Comparing Raphael and Dali

            Comparing paintings of Raphael's Christ on the Cross with four saints and Salvador Dali's Christ of St. John of the Cross. Comparison factors looked into are each individuals influences throughout their lives from their background where they grew up and trained and how these different influences affected their finished styles and technique of their art.
             RAPHAEL AND HIS INFLUENCES .
             Raphael from Urbino in Italy, the time of Rachael's youth the Urbino was central to the intellectual, artistic core of Italy. This being a stimulating environment for a young person to mature. He had a comfortable upbringing from an intellectual family. His father Giovanni di Sante di Piero was a painter of some distinction influencing his career choice. Every circumstance of his youth encouraged him toward the arts. His surroundings of grand architecture such as the ducal palace built by Luciano Laurana for Duke of Montefeltro and decorated with valuables by Piero della Francesca among others and the peaceful countryside surrounding would have been sources of inspiration. His father died in 1494 trusting Evangelista di Pian di Mileto his son. Evangelista was an unpretentious artist and an admirer of Perugino and in 1495 Timoteo Viti who recently returned from Francesso Francia's workshop. Evangelist taught Raphael the art of painting and when Raphael viewed Viti's delicate Style he was inspired. These inspirations of Evangelista and his fathers became Raphael's substructures. The meeting of Raphael and Perugino influencing the way in which he looked at his work. His earlier work was influence by Piero dela Francesca's awareness of soft rhythms of landscapes and strong figures. Raphael became Perugino's apprentice his influence not taking straightaway due to not having permanent contact but later associations became frequent and his art matured. Raphael made visits to Florence resulting in fascination with Leonardo da Vinci's work influence visible in his work of the three graces (Fig 1).