le Pape Pie VI fut contraint de le céder à la France en 1797 par le traité de Tolentino (le traité, imposé au Saint-Siège par le Directoire français, consistait, entre autres à prélever cent œuvres parmi les collections pontificales et romaines). Il rejoignit alors le Museum Central des Arts, l’actuel Musée du Louvre, puis fut restitué au Pape Pie VII à la chute de Napoléon et suite aux décisions du Congrès de Vienne, en 1815, imposées à la France. En 1817, le fameux tableau fit retour au Saint-Siège et intégra la Pinacothèque vaticane en 1820.

Composition

Le tableau comporte deux parties narratives distinctes.

La partie supérieure montre la Transfiguration sur le mont Thabor, le Christ flottant devant des nuages illuminés, entre les prophètes Moïse et Élie. En dessous, sur le sommet de la montagne, sont couchés les Apôtres S. Pierre, S. Jacques le Majeur et S. Jean Évangéliste, couvrant leur visage, aveuglés par la lumière.

La partie inférieure montre les autres parmi les Douze Apôtres à qui une foule de gens, paniqués, ont amené un jeune garçon victime d'une possession démoniaque et qu'ils ne parviennent pas à guérir. Le Christ, redescendant du mont Thabor où venait d'avoir lieu sa Transfiguration, guérira l'enfant démoniaque d'une seule parole (cf. Matthieu 17, 14-21)1.

Analyse et iconographie

La Transfiguration est un épisode de la vie du Christ où son apparence physique change pendant sa vie sur terre, révélant ainsi sa nature divine. Selon la Bible, cet épisode se situe après la multiplication des pains, au moment où les disciples reconnaissent en lui le Messie. Au cours de la fête des tentes, il se serait rendu sur le mont Thabor avec ses disciples Pierre, Jacques et Jean et se serait alors métamorphosé. Son visage changea et ses vêtements devinrent d’un blanc éclatant en présence de Moïse et Élie, à droite, reconnaissable aux tables de la loi qu’il tient entre les bras.

On observe une vive lumière blanche l’entourant, provoquant même un vent improbable, surnaturel, traduit par les drapés d’Élie et de Moïse ainsi que leurs cheveux. Les nuages même sont concentrés autour de Jésus. Celui-ci, vêtu de blanc, en léger contrapposto, les hanches larges, le drapé flottant, les bras ouverts, est représenté en lévitation.

Les deux petits personnages, à gauche, qui sont en train de prier et qui n’apparaissent pas dans le passage de la Bible sont les saints Just et Pasteur, à qui est dédiée la cathédrale de Narbonne, dont le commanditaire du tableau, le cardinal Jules de Médicis (futur pape Clément VII) était l'archevêque.

Le mont Thabor est représenté par un monticule. En guise de décor, on peut observer quelques arbres et sur la droite, au lointain, un village.

Cette scène agitée de la partie inférieure du tableau fait référence au passage de l'Évangile de Matthieu, ch. 17, versets 14-21, relatant le cas du garçon possédé, que le Christ, en redescendant du mont Thabor, allait guérir d'une parole.

Si le moment de la scène de la partie supérieure paraît mystérieux et hiératique, les nombreux personnages dans la partie inférieure créent un contraste violent, avec un ensemble de gens pris de panique autour du jeune garçon possédé, se démenant, et de son père, vêtu de vert, qui le retient des deux mains. L'enfant, la bouche ouverte, gesticule, un bras pointé vers le ciel, l'autre vers le sol, les yeux révulsés et exorbités.

À gauche, le groupe des apôtres que le Christ n'a pas pris avec lui sur la montagne (sauf Pierre, Jacques le Majeur et Jean, témoins de la Transfiguration) se consultent sans parvenir à guérir l’enfant. Ils sont également dans la stupeur, sentiment qui se traduit par leurs gestes et leurs regards, dans l'attente du retour du Christ du mont Thabor.

L'usage des couleurs vives (luminisme), les mimiques excessives, annoncent l'école du maniérisme qui dominera bientôt la peinture italienne, après la mort de Raphaël en 1520. Le tableau, l'ultime du maître, reste l'un de ses chefs-d'œuvre les plus marquants.

Bibliographie et Sources

• Nietzsche, Die Geburt der Tragödie aus dem Geist der Musik
• Giorgio Vasari, dans Le Vite qui qualifie le tableau de « ... le plus célèbre, le plus beau et le plus divin. » (« fra tante quante egli ne fece, sia la piú celebrata, la piú bella e la piú divin »).
• Notice des tableaux exposés dans la galerie Napoléon, 1811 (lire en ligne [archive]), p. 1152. La Transfiguration : « Jules de Médicis, archevêque de Narbonne, (...) ordonna le tableau pour sa cathédrale. La mort de Raphaël changea cette destination. C'est à la Victoire, que la France doit ce chef-d’œuvre qui lui était destiné. »
• Stendhal, au Chapitre I de Vie de Henry Brulard, évoque ce tableau: « Je me trouvais ce matin, 16 octobre 1832, à San Pietro in Montorio, sur le mont Janicule, à Rome il faisait un soleil magnifique. [...] C'est donc ici que la Transfiguration de Raphaël a été admirée pendant deux siècles et demi. Quelle différence avec la triste galerie de marbre gris où elle est enterrée aujourd'hui au fond du Vatican ! Ainsi pendant deux cent cinquante ans ce chef-d'œuvre a été ici, deux cent cinquante ans !... »
• Gregor Bernhart-Königstein: Raffaels Weltverklärung: Das berühmteste Gemälde der Welt. Petersberg: Imhof 2007. 
• ===============================================================

Raffaello Sanzio, The Transfiguration

Cardinal Giulio de' Medici (the future pope Clement VII) commissioned two paintings for the cathedral of S. Giusto of Narbonne, the city of which he had become bishop in 1515. The Transfiguration was entrusted to Raphael, and the Raising of Lazarus (now in the National Gallery of London) to Sebastiano del Piombo. The Transfiguration was not sent to France because after Raphael's death (1520), the cardinal kept it for himself, subsequently donating it to the church of S. Pietro in Montorio where it was placed over the high altar. In 1797, following the Treaty of Tolentino, this work, like many others, was taken to Paris and returned in 1816, after the fall of Napoleon. It was then that it became part of the Pinacoteca of Pius VII (pontiff from 1800 to 1823).

The altarpiece illustrates two episodes narrated in succession in the Gospel according to Matthew: the Transfiguration above, with Christ in glory between the prophets Moses and Elijah, and below, in the foreground, the meeting of the Apostles with the obsessed youth who will be miraculously cured by Christ on his return from Mount Tabor.

This is Raphael's last painting and appears as the spiritual testament of the artist. The work is considered in his biography, written by the famous artist and biographer of the 16th century, Giorgio Vasari, "the most famous, the most beautiful and most divine".

===================================================

Transfiguration (Raphael)

Jump to navigationJump to search

The Transfiguration
Artist	Raphael
Year	1516–20
Medium	Tempera on wood
Dimensions	405 cm × 278 cm (159 in × 109 in)
Location	Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City

The Transfiguration is the last painting by the Italian High Renaissance master Raphael. Commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de Medici, the later Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), and conceived as an altarpiece for the Narbonne Cathedral in France, Raphael worked on it until his death in 1520. The painting exemplifies Raphael's development as an artist and the culmination of his career. Unusually for a depiction of the Transfiguration of Jesus in Christian art, the subject is combined with the next episode from the Gospels (the healing of a possessed boy) in the lower part of the painting. The Transfiguration stands as an allegory of the transformative nature of representation.^[1] It is now in the Pinacoteca Vaticana in Vatican City.

From the late 16th century until the early 20th century, it was said to be the most famous oil painting in the world.

