Lecture 2 - Raphael: The Achievement of Fame
Stylistically and professionally, Raphael’s trajectory in his early Roman years is astonishing. We can trace his rapid development from the serene, balanced scenography of his first work for Pope Julius II in the Vatican, the Stanza della Segnatura’s Disputà and School of Athens to the increasingly dramatic Expulsion of Heliodorus and Liberation of St Peter in the Stanza d’Eliodoro. All were groundbreaking works that pushed at the boundaries of what painting had hitherto achieved. By the time Julius II died in 1513, Raphael was the leading painter in Rome, eclipsing more established artists including his great rival Michelangelo. This was a process that had taken less than five years: he was still only thirty years old.
