Focus on this artwork and explore the Description and compositional analysis.
The painting shows Raphael and his mistress, the Fornarina in his art studio. Her pose is dynamic, energetic, graceful, and alive as she is both hugging the artist, yet also pulling away and distancing herself. The critic and art historian Rosalind E. Krauss interprets the Fornarina's seductive gaze as indicating that she is embraced only after she has seen, appreciated, and admired his work. The Fornarina has a symmetric face, is wearing a turban scarf on her head, is dressed in a green velvet gown, and is adorned in gold jewellery. The turban is a typical hairstyle found in high Italian Renaissance artworks. Her bare skin, naked shoulders, and draping dress underscore the desirability of her body. Ingres uses Raphael's La Fornarina as his model for the mistress. In the background there is a view of the Vatican, specifically showing the Cortile di San Damasco, where Raphael had painted his famous frescos, and which places the artist in the heart of Rome. In the scene, another one of his paintings, Madonna della seggiola appears in the background. Ingres used Raphael's own self-portrait, located in the Uffizi, as his model for the painter. Ingres focused on details in creating the work. The contrast between the living, breathing Fornarina as opposed to the idealized Fornarina on the canvas, on the easel, is central to this painting. The Fornarina is physically present in Raphael's life, but she is also alive in his portrait, living in the painter's imagination. The perfect resemblance of the portrait of the Fornarina demonstrates both Ingres's and Raphael's artistic talent.
On the one hand, the Fornarina's facial features and garments in both depictions resemble those of the Madonna della seggiola which makes the mistress appear saintlike. In the depiction of the Madonna della seggiola, appearing in the background, Ingres intentionally cuts off the image of the Son to emphasize the likeness between the Madonna and the Fornarina. In Raphael's Madonna della seggiola, St. John is present on the right hand side, while in Ingres's version, he is not visible. The resemblance in features and pose, specifically the embrace between the Fornarina and Raphael, is similar to that of the Virgin Mary holding her son. On the other hand, there is also a strong likeness between the illustration of the mistress and Ingres's painting of the Grande Odalisque. The art historian Wendy Leeks observes that "in these works the Virgin and the odalisque are not merely sisters, they are one ... These images seem to amalgamate two different kinds of emotional response – sexual desire of male for female and reverential love of son for mother."Raphael embraces his mistress, but instead of looking at her, his face is turned away from her, his desire, and is observing and admiring his own work. Raphael is faced with the decision of having to choose between his love for his mistress and his vocation. She is a distraction and will lead to his downfall, yet she and his art are interconnected because she represents beauty and beauty is what inspires him and his artwork.
Raphael Uffizi Renaissance Grande Odalisque Rosalind E. Krauss Madonna della seggiola La Fornarina