History of the painting

By December 1516, the latest date of commission, Cardinal Giulio de Medici, cousin to Pope Leo X (1513–1521), was also the Pope's vice-chancellor and chief advisor. He had been endowed with the legation of Bologna, the bishoprics of Albi, Ascoli, Worcester, Eger and others. From February 1515, this included the archbishopric of Narbonne.^[2] He commissioned two paintings for the cathedral of Narbonne, The Transfiguration of Christ from Raphael and The Raising of Lazarus from Sebastiano del Piombo. With Michelangelo providing drawings for the latter work, Medici was rekindling the rivalry initiated a decade earlier between Michelangelo and Raphael, in the Stanze and Sistine Chapel.^[3]

From 11 to 12 December 1516, Michelangelo was in Rome to discuss with Pope Leo X and Cardinal Medici the facade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence. During this meeting, he was confronted with the commission of The Raising of Lazarus and it was here that he agreed to provide drawings for the endeavour, but not to execute the painting himself. The commission went to Michelangelo's friend Sebastiano del Piombo. As of this meeting the paintings would become emblematic of a paragone between two approaches to painting, and between painting and sculpture in Italian art.^[2]

An early modello for the painting, done in Raphael's studio by Giulio Romano, depicted a 1:10 scale drawing for The Transfiguration. Here Christ is shown on Mount Tabor. Moses and Eljah float towards him; John and James are kneeling to the right; Peter is to the left. The top of the model depicts God the Father and a throng of angels.^[2] A second modello, done by Gianfrancesco Penni, shows a design with two scenes, as the painting was to develop. This modello is held by the Louvre.^[4]

The Raising of Lazarus was unofficially on view by October 1518. By this time Raphael had barely started on his altarpiece. By the time Sebastiano del Piombo's work was officially inspected in the Vatican by Leo X on Sunday, 11 December 1519, the third Sunday of Advent, The Transfiguration was still unfinished.^[2]

Raphael would have been familiar with the final form of The Raising of Lazarus as early as the autumn of 1518, and there is considerable evidence that he worked feverishly to compete, adding a second theme and nineteen figures.^[2] A surviving modello for the project, now in the Louvre (a workshop copy of a lost drawing by Raphael's assistant Gianfrancesco Penni) shows the dramatic change in the intended work.

Modello for the Transfiguration of Christ, pen and brown ink with white highlights on paper primed with dark brown wash, 40 x 27 cm, c. 1516, Albertina

Examination of the final Transfiguration revealed more than sixteen incomplete areas and pentimenti (alterations).^[2] An important theory holds that the writings of Blessed Amadeo Menes da Silva was key to the transformation. Amadeo was an influential friar, healer and visionary as well as the Pope's confessor. He was also diplomat for the Vatican State. In 1502, after his death, many of Amadeo's writings and sermons were compiled as the Apocalypsis Nova. This tract was well known to Pope Leo X. Guillaume Briçonnet, Cardinal Giulio de' Medici's predecessor as bishop of Narbonne, and his two sons also consulted the tract as spiritual guide. Cardinal Giulio knew the Apocalypsis Nova and could have influenced the painting's final composition. Amadeo's tract describes the episodes of the Transfiguration and the possessed boy consecutively. The Transfiguration represents a prefiguration of the Last Judgment, and of the final defeat of the Devil. Another interpretation is that the epileptic boy has been cured, thus linking the divinity of Christ with his healing power.^[5]

Raphael died on 6 April 1520. For a couple of days afterward, The Transfiguration lay at the head of his catafalque at his house in the Borgo.^[6][7] A week after his death, the two paintings were exhibited together in the Vatican.^[2]

While there is some speculation that Raphael's pupil, Giulio Romano, and assistant, Gianfrancesco Penni, painted some of the background figures in the lower right half of the painting,^[3] there is no evidence that anyone but Raphael finished the substance of the painting.^[2] The cleaning of the painting from 1972 to 1976 revealed that assistants only finished some of the lower left figures, while the rest of the painting is by Raphael himself.^[1]

Rather than send it to France, Cardinal Giulio de' Medici retained the picture. In 1523,^[4] he installed it on the high altar in the Blessed Amadeo's church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome,^[8] in a frame which was the work of Giovanni Barile (no longer in existence). A mosaic copy of the painting was completed by Stefano Pozzi in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City in 1774.^[4]

In 1797, during Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign, it was taken to Paris by French troops and installed in the Louvre. Already on 17 June 1794, Napoleon's Committee of Public Instruction had suggested an expert committee accompany the armies to remove important works of art and science for return to Paris. The Louvre, which had been opened to the public in 1793, was a clear destination for the art. On 19 February 1799, Napoleon concluded the Treaty of Tolentino with Pope Pius VI, in which was formalized the confiscation of 100 artistic treasures from the Vatican.^[9]

Wedding procession of Napoleon and Marie-Louise of Austria in 1810 (detail)

Among the most sought after treasures Napoleons agents coveted were the works of Raphael. Jean-Baptiste Wicar, a member of Napoleon's selection committee, was a collector of Raphael's drawings. Baron Antoine-Jean Gros, another member, had been influenced by Raphael. For artists like Jacques-Louis David, and his pupils Girodet and Ingres, Raphael represented the embodiment of French artistic ideals. Consequently, Napoleon's committee seized every available Raphael. To Napoleon, Raphael was simply the greatest of Italian artists and The Transfiguration his greatest work. The painting, along with the Apollo Belvedere, the Laocoön, the Capitoline Brutus and many others, received a triumphal entry into Paris on 27 July 1798, the fourth anniversary of Maximilien de Robespierre's fall.^[9]

In November 1798, The Transfiguration was on public display in the Grand Salon at the Louvre. As of 4 July 1801, it became the centrepiece of a large Raphael exhibition in the Grande Galerie. More than 20 Raphaels were on display. In 1810, a famous drawing by Benjamin Zix recorded the occasion of Napoleon and Marie Louise's wedding procession through the Grande Galerie, The Transfiguration on display in the background.^[9]

St. Matthew and another apostle, red chalk over stylus, 328 x 232 mm

The painting's presence at the Louvre gave English painters like Joseph Farington (on 1 and 6 September 1802)^{[10]:1820–32} and Joseph Mallord William Turner (in September 1802) the opportunity to study it. Turner would dedicate the first of his lectures as Professor of Perspective at the Royal Academy to the picture.^[11] Farington also reported on others having been to see the picture: Swiss painter Henry Fuseli, for whom it was second at the Louvre only to Titian's The Death of St. Peter Martyr (1530), and English painter John Hoppner.^[10]:1847 The Anglo-American painter Benjamin West "said that the opinion of ages stood confirmed that it still held the first place".^[10]:1852 Farington himself expressed his sentiments as follows:

Were I to decide by the effect it had upon me I should not hesitate to say that the patient care and solid manner in which The Transfiguration is painted made an impression on my mind that caused other pictures esteemed of the first Class, to appear weak, and as wanting in strength & vigour.

— Joseph Farington, The Diary of Joseph Farington Vol. V^[10]:1831

After the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1815, envoys to Pope Pius VII, Antonio Canova and Marino Marini managed to secure The Transfiguration (along with 66 other pictures) as part of the Treaty of Paris. By agreement with the Congress of Vienna, the works were to be exhibited to the public. The original gallery was in the Borgia Apartment in the Apostolic Palace. After several moves within the Vatican, the painting now resides in the Pinacoteca Vaticana.^[12]

Reception[edit]

Study of the Head of an Apostle, black chalk over pouncing, c. 1519

The reception of the painting is well documented. Between the year 1525 and 1935, at least 229 written sources can be identified that describe, analyse, praise or criticise The Transfiguration.^[13]

The first descriptions of the painting after Raphael's death in 1520 called The Transfiguration already a masterpiece, but this status evolved until the end of the 16th century. In his notes of a travel to Rome in 1577, the Spanish humanist Pablo de Céspedes called it the most famous oil-painting in the world for the first time.^[14] The painting would preserve this authority for more than 300 years. It was acknowledged and repeated by many authors, like the connoisseur François Raguenet, who analysed Raphael's composition in 1701. In his opinion, its outline drawing, the effect of light, the colours and the arrangement of the figures made The Transfiguration the most perfect painting in the world.^[15]

An auxiliary cartoon for the apostle far left

Jonathan Richardson Senior and Junior dared to criticise the overwhelming status of The Transfiguration, asking if this painting could really be the most famous painting in the world.^[16] They criticised that the composition was divided into an upper and a lower half that would not correspond to each other. Also the lower half would draw too much attention instead of the upper half, while the full attention of the viewer should be paid to the figure of Christ alone. This criticism did not diminish the fame of the painting, but provoked counter-criticism by other connoisseurs and scholars. For the German-speaking world, it was the assessment by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that prevailed. He interpreted the upper and the lower half as complementary parts. This assessment was quoted by many authors and scholars during the 19th century and thus the authority of Goethe helped to save the fame of The Transfiguration.^[17]

During the short period of time the painting spent in Paris, it became a major attraction to visitors, and this continued after its return to Rome, then placed in the Vatican museums. Mark Twain was one of many visitors and he wrote in 1869: "I shall remember The Transfiguration partly because it was placed in a room almost by itself; partly because it is acknowledged by all to be the first oil painting in the world; and partly because it was wonderfully beautiful."^[18]

In the early 20th century, the fame of the painting rapidly diminished and soon The Transfiguration lost its denomination as the most famous painting in the world. A new generation of artists did not accept Raphael as an artistic authority anymore. Copies and reproductions were no longer in high demand. While the complexity of the composition had been an argument to praise the painting until the end of the 19th century, viewers were now repelled by it. The painting was felt to be too crowded, the figures to be too dramatic and the whole setting to be too artificial. In contrast, other paintings like the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci were much easier to recognise and did not suffer from the decline of the overwhelming status of Raphael as an artistic example.^[19] Thus The Transfiguration is a good example for the changeability of the fame of an artwork, that may last for centuries but may also decline in just a short period.

