Creativity, painting, art of Raphael Santi
Home Raphael
Raphael ->main page
The three Graces

Three Graces by Rafael

Raphael
The Three Graces
1503-1504

Oil on poplar panel
17.1 cm × 17.1 cm (6.7 in × 6.7 in)
Conde Museum, Chantilly, France

 

The Three Graces is an oil painting by Italian painter Raphael, housed in the Musée Condé of Chantilly, France. The date of origin has not been positively determined, though it seems to have been painted at some point after his arrival to study with Pietro Perugino in about 1500, possibly 1503-1505. According to James Patrick in 2007's Renaissance and Reformation, the painting represents the first time that Raphael had depicted the nude female form in front and back views.

The image depicts three of the Graces of classical mythology. It is frequently asserted that Raphael was inspired in his painting by a ruined Roman marble statue displayed in the Piccolomini Library of the Siena Cathedral—19th-century art historian [Dan K] held that it was a not very skillful copy of that original—but other inspiration is possible, as the subject was a popular one in Italy. Julia Cartwright in Early Work of Raphael (2006) proposes that the painting bears far more influence of the school of Ferrara than classical sculpture, making clear that the statue was not Raphael's model.
The three women in the painting may represent stages of development of woman, with the girded figure on the left representing the maiden (Chastitas) and the woman to the right maturity (Voluptas),though other interpretations have certainly been advanced.
In 1930, Professor Erwin Panofsky proposed that this painting was part of a diptych along with Vision of a Knight and that based on the theme of Vision the painting represented the Hesperides with the golden apples which Hercules stole.Some art historians disagree with Panofsky's conclusion. Roger Jones and Nicholas Penny, in 1987's biography Raphael, suggest that the scale differences of the figures in the paintings make it unlikely that they were intended as a diptych, though "one might have formed the lid of the other." In 16th Century Italian Art (2006), Michael Wayne Cole opines that while "there can be no doubt that they form a pair...they must not be imagined as a diptych, which is excluded by their square shape and also by the change in scale of the figures." Cole presents the figures as handmaidens of Venus, holding the golden apples with which she is associated and affirming the proper connection of "Virtus" (presented by Vision) and Amor.

From Wikipedia

 
 

Grace, in Roman mythology (in Greek - the Haritas) beneficent goddess personifying joyful, kind and eternally young start in life, the daughter of Jupiter, nymphs and goddesses. Names of Graces (Harit), their origin and the number of different myths are different. In ancient times, goddesses depicted in flowing tunics in soft folds, and later - naked to nothing hid their charms.

According to Ancient Greek mythology they were the daughters of Zeus and the Oceanid called Eurynome. The three sisters were attendants of the goddess Aphrodite were part of her retinue. This article provides facts and information about the Three Graces.
Who were the Three Graces of Ancient Greek mythology? The meaning and definition of Three Graces are as follows: Definition of Three Graces: The Three Graces were minor goddesses and nymphs and according to Greek Mythology were the daughters of Zeus, the king of the gods and the Oceanid called Eurynome a nymph of the water-ways and clouds, who was represented by a statue of what we would call a mermaid. Other sources say that Helios and the naiad Aegle were the parents of the Charities. The Three Graces were reputed to be the essence of beauty, charm, and grace and were closely associated with the Nine Muses who presided and inspired song, dance, music, poetry and the sciences. They were regarded as the inspirers of the qualities which give attractiveness to wisdom, love, culture and social interaction. The names of the Three Graces were Aglaia, Thalia, and Euphrosyne.

Raphael
Back to
Raphael-main page
 
abc-people.com
Copyright © 2004 abc-people.com
Design and conception BeStudio © 2014-2023