Raphael, a Portrait is a richly detailed feature-length documentary that offers an unprecedented look into the life and legacy of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known to the world simply as Raphael, one of the most revered and influential figures of the Italian Renaissance.
Weaving rigorous historical research and rare archival materials with expert interviews and breathtaking high-resolution footage of his most iconic works, the film paints an intimate and comprehensive portrait of a master whose genius helped shape the course of Western art.
Born in Urbino in 1483 and dying tragically young at the age of 37, Raphael’s life was astonishingly productive. The film traces his meteoric rise from a gifted apprentice in his father’s modest workshop to a celebrated court painter and architectural designer in the Vatican, where he stood shoulder to shoulder with contemporaries such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, not as a rival, but as a unifying force between their divergent styles.
Through interviews with leading art historians and curators, Raphael, a Portrait explores how Raphael’s mastery of harmony, perspective, and human emotion set new standards for beauty, realism, and artistic expression.
Beyond the canvas, the documentary sheds light on Raphael’s intellectual curiosity, his role in preserving ancient Roman art and architecture, and his influence on papal politics and Renaissance urban planning. Viewers are taken deep inside the Vatican’s Stanze di Raffaello, the frescoed rooms he was commissioned to create, and are given privileged access to restored drawings, letters, and lesser-known works that reveal the man behind the myth.
At once biography, art history, and cultural detective story, Raphael, a Portrait not only celebrates the technical brilliance of a once-in-a-generation talent but also invites reflection on the enduring impact of his vision - from the ideals of the High Renaissance to the foundations of modern visual storytelling.
Raphael, a Portrait is a richly detailed feature-length documentary that offers an unprecedented look into the life and legacy of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known to the world simply as Raphael, one of the most revered and influential figures of the Italian Renaissance.
Weaving rigorous historical research and rare archival materials with expert interviews and...
View more