Art History-Raphael vs Tito

A comparison of Madonna and Child with Saints by Raphael with Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist by Santo di Tito

The Madonna and Child with Saints was painted by Raphael in 1504. He was one of the representative artists for high Renaissance with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. In this period, the most of art works focused on the revival of the ancient Greek and Roman style and the technique in painting was in peak. The classical Greek and Roman style is characterized by balance and harmony. These characteristics are well expressed in this work by Raphael. In the middle, there is Mary embracing Jesus, and the Saints and the two angels are in the both sides of her, which is symmetrical and well-balanced. Above the main panel, he placed an arch-shaped panel and painted the God father and two angels, which looks very symmetrical. Also, the figures are naturally depicted.

On the other hand, another painting, the Madonna and Child with St. John the Baptist, was painted by Santo di Tito in 1575. This period is known as Mannerism. Artists in the period of Mannerism were influenced by High Renaissance art works and took the similar subjects, but they tried to reform the classical art. While High Renaissance is characterized by balance, harmony, and control, Mannerism is identified by exaggeration in style and a complex composition, with muscular and elongated figures in complex poses. The subjects in Mannerism focused on the human body, so in most of the art works in this period, human body are emphasized and spaces are filled with figures, which looks crowded. In this work by Santo di Tito, the characteristics of mannerism can be identified. The figures fill up the space and emphasized. The baby Jesus and St. John are not naturally depicted. Their body is very muscular and highlighted, and their pose is awkward. The background is dark, which makes the figures more emphasized.

In conclusion, these two paintings are the same subject, which is Madonna and...