Reproductions

The fame of the painting is also based on its reproduction. While the original could only be admired in one place – in Rome, and for a short period of time in Paris after it had been taken away by Napoleon – the large number of reproductions ensured that the composition of the painting was omnipresent in nearly every important art collection in Europe. It could thus be studied and admired by many collectors, connoisseurs, artists and art historians.

Including the mosaic in St Peter’s in the Vatican, at least 68 copies were made between 1523 and 1913.^[13] Good copies after the painting were highly sought after during the Early Modern period and young artists could earn money for an Italian journey by selling copies of The Transfiguration. One of the best painted copies ever was made by Gregor Urquhart in 1827.^[20] At least 52 engravings and etchings were produced after the painting until the end of the 19th century, including illustrations for books like biographies and even for Christian songbooks.^[13] The Istituto nazionale per la grafica in Rome possesses twelve of these reproductions.^[21] At least 32 etchings and engravings can be traced that depict details of the painting, sometimes to use them as a part of a new composition.^[13] Among these depictions of details is one set of prints of heads, hands and feet engraved by G. Folo after Vincenzo Camuccini (1806), and another set of heads produced in stipple engraving by J. Godby after drawings by I. Goubaud (1818 and 1830). The first engraved reproduction of The Transfiguration is also called to be the first reproductive print of a painting ever. It was made by an anonymous engraver in 1538 and is sometimes identified with the manner of Agostino Veneziano.

Iconography

St. Philip and St. Andrew, auxiliary cartoon in black chalk and white heightening over pouncing, 499 x 364 mm, at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Raphael's painting depicts two consecutive, but distinct, biblical narratives from the Gospel of Matthew, also related in the Gospel of Mark. In the first, the Transfiguration of Christ itself, Moses and Elijah appear before the transfigured Christ with Peter, James and John looking on (Matthew 17:1–9; Mark 9:2–13). In the second, the Apostles fail to cure a boy from demons and await the return of Christ (Matthew 17:14–21; Mark 9:14).^[3]

The upper register of the painting shows the Transfiguration itself (on Mount Tabor, according to tradition), with the transfigured Christ floating in front of illuminated clouds, between the prophets Moses, on the right, and Elijah, on the left,^[22] with whom he is conversing (Matthew 17:3). The two figures kneeling on the left are commonly identified as Justus and Pastor who shared August 6 as a feast day with the Feast of the Transfiguration.^[23] These saints were the patrons of Medici's archbishopric and the cathedral for which the painting was intended.^[2] It has also been proposed that the figures might represent the martyrs Saint Felicissimus and Saint Agapitus who are commemorated in the missal on the feast of the Transfiguration.^[4][23]

The upper register of the painting includes, from left to right, James, Peter and John,^[24] traditionally read as symbols of faith, hope and love; hence the symbolic colours of blue-yellow, green and red for their robes.^[2]

In the lower register, Raphael depicts the Apostles attempting to free the possessed boy of his demonic possession. They are unable to cure the sick child until the arrival of the recently transfigured Christ, who performs a miracle. The youth is no longer prostrate from his seizure but is standing on his feet, and his mouth is open, which signals the departure of the demonic spirit. As his last work before this death, Raphael (which in Hebrew רָפָאֵל [Rafa'el] means "God has healed"), joins the two scenes together as his final testament to the healing power of the transfigured Christ. According to Goethe: "The two are one: below suffering, need, above, effective power, succour. Each bearing on the other, both interacting with one another."^[25]

The man lower left is the apostle-evangelist Matthew, some would says St. Andrew,^[4] depicted at eye-level and serving as interlocutor with the viewer.^[2] The function of figures like the bottom left was best described by Leon Battista Alberti almost a century earlier in 1435.

I like there to be someone in the "historia", who tells the spectators what is going on, and either beckons them with his hand to look, or with ferocious expression and forbidding glance challenges them not to come near, as if he wished their business to be secret, or points to some danger or remarkable thing in the picture, or by his gestures invites you to laugh or weep with them.

— Leon Battista Alberti, On Painting (1435)^[26]

Study of the Head of an Apostle, black chalk over pouncing, c. 1519

Matthew (or Andrew) gestures to the viewer to wait, his gaze focused on a kneeling woman in the lower foreground. She is ostensibly a part of the family group,^[22] but on closer examination is set apart from either group. She is a mirror image of a comparable figure in Raphael's The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple (1512).^[3] Giorgio Vasari, Raphael's biographer, describes the woman as "the principal figure in that panel". She kneels in a contrapposto pose, forming a compositional bridge between the family group on the right and the nine apostles on the left. Raphael also renders her in cooler tones and drapes her in sunlit pink, while he renders the other participants, apart from Matthew, oblivious to her presence.^[1] The woman's contrapposto pose is more specifically called a figura serpentinata or serpent's pose, in which the shoulders and the hips move in opposition; one of the earliest examples being Leonardo da Vinci's Leda (c. 1504), which Raphael had copied while in Florence.^[1]

In the centre are four apostles of different ages. The blonde youth appears to echo the apostle Philip from The Last Supper. The seated older man is Andrew. Simon is the older man behind Andrew. Judas Thaddeus is looking at Simon and pointing towards the boy.^[2]

The apostle on the far left is widely considered to be Judas Iscariot^[22] He was the subject of one of only six surviving so-called auxiliary cartoons, first described by Oskar Fischel in 1937.^[27]

Analysis and interpretation[edit]

Lecture diagram, c. 1810, by J. M. W. Turner

The iconography of the picture has been interpreted as a reference to the delivery of the city of Narbonne from the repeated assaults of the Saracens. Pope Calixtus III proclaimed August 6 a feast day on the occasion of the victory of the Christians in 1456.^[4]

Enlightenment philosopher Montesquieu noted that the healing of the obsessed boy in the foreground takes precedence over the figure of Christ. Modern critics have furthered Montesquieu's criticism by suggesting that the painting should be renamed to "Healing of the Obsessed Youth".^[28]

J. M. W. Turner had seen The Transfiguration in the Louvre, in 1802. At the conclusion of the version of his first lecture, delivered on 7 January 1811, as Professor of Perspective at the Royal Academy, Turner demonstrated how the upper part of the composition is made up of intersecting triangles, forming a pyramid with Christ at the top.^[29]

In a 1870 publication, German art historian Car Justi observes that the painting depicts two subsequent episodes in the biblical narrative of Christ: after the transfiguration, Jesus encounters a man who begs mercy for his devil-possessed son.^[30]

Raphael plays on a tradition equating epilepsy with the aquatic moon (luna, from whence lunatic). This causal link is played on by the watery reflection of the moon in the lower left corner of the painting; the boy is literally moonstruck.^[2] In Raphael's time, epilepsy was often equated with the moon (morbus lunaticus), possession by demons (morbus daemonicus), and also, paradoxically, the sacred (morbus sacer). In the 16th century, it was not uncommon for sufferers of epilepsy to be burned at the stake, such was the fear evoked by the condition.^[31] The link between the phase of the moon and epilepsy would only be broken scientifically in 1854 by Jacques-Joseph Moreau de Tours.^[32]

Raphael's Transfiguration can be considered a prefiguration of both Mannerism, as evidenced by the stylised, contorted poses of the figures at the bottom of the picture; and of Baroque painting, as evidenced by the dramatic tension imbued within those figures, and the strong use of chiaroscuro throughout.

