Comparison of Raphael and Diego Velazquez's Portraits of Popes

This article compares and contrasts the portraits of Pope Julius II by Raphael and Pope Innocent X by Diego Velazquez. It explores the artistic techniques, colors, and symbolism used by both artists to depict the power and personality of the Popes. The article also discusses the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque styles on their paintings.

Running head: ART HISTORY
ART HISTORY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ART HISTORY
New attitudes and idea which marked the times of Renaissance were mostly portrayed
through art. There was a new idea that was introduced that was humanism and the primary focus
was on human abilities, needs and interest. This new thought changed how the artists during that
time painted their subject and the also the choice of their subject. The Renaissance art was
classified by the two periods one was the early renaissance where the artists painted and put
emphasis on symmetry in order to create a perfect form1. The next is high renaissance where
there was a rise in the interest on space and perspective that paved way for realism in the art.
This paper is going to shed a light on the work of two great renaissance artists Raphael and
Diego Velazquez and describe, analyze, contrast and compare the work of these two artists.
Raphael was one of the most important Italian painters of the High Renaissance. He was
admired and famous for the form of clarity, the ease in his composition and for the visual
accomplishment of the Neoplatonic ideal of the human grandeur2. One of his best paintings is the
Portrait of Pope Julius II that he created in the year 1511.
The Portrait of Pope Julius II is one of the quintessential portraits of the European
tradition. This is the portrait of power and also strong resonance. This portrait of the Pope
appears to be frail and old and depicts him a human way and not as a powerful dominating. The
face of the Pope depicts the psychology and the humanity. The Pope is seen to be clenching his
teeth which portray the determination and the inwardness of thought of the Pope. This portrait
gives an historical background of the condition of the Pope during this time. The Pope here does
not look directly at the painting, the aged and the melancholy softness that has been shown on his
1 Panofsky, Erwin. Renaissance and renascences in western art. Routledge, 2018.
2 Penny, Nicholas. Raphael:(Grove Art Essentials). Oxford University Press, 2016.

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face shows his disapproval is final and terrible3. The portrait marvelously depicts the depression
and the mental state of the Pope because of the city, Bologna was officially withdrawn from the
Papal State4. The face is lined and shows the sagging flesh yet shows the forceful structure. The
portrait uses basic colors that are red, green and white. The red and the green are used brilliantly
and contrast each other. The Pope here is seen having a beard and the texture of the beard has
been created marvelously by Raphael by making it look soft yet strong. The beard here depicts
his grief because of the political disaster as growing a beard is considered to an ancient type or
form of lamentation5. The hands of the Pope show him wearing many rings that smartly aligned
with color of the portraits, red, green and white which have theological symbols that stand for
faith, hope and charity. Pope here is seen to be clutching a handkerchief that indicates the inward
sensitivity which he possesses. On each side of his head there is the presence of golden acorns
that are his family symbols. The background of the painting is the green drapery where there are
old traces of the design of the crossed keys of Papacy. Intricate details make the portrait
extraordinary like the wrinkling of the skin, the softness of the sleeves, the beautiful crinkled
detail given in the vestment that is worn by the Pope. Raphael in this portrait shows the size of
the gems that the Pope wears and beautifully renders the crispness and the clarity of the jewels.
There is softness in the fur that the Pope is wearing and emphasis has been put on every single
detail and aspect of the painting.
3 Burke, Jill, ed. Art and identity in early modern Rome. Routledge, 2017.
4 Neuman, Robert Michael. Baroque and rococo Art and Architecture. Pearson, 2013.
5 Rüpke, Jörg. "Roman Religion–Religions of Rome." A Companion to Roman Religion (2007): 1-9.

3ART HISTORY
Diego Velazquez is considered to be one of the most important and note worthy Spanish
artists who was famous for his Baroque style6. He was the contemporary artist of the Baroque
period. One of the most famous paintings of the artist is the Portrait of Pope Innocent X. It is
considered to one of the most famous portraits to be executed in the history of art.
The Portrait of Pope Innocent X is captivating and a profound revelation of the
psychology and the personality of one of the splenetic Popes to have haunted the Vatican. This
portrait was painted by Diego Velazquez during his second stay in Italy. This portrait was an oil
painting on a canvas and currently this painting can be seen in Galleria Doria Pamphili, Rome7.
The presence of the painting is fierce and portrays the authority of the Pope as well as the
confidence the Pope possessed. This painting is an acute study of the personal power in the
history of art. Here the Pope is presented as a petrifying figure as his eyes portray him as a man
who is short tempered. His eyes show dominance with subtlety and the pink cheeks on his face
communicates and portrays him as a ruthless person
In this painting the Pope is seen to be wearing a red cape over a white sacramental
vestment that is known as an alb and a red biretta. He is seated on an ornate armchair that is red
in color and that is made of velvet and the gilded outline of the chair that differentiates the chair
from the opulent red curtain which is seen in the background. The chair on which the Pope is
seen to be sitting has the influence of classic baroque effects and texture8. The chair has dynamic
6 Ingram, Kevin. Converso Non-conformism in Early Modern Spain: Bad Blood and Faith from Alonso de
Cartagena to Diego Velázquez. Springer, 2018.
7 Saleh, Babak, et al. "Toward automated discovery of artistic influence." Multimedia Tools and
Applications 75.7 (2016): 3565-3591.
8 Tiffany, Tanya J. Diego Velázquez's Early Paintings and the Culture of Seventeenth-century Seville.
Penn State Press, 2012.

