St Michael 1500 - 1600

Raphael created this image of Saint Michael defeating Satan sometime around the year 1518. The image presents a set of concepts and visual codes familiar to its original audience. It depicts the famous Archangel Michael, leader of God’s army, defeating Satan, who is represented as a monstrous, serpentine figure. The image presents the triumph of good over evil in a moment of high drama. It also communicates a powerful message about the authority of the Church, because Raphael was commissioned to create this piece by Pope Leo X. Catholicism was a powerful social force in Italy, and the Pope was one of its most important political players. This image provided visual support for the Pope’s authority. To understand this artwork better, one could research the social and political history of the Catholic Church during the early 16th century, along with the biography of Raphael. This reminds us that the meaning of art is always dependent on its social and institutional context.