Raphael, Triumph of Galatea, 1513

Raphael, Triumph of Galatea, 1513

Galatea, a sea-nymph, fell in love with a you shepherd named Acis. She lived in the sea where she also encountered the monstrous one-eyed cyclops, Polyphemus, who fell madly in love with Galatea as well. One night, Polyphemus caught Acis and Galatea asleep and proceeded to murder Acis with a large rock. Raphael crated this scene as one of many in the Villa Farnesina for Agostino Chingi. The fresco to the left of this in the Villa shows Polyphemus coming for Galatea.

In this particular piece, Raphael creates a dramatic high renaissance picture displaying his detail of the human body with contortions and curves similar to those of Michelangelo's sculptures. Specifically, Galatea is positioned in such a way that her physical momentum pushes her away from Polyphemus, but the wind causes the flowing hair and clothing to move the opposite way. In addition to the sea-nymphs that surround her, she looks as is she is being pulled in every direction. The shifting of the bodies and colors Raphael uses in the frescoes filling the Villa provides a great example of Renaissance painting.