Raphael Santi
Time for one of the most famous paintings in the world, The Sistine Madonna, which we present today thanks to the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. (By the way, in the 19th century, it was THE most famous!)
The Sistine Madonna was almost certainly commissioned directly by Pope Julius II. In July 1512 the Vatican received the news that the northern Italian town of Piacenza had joined the Papal States. It is assumed that this event prompted the Pope to commission the painting. The Sistine Madonna was intended for the monastery church of San Sisto in Piacenza, with which the Pope was associated because of close family contacts. Raphael had probably already completed the work by the time of the Pope's death in February 1513.
The Sistine Madonna depicts a vision appearing to saints in the clouds. In the center of the picture the Virgin strides towards the earthly realm while holding the Christ Child in her arms. Out of the expanse of the heavens, intimated by the countless heads of angels painted in sky blue, she carries the Christ Child into the world. Pope Sixtus II, a martyr from the 3rd century, kneels on the left-hand side of the picture, showing her the way. On the right-hand side is the meekly kneeling figure of St. Barbara, who also suffered martyrdom in the 3rd century. These two saints were venerated at the high altar of the monastery church of San Sisto in Piacenza, which is why the artist included them in the painting. The two cute cherubs perching on the balustrade at the bottom of the picture were added by Raphael at the very end of the painting process, primarily for compositional reasons.
P.S. These cherubs are among the most recognized in the world. If you're looking for similar amazing paintings to enlighten your 2022, please check our artsy paper calendars here. :)
P.P.S. Read here the story of a mysterious Cupid that was recently revealed on a Dresden masterpiece. :)