mmeo must have seen Raphael's Sistine Madonna , illustrated in figure 4, and was inspired in part by it to paint one of his most highly regarded works entitled The Risen Christ with the four Evangelists.11 The simplistic restraint of the Christ figure is complimented by the flowing drapery and its smooth chiaroscuro. Both Raphael's Sistine Madonna(figure 5) and Bartolommeo's Ressurected Christ share the aspects of centralized figures floating on clouds and a noble and naturalistic casting of clothing upon the forms of the important figures.Figure 6, Fra Bartolommeo's Pieta which rests in Pitti Florence, Italy. Idealism is a prevailing factor in this work because of the existing fact that Christ does not resemble a truly dead corpse, for his head lies almost as if sleeping and no serious wounds can be seen. Emotion is expressed through the passionate embrace by Mary Magdalen at Christ''s feet and the gentle motherly touch by the Mary.12 yet another example of idealism in this work is the fact that Jesus is supposed to be about 33 years old, while his mother appears to be no older than 25. In Lucca Academy in Florence, Bartolommeo's Madonna of Mercy can be seen, a painting from 1515. This is yet another example of the Fra's perfected technique of including a mass of figures in one scene without crowding the composition, partially by utilizing a path for the figures. The eye of the viewer is allowed to move about the work via the small stairs, first leading up towards the Madonna. The subtle hierarchic scale of the Madonna and the floating angels and Christ figures only amplify the glory, nobility, and importance of the scene.During 1509 Fra Bartolommeo completed (figure 8) God the Father and two Saints, a work inspired by the same emotion as in the St. Bernard and thus the two are often compared. The drapery is perhaps more flowing and spiritually symbolic in this work than in the St. Bernard. The composition retains Bar...