As a reflection on the artist, Raphael likely viewed The Transfiguration as his triumph.^[33] Raphael uses the contrast of Jesus presiding over men to satiate his commissioners in the Roman Catholic Church. Raphael uses the cave to symbolize the Renaissance style, easily observed in the extended index finger as a reference to Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Additionally, he subtly incorporates a landscape in the background, but uses darker coloring to show his disdain for the style. Yet the focal point for the viewer is the Baroque styled child and his guarding father. In all, Raphael successfully appeased his commissioners, paid homage to his predecessors, and ushered in the subsequent predominance of Baroque painting.

On the simplest level, the painting can be interpreted as depicting a dichotomy: the redemptive power of Christ, as symbolised by the purity and symmetry of the top half of the painting; contrasted with the flaws of Man, as symbolised by the dark, chaotic scenes in the bottom half of the painting.

The philosopher Nietzsche interpreted the painting in his book The Birth of Tragedy as an image of the interdependence of Apollonian and Dionysian principles.^[34]

The sixteenth-century painter and biographer Giorgio Vasari wrote in his Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects that The Transfiguration was Raphael's "most beautiful and most divine" work.

===================================================

Raffaello Sanzio, Transfiguration

Le Cardinal Jules de Médicis commanda deux peintures destinées à la cathédrale Saint-Juste de Narbonne. Le cardinal de Médicis (futur pape Clément VII) était en effet devenu évêque de Narbonne en 1515. La Transfiguration fut confiée à Raphaël et la Résurrection de Lazare (aujourd’hui à la National Gallery de Londres) à Sebastiano del Piombo. La Transfiguration ne fut jamais envoyée en France parce que le cardinal la conserva à la mort de Raphaël (1520) puis il en fit don à l’église Saint-Pierre in Montorio où l’œuvre fut placée sur le maître autel. En 1797, à la suite du Traité de Tolentino, cette œuvre, comme tant d’autres, fut emportée à Paris puis restituée en 1816 à la chute de Napoléon. C’est alors qu’elle entra dans la Pinacothèque de Pie VII (pontificat de 1800 à 1823). Le retable représente deux épisodes racontés l’un après l’autre dans l’Evangile selon saint Matthieu : La Transfiguration en haut, avec le Christ en gloire entre les prophètes Moïse et Elie ; en bas au premier plan, la rencontre des Apôtres avec l’enfant possédé que Jésus guérira à son retour du Mont Thabor. Il s’agit de la dernière œuvre de Raphaël, son testament spirituel. Giorgio Vasari, célèbre artiste et biographe du XVIe siècle, l’a décrite comme « la plus célébrée, la plus belle et la plus divine. »

