Transfiguration Art Series: Raphael

 

Here is Raphael's 16th century The Transfiguration.  It measures 160 inches by 110 inches and is found in the Pinacoteca Vaticana in the Vatican Museums. The medium is tempera grassa, which is primarily comprised of egg yolk bonded to oil.

In an unusual "split screen", the top portion depicts the Transfiguration showing Jesus, Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, and John, while the bottom half shows the other apostles attempting to heal an afflicted boy.

There is a lot of very interesting lore surrounding this painting.  Perhaps the most fascinating is that it was hijacked by Napoleon Bonaparte,  paraded through the streets of Paris, installed in the Louvre, and not returned to the Vatican until after Napolean's defeat at Waterloo.

 

Transfiguration Art Series: Tretyakov Gallery Icon

 

This is a 15th century Transfiguration icon now in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.  It was originally from the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Pereslavl-Zalessky.  For years it was attributed to Theopanes the Greek but presently there is some controversy about that.

Eastern icons show the Transfiguration using "uncreated light" while Western art shows the Transfiguration using "created light." This represents a significant theological difference between the East and the West. 

 

Thomas Aquinas taught that this light was a temporary miracle. It was a physical sign to teach the apostles. One can delve into the Thomistic view at New Advent here. 

 

This theological difference changed how artists painted. Eastern icons use sharp shapes to show a mystical reality. Western paintings use natural light to show a historical story.  You can read more about the Eastern approach at the American Association of Iconographers.  You can compare it to the Western approach with the Goretti Fine Arts Guide.

 

Transfiguration Art Series: Duccio

 

This is Duccio's early 14th C. Transfiguration.  It is tempera and gold on wood, measures 18.8 inches by 19.8 inches, and is found in the National Gallery in London, England.

It was originally a panel from Duccio's Maesta altarpiece made for the Siena Cathedral.  It is the only panel that bears Duccio's signature and is seen as a transitional art work bridging the Greek-influenced Byzantine tradition and early Renaissance naturalism.

According to art commentators and historians, the figures depicted are as follows:  to Jesus' right/ viewer's left, Moses (who stands for the Law), and to Jesus' left/ viewer's right, Elijah (who stands for the Prophets).  St. Peter is found to the left below, St. John the Evangelist at the center below, and St. James to the right below.

The scriptural accounts of this event are as follows:

Matthew 17:1-8

Mark 9: 2-8

Luke 9:28-38

2 Peter 1:16-18

These can all be found at Douay Rheims Bible online (DRBO)