The transformation of Raphael's style in the course of a decade is shocking. By the time of the Pope's commission, the dramatic gloom and doom of this early work had been replaced by a fascination with the human form and the warmer palette of the classicist movement. Where St. Michael Overwhelming the Demon seemed primarily concerned with relaying the story of the archangel slaying Lucifer, St. Michael Vanquishing Satan displays a much keener interest in the painting itself. 

By the time of Leo X's request, Raphael had matured enough in his craft that his piece could stand alone and spend less time teaching a bible passage and more time celebrating the process of art itself.