==========================================================

Transfiguration by Raphael 11/1/2018 2 Comments   Where? Room 8 of the Pinacoteca in the Vatican Museums When? 1516-1520 Commissioned by? Archbishop Giulio de’ Medici (who later became Pope Clement VII) for a chapel in the Narbonne Cathedral in Narbonne, France. ​ What do you see? Two unrelated biblical events. On top is the story of the transfiguration of Christ. At the bottom is the story of a young man who is possessed by a demon.  ​ Top Half: Jesus is shown on top of Mount Tabor in a gleaming snow-white robe with next to him the prophets Moses (on the right) and Elijah (on the left). The clouds behind Jesus are illuminated. Jesus raises his arms and looks up towards God. Below Jesus are three of his disciples, from left to right, James, Peter, and John. They cover their faces with their hands as the sky is too bright for their eyes. The two figures on the left are probably Justus and Pastor. They are two Christian martyrs to whom the church, in which the painting was initially intended to be placed, is dedicated. Bottom Half: The nine disciples of Jesus who did not climb the mountain are on the left side. They try to heal a young man who is possessed by an evil spirit. The figure in the blue robe on the bottom left is probably Matthew. He consults a book but cannot find the solution to cure the young man. The young disciple in the yellow robe is Philip. To Philip's right, in the red robe, is Andrew. The man behind Andrew, pointing to the sick boy, is Judas Thaddeus, and the older man to his left is Simon. The man on the far left is probably Judas Iscariot. The disciples are unable to heal the young man. This may explain why the disciple in red is pointing towards Jesus on top of the mountain. The sick young man on the right has a blue cloth wrapped around his middle and looks very pale while making a wild gesture. You can see that his eyes are looking in different directions. The man behind him in the green robe is his father who is holding him, and he looks at the disciples with hope and fear at the same time. In front of the young man, two women look at the disciples while pointing at the young man. Backstory: This is the last work of Raphael, and he died before he could finish it  (his student Giulio Romano finished the last parts). It was originally intended for the Narbonne Cathedral in Narbonne, France, together with The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo (for which Michelangelo provided the drawing) in the National Gallery in London. However, after Raphael died, it was decided to keep this painting in Rome because the painting was too good. In 1523, the painting was placed in the San Pietro in Montorio Church in Rome. Over the centuries, numerous artists and art experts considered this to be the best painting ever. The Raising of Lazarus by Del Piombo Biblical stories: The story on top is the transfiguration and on the bottom is The Healing of the Lunatic Boy. Both stories are described in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9. The biblical story describes how Jesus is transfigured in radiant glory when praying with three of his disciples on a mountain. Jesus speaks with Moses and Elijah and also hears the voice of God. The Feast of the Transfiguration is still celebrated in many churches, either on August 6 or August 19. ​The story of the demon-possessed boy occurs at the same time as the transfiguration. When Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain, the father of the boy kneels down in front of Jesus and asks him to heal his son as the disciples were unable to do that. In 1605, Peter Paul Rubens painted a variation of the Transfiguration. The Transfiguration by Rubens Symbolism: The transfiguration shows the connection that Jesus provides between Heaven and Earth and that people should follow the lessons provided by the Son of God. To emphasize this, Jesus is looking upwards to the sky to remind us that he provides the connection between the people on earth and God in Heaven. The three disciples on the mountain represent faith, hope, and love. The scene at the bottom half of the painting symbolizes the inability of people to do miracles without the trust in God's abilities. Who is Raphael? Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (1483-1520) was a very productive painter. Despite his short life, he completed many works. Together with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, he is considered to be the most influential painter of his time. The Transfiguration is considered to be one of Raphael's best works, only surpassed according to some by his fresco of the School of Athens, which is also in the Vatican Museums. The Transfiguration was ahead of its time. It contains some elements of both the Mannerism and Baroque style of painting, and it has had a big influence on the development of both styles. ​With such a masterpiece, it was a pity that Raphael died on Good Friday 1520. The painting of the Transfiguration was exposed next to the body of Raphael in the days after his death, and it was initially placed above his tomb in the Pantheon. The School of Athens by Raphael ​Fun fact: The story behind this painting has been debated for centuries as it was not clear why Raphael combined two such different biblical stories in a single painting. There are many explanations, but no consensus. A first explanation is that Raphael was competing with Del Piombo who was commissioned a painting for the same church. After he saw the completed painting of Del Piombo, Raphael decided to add additional figures to the painting to outshine the painting of Del Piombo (a protégé of Michelangelo, Raphael’s biggest rival). A second interpretation is given by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who wrote that the painting was clearly an integrated piece. At the bottom are the people who are suffering and need the help of Jesus (emphasized by the more chaotic and dark scene) and on the top is the power of Jesus which the people at the bottom need (emphasized by the serene and bright scene). A third interpretation is that Raphael combined these two scenes because of the meaning of his name. Raphael means ‘God heals’ in Hebrew. This would explain that the disciples at the bottom could not heal the young man, but that Jesus, through the power of God, could heal him. ​You can pick the interpretation that you prefer. Interested in a copy for yourself? Poster or canvas Written by Eelco Kappe References: Bendersky, Gordon (1995), “Remarks on Raphael’s ‘Transfiguration’,” Notes in the History of Art, 14(4), 18-25. Cranston, Jodi (2003), “Tropes of Revelation in Raphael's ‘Transfiguration’," Renaissance Quarterly, 56(1), 1-25. Kleinbub, Christian K. (2008), “Raphael's ‘Transfiguration’ as Visio-Devotional Program,” The Art Bulletin, 90(3), 367-393. Van Eikema Hommes, Margriet (2001), “Discoloration or Chiaroscuro? An Interpretation of the Dark Areas in Raphael's ‘Transfiguration of Christ’,” Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, 28(1/2), 4-43. https://www.tripimprover.com/blog/transfiguration-by-raphael =================================================================== The Transfiguration by Raphael The Transfiguration by Raphael (1520) In my last blog I looked at The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo and talked about how this and a painting by Raphael, entitled Transfiguration, had been commissioned in 1517 by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici as a high end altarpiece for the French Cathedral of S. Giusto Narbonne.  Raphael was, at the time, busy on other commissions.  He had been summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II to paint frescoes on the rooms of his private Vatican apartment, the Stanza della Segnatura and the Stanza di Eliodor and at the same time he was busy working on portraits and altarpieces as well as working alongside Sebastiano del Piombo on frescoes for Agostino Chigi’s Villa Farnesina.   It is thought that Giulio de Medici was so concerned with the time it was taking Raphael to complete The Transfiguration altarpiece that he commissioned Sebastiano di Piombo to paint the Raising of Lazarus for the cathedral in an effort to stimulate Raphael to work faster on his commission. Today I am featuring Raphael’s work, The Transfiguration, which was considered the last painting by the Italian High Renaissance master.  Giorgio Vasari, the sixteenth century Italian painter, writer, historian, and who is famous today for his biographies of Renaissance artists, called Raphael a mortal God and of today’s painting, he described it as: “…the most famous, the most beautiful and most divine…” Although Raphael Sanzio was only thirty-four years of age when he was given the commission, bad health prevented him from finishing it. It was left unfinished by Raphael, and is believed to have been completed by his pupils, Giulio Romano and Giovanni Francesco Penni, shortly after his death on Good Friday 1520. If we look closely at this work of art we can see two things going on simultaneously both of which are described in successive episodes of the Gospel of Matthew.   In the upper part of the painting we have the Transfiguration, which is described in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 17: 1-7): “…After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.   Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”    While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”   When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.  But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid…” We see the transfigured Christ floating aloft, bathed in a blue/white aura of light and clouds.  To his left and right are the figures of the prophets, Moses and Elijah.  Below Christ we see the three disciples on the mountain top shielding their eyes from the radiance and maybe because of their own fear of what is happening above them.   The two figures kneeling to the left of the mountain top are said to be the martyrs Saint Felicissimus and Saint Agapitus of Palestrina.  In the lower part of the painting we have a depiction by Raphael of the Apostles trying, with little success, to liberate the possessed boy from his demonic possession. The Apostles fail in their attempts to save the ailing child until the recently-transfigured Christ arrives and performs a miracle.  