4ART HISTORY
composition with rich decoration and the painting provides a stark lighting. Velazquez gives
surface textures to the painting with great virtuosity as he provides a silky sheen to the cape,
velvet of the curtain and the chair, a metallic gold color to the chair and the crisp folds to the alb.
The painting has a diagonal composition and has used very few thicknesses and layers of paint.
He uses highlights of very subtle coloring. The colors are blended perfectly with crosshatch and
flat washes. The interesting aspect and the key feature of this painting are the eyes of the Pope
which reveals the watchfulness and the astute intelligence. In the painting the Pope is facing the
canvas and portraying terror and power even though he is almost like a religious figure. His eyes
show the cold desire, confidence and power magnificently9.
Diego Velazquez and Raphael, both the painters created realistic and artistic portraits of
people. Bothe Velazquez and Raphael created realistic portraits of people that not only portrayed
their physical features but also the psychology of the subject in the frame. Diego Velazquez
painted the Portrait of Pope Innocent X where the artist depicts the personality of a shrewd man
and through the eyes of the Pope shows the dominance and the aggressiveness of the Pope. In the
painting, Portrait of Pope Julius II the portrait depicts the power but with strong resonance. The
handlings of the theme of the painting by the painters are different from each other as both show
the different styles of power.
Velazquez and Raphael have both used features and colors to portray the mood and the
personality of the subject of their portraits in their own way. In both the paintings the hand is one
of the key features of the painting. In the Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Velazquez paints the hand
of the Pope in a way that depicts authority, dominance and power. The paining shows the Pope
9 Saleh, Babak, et al. "Toward automated discovery of artistic influence." Multimedia Tools and
Applications 75.7 (2016): 3565-3591.

5ART HISTORY
holding on to a paper and with the other hand is tightly grasping to the chair or the throne he is
sitting on that shows the strength he possesses over the people. However, in the Portrait of Pope
Julius II, the hands of Pope Julius are portrayed in a different way when compared to Pope
Innocent. In the portrait by Raphael the hands of the Pope signify a bit of warmth and softness
because of the posture of the hand and the way he has held on to the handkerchief.
The colors have been exceptionally used and have maintained monotony in the painting. In the
Portrait of Pope Innocent X, the main aspect of the picture is the aggressiveness because of the
color red that makes the painting the fist of control and power. In the Portrait of Pope Julius II,
Raphael uses different hues of basic colors that are soft colors and show many different
personalities and aspects like not just power but also the fragility, the agedness, the worry and
resonance in the painting.
In the portrait by Velazquez the Pope is seen to be having vigorous eyes that shows and
depicts strong power and confidence however in the portrait by Raphael the Pope does not look
directly and is seen to be looking in a different direction and the eyes in the portrait suggest
thoughtfulness. In the Portrait of Pope Innocent X, the influence of Baroque style is seen as
Diego Velazquez was the part of the Baroque movement and was highly influenced by the
style10. In the painting the chair has an influence of the Baroque style that is said to have a close
link with the churches and the style was encouraged by Catholic Churches. The painting by
Velazquez has given an exceptional detailing to the chair in order to produce drama, grandeur
and exuberance. The painting has a chiaroscuro technique and the interplay between the dark and
light has been used beautifully to produce a relatively high contrast. Raphael on the other hand in
10 Jeffett, William, et al. "Dalí and the Spanish Baroque: From Still Life to Velázquez." Avant-garde 2
(2016): 1.

6ART HISTORY
his painting, Portrait of Pope Julius II had various different styles that he acquired from his
master Perugino11. In this painting the experimentation of Raphael can be seen in order to create
the depth of shadow and the association of the rich colors that contrasted well and made painting
with intricate details on each and every aspect which makes the painting glow.
Diego Velazquez and Raphael both are important painters of the Renaissance period and
have many different approaches to make portraits however both have different styles that
influence their style of creating exceptional paintings. The subject of both the paintings is Popes
with a strong personality however the paintings portray different psychology of their subject and
have expressed remarkably through their paintings.
11 Penny, Nicholas. Raphael:(Grove Art Essentials). Oxford University Press, 2016.

7ART HISTORY
Bibliography
Burke, Jill, ed. Art and identity in early modern Rome. Routledge, 2017.
Ingram, Kevin. Converso Non-conformism in Early Modern Spain: Bad Blood and Faith from
Alonso de Cartagena to Diego Velázquez. Springer, 2018.
Jeffett, William, et al. "Dalí and the Spanish Baroque: From Still Life to Velázquez." Avant-
garde 2 (2016): 1.
Neuman, Robert Michael. Baroque and rococo Art and Architecture. Pearson, 2013.
Panofsky, Erwin. Renaissance and renascences in western art. Routledge, 2018.
Penny, Nicholas. Raphael:(Grove Art Essentials). Oxford University Press, 2016.
Rüpke, Jörg. "Roman Religion–Religions of Rome." A Companion to Roman Religion (2007): 1-9.
Saleh, Babak, et al. "Toward automated discovery of artistic influence." Multimedia Tools and
Applications 75.7 (2016): 3565-3591.
Tiffany, Tanya J. Diego Velázquez's Early Paintings and the Culture of Seventeenth-century
Seville. Penn State Press, 2012.

8ART HISTORY
Raphael, Portrait of Pope Julius II, 1511 (National Gallery of Art, London)

9ART HISTORY
Diego Velazquez, Portrait of Pope Innocent X, c. 1650 (Galleria Doria Pamphili, Rome)