Ambleside Online -- Artist study

I have not studied art very much, but have enjoyed a good meander through an art museum now and then. This year, we plan to spend a bit of our time on Friday mornings studying a few artists and their work.

The first term we get to learn about Raphael

Ambleside links to a wonderful biographical summary of his life and work, and includes many links where you can view his paintings including some explanations to enhance the learning.


***That website, a Web Gallery of Art, has a vast database of images and information for the years 1100-1850. Whether you study Raphael or anyone else falling in that time period, that is a website you will not want to overlook.***

A warning regarding Raphael that I have read more than once now . . . if you go to Wikipedia to read about his life, you will want to pre-read the entry because it includes details regarding his death many would find inappropriate (and unnecessary) to share with most students.


These works by Raphael can be viewed and discussed (recommended by Ambleside):

• The Knight's Dream, 1504, National Gallery, London, UK, (Wikipedia entry)
• St. George and the Dragon, 1504-6, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, (more at wikipedia)
• Galatea, 1512, Villa Farnesina, Rome
• Young Woman with a Unicorn, 1506, Galleria Borghese, Rome (more at wikipedia)
• Sistine Madonna, 1512-1514, Dresden, Germany, (more at wikipedia)
• The Miraculous Draft of Fishes, 1515, The Vatican (Rome), (more at wikipedia)
• Ezekiel's Vision, 1518, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy

The first chapter in this online book, Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, is devoted to Raphael.


A coloring page for his famous painting of the Madonna. You can click through to see an image of the real painting as well.


We got our feet wet with a couple art studies over the summer, and here is what our time together looks like:

• Look at one or multiple pieces of art
• Discuss what we see, what we like or dislike, etc.
• Look some more, with or without conversation
• Offer more opinions, emotions, note details, and read some additional background information
• Every couple weeks we use our art time to compile a notebooking page

We plan to study two other artists later in the year, but I look forward to studying Raphael's works. Many have great spiritual significance, despite the immoral life he seemed to often lead. Always something beneficial to learn, if you just keep looking.