Matthew’s Gospel (Mathew 17:14-21) recounts the happening: “…When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.  “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.  I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”    “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?  Bring the boy here to me.”   Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.   Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”   He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you…” Observe this lower scene.  The young boy, with arms outstretched and distorted in a combination of fear and pain, is possessed by some sort of demonic spirit.   He is being led forward by his elders towards Christ who is about to descend from the mountain.   The boy is crying and rolling his eyes heavenwards.   His body is contorted as he is unable to control his movement.   The old man behind the boy struggles to control him.  The old man, with his wrinkled brow has his eyes wide open in fear as to what is happening to his young charge.  He looks directly at the Apostles, visually pleading with them to help the young boy.    See how Raphael has depicted the boy’s naked upper body.  We can see the pain the boy is enduring in the way the artist has portrayed the pale colour of his flesh, and his veins, as he makes those violent and fearsome gestures.   The raised arms of the people below pointing to Christ, who is descending, links the two stories within the painting.  A woman in the central foreground of the painting kneels before the Apostles.  She points to the boy in desperation, pleading with them to help alleviate his suffering. Contrapposto The contorted poses of some of the figures at the bottom of the painting along with the torsion of the woman in what Vasari calls a contrapposto pose were in some way precursors to the Mannerist style that would follow after Raphael’s death.   Vasari believed that this woman was the focal point of the painting.     She has her back to us.  She kneels in a twisted contrapposto pose. Her right knee is thrust forward whilst she thrusts her right shoulder back.   Her left knee is positioned slightly behind the right and her left shoulder forward.  Thus her arms are directed to the right whilst her face and gaze are turned to the left.  Raphael gives her skin and drapery much cooler tones than those he uses for the figures in heavy chiaroscuro in the lower scene and by doing so illuminates her pink garment.  The way he paints her garment puts emphasis on her pose.  She and her clothes are brilliantly illuminated so that they almost shine as bright as the robes of the transfigured Christ and the two Old Testament Prophets who accompany him.   There is an element about her depiction which seems to isolate from the others in the crowd at the lower part of the painting and this makes her stand out more. The unfinished painting was hung over the couch in Raphael’s studio in the Borgo district of Rome for a couple of days while he was lying in state, and when his body was taken for its burial, the picture was carried by its side.   Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici kept the painting for himself, rather than send it to Narbonne and it was placed above Raphael’s tomb in the Pantheon.   In 1523, three years after the death of Raphael, the cardinal donated the painting to the church of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome. In 1797, following the end of the war in which Napoleon’s Revolutionary French defeated the Papal States; a Treaty of Tolentino was signed.    By the terms of this treaty, a number of artistic treasures, including Raphael’s Transfiguration, were confiscated from the Vatican by the victorious French.   Over a hundred paintings and other works of art were moved to the Louvre in Paris.   The French commissioners reserved the right to enter any building, public, religious or private, to make their choice and assessment of what was to be taken back to France. This part of the treaty was extended to apply to all of Italy in 1798 by treaties with other Italian states.   It was not until 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, that the painting was returned to Rome. It then became part of the Pinacoteca Vaticana of Pius VII where it remains today. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heurs et malheurs de La Transfiguration Ill. 5 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration Agrandir Original (jpeg, 284k) Ill. 6 : Julien de Parme, les Muses et les Grâces pleurent la mort de Raphaël Agrandir Original (jpeg, 1,0M) 12Comme on le devine cet anathème n’a pas toujours eu cours. Bien au contraire. Pendant des siècles, avant ce retournement total, La Transfiguration (Ill. 5) est apparu comme le tableau de chevalet le plus remarquable de Raphaël. Le tableau a connu un énorme succès et les copies se sont multipliées, parfois de qualité médiocre, au cours des âges, en dépit des changements de goûts, sur les supports variés : peintures de chevalet, verrières, peintures murales, etc. On a déjà vu la haute estime en laquelle le tenait Poussin qui en supervisa la copie pour Chanteloup. Philippe de Champaigne en possédait une. Lorsque le tableau fut accroché au Louvre parmi les prises napoléoniennes, un peintre comme Théodore Géricault, que l’on pourrait imaginer très éloigné du style de Raphaël, s’empressa de la copier, manifestant ainsi son intérêt. Le tableau qui a acquis un statut d’icône est intégré dans des œuvres représentant Raphaël sur son lit de mort, où il figure au chevet de l’artiste, comme par exemple dans le dessin hautement symbolique de Julien de Parme Les Muses et les Grâces pleurent la mort de Raphaël (1774) (Ill. 6)ou encore le tableau de Pierre-Nolasque Bergeret Honneurs rendus à Raphaël après sa mort (1806) (Ill. 7). 13Le rejet et l’opprobre dans lequel il est ensuite tenu et dans lequel le jettent un Rio ou un Montalembert n’en paraissent que plus sévères. Ill. 7 : P.-N. Bergeret, Honneurs rendus à Raphaël après sa mort Agrandir Original (jpeg, 72k) Enfin vient... Athanase Coquerel 14S’il n’est pas question de rédiger ici une biographie d’Athanase Coquerel, il convient cependant d’en dresser à grands traits un portrait qui nous permettra de mieux comprendre son engagement et son approche de La Transfiguration. Fils aîné d’Athanase Coquerel dit Coquerel père, pasteur engagé dans le mouvement libéral, député à l’Assemblée constituante de 1848 puis législative en 1849, notre Athanase (1820-1875) (Ill. 8)est consacré au ministère pastoral en 1843. Figure fondamentale du protestantisme libéral, il met comme son père ses talents d’orateur au service de ce mouvement. Dans une opposition farouche à tout dogme imposé, il affirme une foi et une piété libérées du formalisme et sa conviction dans la liberté spirituelle. Figure intellectuelle de son siècle, il affiche un grand intérêt pour les arts, qui se reflète dans plusieurs de ses publications où il synthétise ses deux intérêts majeurs, art et protestantisme. Ill. 8 : Athanase Coquerel, dit Coquerel fils (1820-1875) Agrandir Original (jpeg, 8,0k) 15Ainsi, en 1851, il publie Esquisses poétiques de l’Ancien Testament suivies de Considérations sur le Protestantisme au point de vue de l’art et de la poésie. L’année suivante, il effectue un premier voyage en Italie et publie ses impressions sous forme de lettres dans Le lien, journal des ERF, organe du mouvement libéral fondé en 1841. Des Beaux-arts en Italie au point de vue religieux (Ill. 9), édité en 1857, connaîtra rapidement une traduction en anglais, en 1859. Il poursuit avec Libres études, en 1862, miscellanées dont le sous-titre (Religion, Critique, Histoire, Beaux-Arts et Voyages) reflète bien ses dilections. Et il donne en 1869, Rembrandt et l’individualisme dans l’art, une lecture de l’artiste néerlandais effectuée avec des lunettes protestantes. Ill. 9 : A. Coquerel, Des Beaux-Arts en Italie au point de vue religieux..., page de garde Agrandir Original (jpeg, 92k) 1  Dès 1817-1818, Victor Cousin prononce son cours sur le Beau qui sera publié en 1836 sous le titre (...) 16Au-delà de sa foi affirmée dans le protestantisme libéral, les convictions de Coquerel peuvent être mises en relation avec l’art spiritualiste d’un Victor Cousin1. 2  C’est nous qui soulignons. 17Le titre même, Des Beaux-arts en Italie au point de vue religieux2, donne déjà le ton et annonce l’intention originale de l’auteur, avant même que le lecteur ait ouvert le livre. Dans les préfaces respectives Des Beaux-arts en Italie tout comme dans Rembrandt, Coquerel s’explique sur son projet novateur. Pour le premier, il s’agit de l’« expression de ce qu’a éprouvé un homme de bonne foi, très-désireux d’admirer le beau et d’en jouir, jugeant de tout sans parti pris, mais au point de vue de la foi protestante et du libre examen. Il n’existe, en France au moins, aucun ouvrage sur l’Italie conçu dans le même esprit ». Douze ans plus tard, il explicite encore davantage sa position. Après avoir visité des musées et des collections particulières dans toute l’Europe, ce qui aiguillonnait ma curiosité – déclare-t-il –, c’est que les rapports de l’art avec les religions diverses m’ont paru avoir été trop peu approfondis, et souvent inexactement représentés [...] Les adeptes convaincus d’une religion d’autorité quelle qu’elle soit, catholique, gréco-russe ou protestants orthodoxes, n’ont jamais envisagé la question qu’à travers le prisme trompeur et mesquin de leur doctrine particulière. 18Sous entendu : le protestantisme libéral est le mieux placé. D’ailleurs, Coquerel condamne la dépendance dénoncée et s’affirme comme « un libre croyant qui a beaucoup vu et qui n’est inféodé à aucun Credo exclusif, ce qui – ajoute-t-il – ne veut point dire qu’il n’ait pas ses convictions très-sérieuses ». Et d’insister : « Il n’y a de vrai que ce qui est individuel ; dans l’art comme dans la religion ». 19Ainsi, pour Athanase Coquerel, la religion, la liberté et l’art sont indéfectiblement liés. La Transfiguration 20Rappelons très rapidement que La Transfiguration (Ill. 5)fut commandée en 1516 à Raphaël par Jules de Médicis, futur Clément VII, pour la cathédrale de Narbonne. Ce grand retable (4 mètres x 2,80 mètres) occupe l’artiste pendant les dernières années de sa vie. Il se développe sur trois registres, le registre inférieur se subdivisant en deux, en présentant une stucture en X. Correspondant au monde terrestre, il s’oppose par les couleurs, les formes, les rotations des corps au registre supérieur où tout n’est que clarté ordonnée à partir et autour de la figure du Christ. Raphaël a réalisé la synthèse de trois événements : la Transfiguration proprement dite (Mat XVII 1-9 ; Mc IX 2-10 ; Lc IX 28-36) ; le récit de la guérison de l’épileptique (Mat XVII 14-21 ; Mc IX 14-29 ; Lc IX 37-43), postérieure à la Transfiguration et que Luc situe même le lendemain ; enfin la vision de la Transfiguration par Juste et Pasteur, les personnages qu’introduit l’artiste dans sa composition car ils sont les patrons de la cathédrale de Narbonne. La Transfiguration au regard de Coquerel 3  « Ils ont des yeux et ne voient point. Ils ont des oreilles et n’entendent point » (Jér., V, 21) 4  Athanase Coquerel, Des beaux-arts en Italie au point de vue religieux : lettres écrites de Rome, N (...) 5  Remarquons cette double occurrence présente à quelques lignes de distance dans le récit de Coquere (...) 21Athanase Coquerel consacre un chapitre entier des Beaux Arts en Italie à ce seul tableau. On ne s’étonnera pas alors de l’intensité de son impression qui le conduit à paraphraser la Bible3 en récrivant un verset plus adapté au contexte ! « S’il y a au monde un homme qui puisse regarder dix minutes sans en être ému, ce tableau, le plus parfait de tous ceux qui existent, cet homme est plus à plaindre que s’il était aveugle ; car il a non-seulement des yeux pour ne point voir, mais un cœur pour ne point sentir »4. Dès l’ouverture du chapitre le ton est donné. « Le plus parfait de tous les tableaux qui existent » ne peut être que « le chef-d’œuvre de la peinture ». Et encore, en une forte formule aussi lapidaire que définitive : « Raphaël voulut faire un chef d’œuvre ; il le fit, et mourut ». Comme si, après avoir exécuté le chef d’œuvre de la peinture5, il n’était plus possible de vivre, d’exister sur cette terre et que la seule issue envisageable était la mort. 22Après cette entrée en matière qui ne tolère aucune contradiction, Athanase Coquerel annonce sa démarche. Où il oppose la reproduction de l’œuvre (entendons la réplique dans sa matérialité) à l’évocation écrite (qui, en déclenchant le souvenir, provoque l’émotion). Je vais décrire ce que tout le monde connaît, au moins par des reproductions plus ou moins fidèles [...] Ceux qui ont vu l’original le retrouveront avec bonheur dans leur mémoire. D’ailleurs, le tort de toute reproduction d’un objet d’art est de se substituer au souvenir, tandis qu’un écrit l’évoque et le ravive. Quant à ceux qui n’ont eu sous les yeux que des gravures ou des copies, même les meilleures, ils n’ont pas subi l’émotion profonde que fait naître l’original. 23Point de comparaison entre reproduction et original. Mais Coquerel défend avec vigueur la supériorité de l’écrit sur la reproduction, opinion qu’il nous semblerait bien difficile à tenir aujourd’hui. 24Nous allons donc suivre Coquerel dans le déroulement de sa démarche. Ill. 10 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : le jeune homme épileptique Agrandir Original (jpeg, 140k) 6  « Il faut [...] examiner l’épileptique et prendre cette figure comme point de départ »...  « mais (...) 7  « Pour rendre la scène plus touchante encore, l’auteur a fait de ce grand malheur l’épreuve d’une (...) 25Il commence par le registre inférieur et précisément par l’épileptique6 (Ill. 10). Le jeune homme figure les angoisses physiques, « matérielles » contrairement à son père qui représente l’angoisse « morale, plus touchante ». Puis il établit une distorsion au récit de l’Évangile. Les jeunes femmes du premier plan sont les « sœurs » du jeune épileptique. Il déclare même que « Raphaël s’est borné à supposer que l’enfant démoniaque avait deux sœurs » (Ill. 11). Cette surinterprétation de l’œuvre est bien sûr celle de Coquerel et non du peintre. Il ne s’arrête pas en si bon chemin et imagine même que nous avons sous les yeux une famille dont la mère a disparu7. Les « sœurs » ont pour mission de représenter la beauté plastique. En les peignant, nous dit Coquerel, Raphaël ne tombe pas dans le piège « d’une foule d’artistes, même éminents » qui utilisent de « vulgaires moyens de succès » car « son style [...] conserve partout une gravité pleine d’élévation et de pureté ». Le grand Raphaël introduit donc une notation morale là où nombre de ses congénères tombent dans la vulgarité. Ill. 11 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : les jeunes femmes Agrandir Original (jpeg, 152k) 8  Des Beaux-arts en Italie, op. cit, p. 53. 26Les autres assistants sont signalés avant que l’auteur s’arrête aux apôtres (Ill. 12 et 13). Ceux-ci incarnent humiliation, embarras, impuissance mais confiance en Christ. Une des forces de Raphaël est d’avoir su transcrire neuf fois ces sentiments, puisque les apôtres sont ici au nombre de neuf. Coquerel se fait leur interprète : « Le sentiment [...] qui domine ce groupe [...] est celui-ci : ‘Nous ne pouvons rien pour ton fils ; mais la puissance, la guérison, le salut sont là haut sur la montagne ; notre Maître peut tout, et il est là’ »8. Ill. 12 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : des apôtres Agrandir Original (jpeg, 148k) Ill. 13 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : des apôtres Agrandir Original (jpeg, 84k) 9  Des Beaux-arts en Italie, op. cit, p. 55. 27Athanase Coquerel passe ensuite au registre supérieur. « Dans le même cadre, dans la même œuvre, il a peint le ciel, sa gloire, sa force et sa paix ». L’auteur prend fermement la défense de Raphaël qui a su « hardiment », dans le même temps, décrire les misères et tristesses terrestres « et les réalités radieuses du ciel ». « Pour critiquer cette hardiesse de l’artiste, il faudrait n’avoir compris ni son sujet ni son ouvrage ». Les apôtres Pierre, Jacques et Jean (Ill. 14), qui assurent la transition entre les deux mondes, ajoutent à l’harmonie de l’ensemble pendant que Moïse et Elie (Ill. 15), « personnages grandioses, majestueux, représentent la Loi et les Prophètes, c'est-à-dire l’Ancien Testament tout entier rendant hommage avec amour et humilité à Jésus »9. Ill. 14 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : Pierre, Jacques et Jean Agrandir Original (jpeg, 124k) Ill. 15 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : Moïse et Elie Agrandir Original (jpeg, 280k) 28Il ne reste donc plus que le Christ (Ill. 16). Soudain, Coquerel devient critique. « À mes yeux une seule chose reste au-dessous du sujet, c’est la tête du Christ. Elle est admirablement peinte, il est vrai [...]. Cependant l’expression [...] reste bien au-dessous de ce qu’elle devrait être. C’est pour moi la seule tache du tableau ». La défense et illustration du Raphaël de La Transfiguration vont-elles achopper sur ce point délicat ? Coquerel abandonne-t-il brutalement le peintre ? Il n’en est rien car il achève sa phrase : « C’est pour moi la seule tache du tableau ; tache très-grave mais que je crois inévitable [...] : existe-t-il dans tout le domaine de l’art une seule tête de Christ qui satisfasse le sentiment chrétien ? ». Pour l’auteur, aucun artiste – fût-il Raphaël - ne peut rendre visible ou même perceptible la figure du Christ. Ill. 16 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : le Christ Agrandir Original (jpeg, 168k) Ill. 17 : Raphaël, La Transfiguration, détail : Juste et Pasteur Agrandir Original (jpeg, 31k) 29Après cette conclusion définitive sur l’impossibilité de peindre le Christ, Coquerel rebondit et s’attaque aux deux personnages agenouillés, à gauche, un peu en retrait, que nous savons être Juste et Pasteur, les patrons de la cathédrale de Narbonne (Ill. 17). En toute bonne foi, Coquerel, en théologien protestant du xixe siècle, monte un scénario qui ne manque pas de piquant. Selon lui, ces figures « qui ne devraient pas se trouver sur cette toile, et qui cependant n’en sont point indignes par l’habileté de leur exécution » sont « saint Julien et saint Laurent », patrons des deux célèbres Médicis, Laurent le magnifique et son frère. Et d’enfoncer le clou : « Cette flagrante absurdité de rendre deux saints du paradis catholiques témoins de la transfiguration n’est que trop conforme aux usages de l’Église romaine. Ce fut d’ailleurs une exigence de l’archevêque de Narbonne qui commanda le tableau. Il était lui-même un Médicis... ». Bref, si ces intrus - de bonne exécution tout de même - figurent sur la toile, c’est la faute de Jules de Médicis, de l’Église romaine mais pas de Raphaël ! 30Coquerel achève son chapitre consacré à la Transfiguration. En forçant un peu son propos, on pourrait presque affirmer en souriant qu’il engage Raphaël comme cinquième évangéliste car « le peu qu’il a ajouté au récit, et pris dans son propre fonds, est parfaitement convenable à son but et digne de son sujet ». Plus, même, Raphaël peut presque être considéré comme un artiste protestant. « Il n’y a de catholique ici que les deux saints si mal à propos commandés par Clément VII [qui] sont la seule partie du tableau que Raphaël, s’il eût été protestant, aurait eu à changer ou à retrancher ». Il affirme ainsi l’autonomie de l’artiste protestant opposé à la rigidité catholique. 31Enfin, il conclut son chapitre sous forme de prédication mais sans oublier d’affirmer une forte réprobation envers les détracteurs de Raphaël. Athanase Coquerel : Pour un regard protestant sur l’art 10  « On a persuadé à un certain public, et ce qui est plus étrange, à bien des protestants ignorants, (...) 11  Ibid. 32Athanase Coquerel, très attaché au rapport entre art et religion, dénonce le prétendu hiatus entre protestantisme et art10, préjugé que nous devons reconnaître avoir encore cours chez certains aujourd’hui. Il défend les valeurs du protestantisme qui par sa nature même est parfaitement approprié à donner de bons artistes et aussi des amateurs éclairés. « Il serait étrange et difficile à admettre que le protestantisme, qui est foi et liberté, fût contraire aux arts, et que le catholicisme, où rien ne se fait que par voie d’autorité, [...] fût seul fécond en vrais artistes ». Dans ce passage de Libres Études, paru en 1868, il reprend en l’élargissant une affirmation qu’il défendait déjà dans son texte sur la Transfiguration et qui est aussi l’éloge du protestantisme libéral. « Dieu a mis en nous le sentiment du goût » et il est donc de notre devoir de développer ces facultés11. 33Déjà, dans la conclusion générale de son ouvrage Des Beaux-arts en Italie, Coquerel dénonçait « la fausseté radicale du préjugé, souvent accepté sans réponse par les protestants eux-mêmes, que le protestantisme est hostile aux beaux-arts. Si c’était là un fait, ce fait condamnerait notre Église et notre foi ; car le sentiment de l’art est un don sublime du Créateur... ». Athanase Coquerel lie donc impérativement sa ferveur pour l’art et sa foi et promeut, non sans hardiesse, un regard protestant sur l’art, ce regard qu’il a lui-même appliqué à la lecture de la Transfiguration. https://journals.openedition.org/chretienssocietes/2734 ========================================================= Trasfigurazione (Raffaello) w.it. Jump to navigationJump to search Trasfigurazione Autori Raffaello e Giulio Romano Data 1518-1520 Tecnica Tempera grassa su tavola Dimensioni 410×279 cm Ubicazione Pinacoteca Vaticana, Città del Vaticano La Trasfigurazione è un dipinto a tempera grassa su tavola (410x279 cm) di Raffaello, databile al 1518-1520 e conservato nella Pinacoteca vaticana. Ne esiste una riproduzione in mosaico all'interno della Basilica di San Pietro. È l'ultima opera eseguita dall'artista prima di morire, completata nella parte inferiore da Giulio Romano. Storia La tavola venne commissionata alla fine del 1516 dal cardinale Giulio de' Medici per la cattedrale di Narbona. Contemporaneamente ad essa, per la stessa chiesa, venne ordinata a Sebastiano del Piombo la tavola raffigurante la Resurrezione di Lazzaro. Raffaello non completò l'opera, che venne posta sul suo letto di morte alla dipartita dell'artista. Vasari ricorda che "gli misero alla morte, nella sala ove lavorava, la tavola della Trasfigurazione che aveva finita per il cardinal de' Medici: la quale opera, nel vedere il corpo morto e quella viva, faceva scoppiare l'anima di dolore a ognuno che quivi guardava"[1]. La tavola fu confiscata e portata a Parigi da Napoleone il 27 e 28 luglio 1798 con il Trattato di Tolentino come oggetto delle spoliazioni napoleoniche. Fu sistemata nel posto d'onore nel Museo del Louvre dove divenne una delle fonti d'ispirazione del neoclassicismo in Francia. Con la Restaurazione, fu riportata in Vaticano nel 1815, sotto la cura di Antonio Canova. Schizzo per una composizione Descrizione e stile[modifica | modifica wikitesto] La pala accosta per la prima volta due episodi trattati nel Vangelo secondo Matteo: in alto la Trasfigurazione di Gesù, su una collinetta, con gli apostoli (Pietro, Giovanni e Giacomo) prostrati per la sfolgorante manifestazione divina di Gesù, affiancato dalle manifestazioni sovrannaturali di Mosè ed Elia, profeti nelle cui parole si prevedeva l'accaduto; nella parte inferiore i restanti apostoli che si incontrano con il fanciullo ossesso, con gli occhi sbiechi e circondato dai parenti, che sarà miracolosamente guarito da Gesù al ritorno dal Monte Tabor[2]. Tale innovazione iconografica è probabilmente da ascrivere alla volontà di aggiungere spunti drammatici per meglio competere con Sebastiano del Piombo e il suo tema, la Resurrezione di Lazzaro, già naturalmente dinamico[1]. Dettaglio Dettaglio In alto a sinistra si affacciano poi i santi Felicissimo e Agapito, la cui festa si celebrava il 6 agosto, giorno anche della solennità della Trasfigurazione: si tratta quindi di un inserto legato a un significato liturgico[2]. Secondo altri si tratterebbe invece dei santi Giusto e Pastore, protettori di Narbona[3]. Interessante è il dolce paesaggio del tramonto che si vede sulla destra, una rara notazione che chiarisce l'ora del giorno. Particolarmente spettacolare è l'uso della luce, proveniente da fonti diverse e con differenti graduazioni, nonché l'estremo dinamismo e la forza che scaturisce dalla contrapposizione tra le due scene. In definitiva si tratta di due composizioni circolari, una parallela al piano dell'osservatore, in alto, e una scorciata nell'emiciclo di personaggi in basso[2]. Il gesto di Cristo che si libra in volo sollevando le braccia, estrema sintesi personale dell'energia michelangiolesca, era già stato sperimentata in figure minori di affreschi o in opere come la Visione di Ezechiele, anche se qui acquista una vitalità e un'eloquenza del tutto inedita, dando il via a reazioni a catena che animano tutta la pala. Come nel testo evangelico, "il suo volto risplendette come il sole, le sue vesti divennero bianche come la luce" (Mt, XVII, 1-9). La nube che lo circonda sembra spirare un forte vento che agita le vesti dei profeti e schiaccia i tre apostoli sulla piattaforma montuosa, mentre in basso una luce cruda e incidente, alternata a ombre profonde, rivela un concitato protendersi di braccia e mani, col fulcro visivo spostato a destra, sulla figura dell'ossesso, bilanciato dai rimandi, altrettanto numerosi, verso la miracolosa apparizione superiore. Qui i volti sono fortemente caratterizzati e legati a moti di stupore, sull'esempio di Leonardo da Vinci e opere come l'Adorazione dei Magi[2]. La diversità tra le due metà, simmetrica e astrattamente divina quella superiore, convulsa e irregolare quella inferiore, non compromettono però l'armonia dell'insieme, facendone "un assoluto capolavoro di movimento e organizzazione delle masse, in cui figure singole e gruppi di eccellente fattura si combinano con grandi moltitudini in un mobile insieme di grande vitalità". Lo stesso Vasari ricordò l'opera come "la più celebrata, la più bella e la più divina" dell'artista[4]. Sull'asse verticale si consuma infatti il raccordo verso la straordinaria epifania del Salvatore, che scioglie tutto il dramma della metà inferiore in una contemplazione incondizionatamente ammirata[1]. Bibliografia Pierluigi De Vecchi, Raffaello, Milano, 1975. Pierluigi De Vecchi, Elda Cerchiari, I tempi dell'arte, Milano, Bompiani, 1999, ISBN 88-451-7212-0. Paolo Franzese, Raffaello, Milano, Mondadori Arte, 2008, ISBN 978-88-370-6437-2. John Sherman, Mannerism, Harmondsworth, 1983. John Sherman, Manierismo, Spes, 1983. Gregor Bernhart-Königstein: Raffaels Weltverklärung: Das berühmteste Gemälde der Welt. Petersberg: Imhof 2007.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- La Transfiguration (Rubens) La Transfiguration Artiste Pierre Paul Rubens Date 1605 Type Art sacré Matériau huile sur toile Dimensions (H × L) 407 × 670 cm Collection Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy Localisation Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy La Transfiguration est une peinture à l'huile sur toile réalisée par Pierre Paul Rubens en 1604-1605 conservée au musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy1.                                             Historique La Transfiguration est une commande de fin 1604 de Vincent Ier, duc de Gonzague à Rubens pour la décoration la chapelle de l'église jésuite de la Très-Sainte-Trinité de Mantoue2. Elle figurait ainsi à droite de l'autel, La Famille de Gonzague en adoration devant la Trinité étant sur le dessus et Le Baptême du Christ à gauche2. Elle est réalisée sans dessin préparatoire3. Le décor de l'église est inauguré en juin 1605 et est considéré comme le premier chef d'œuvre de Rubens3. En 1798, les troupes de Bonaparte entrent dans la ville, et la peinture est saisie pour rejoindre le Muséum central des arts2. Elle est envoyée par l'Etat au musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy en 1803 ; le transfert de propriété s'effectuera en 20082. Abîmée pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale durant laquelle elle a été pliée, elle est restaurée pendant deux mois dans la fin des années 1980 (nettoyage à l'eau distillée, grattage des repeints, élimination des mastics anciens, suppression de la colle), révélant plusieurs repentirs2,4. Cette restauration, réalisée au musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy et non pas au musée du Louvre en raison de sa taille et co-financée par Nancy et la France, a permis d'améliorer l'attention du public envers cette œuvre4. Description et analyse La Transfiguration de Raphaël Détail de La Transfiguration, Marie-Madeleine à gauche, l'enfant possédé à droite Rubens s'est inspiré de La Transfiguration de Raphaël pour réaliser sa peinture, notamment dans le choix de représenter à la fois la Transfiguration et la guérison d'un enfant possédé sur une même œuvre2. Dans son Voyage en Italie, Joseph Jérôme Lefrançois de Lalanderemarque que Rubens lie beaucoup mieux les deux épisodes dans sa peinture que Raphaël5. Son innovation, outre le format horizontal, consiste à appliquer un style baroque2. Celui s'exprime notamment par la puissance des figures, la sensualité des personnages féminins et la véhémence des personnages masculins2. Ce choix de composition, comme le colorisme chaud et vigoureux, est inspiré de l'art de Venise du XVIème siècle, plus particulièreent Titien, Tintoret et Véronèse2. Les couleurs de la toile sont très contrastées ; la lumière qui illumine la scène, semble surgir du Christ, facilitant la lecture du tableau qui passe ainsi vers l'enfant possédé. Jésus est entouré de Moïse et Élie, et les apôtres Jean, Jacques et Pierre se prosternent à ses pieds2. La théâtralité de la scène vient notamment de la posture outrée de l'enfant, ainsi que du gigantisme des apôtres de la partie gauche de l'œuvre2. Œuvre de jeunesse, comme en témoignent les repentirs, son exécution est pourtant rapide, avec peu d'hésitations2. Pour Édouard Michel, qui loue fortement la richesse picturale de la Transfiguration, en particulier des jeux de lumière sur Marie-Madeleine ou les ombres des arbres, il s'agit d'une évolution à la fois logique et fulgurante du style du peintre depuis ses peintures de 1602, Sainte-Hélène et Le Couronnement6. Ce contraste des ombres et des lumières est interprété par E Chamonard-Etienne comme une représentation de la nature divine, la lumière devenant si aveuglante qu'elle en devient obscurité7. Pour François Robert, Rubens s'est inspiré des chutes de météorites pour représenter l'irruption de la nature divine sur Terre8.