2020 IB Extended Essays

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Renaissance Artwork During Nazi Germany, many renaissance paintings were stolen as an attempt to censor material that defied Hitler’s beliefs. During Hitler’s rule, he described the National Socialist revolution as counter-renaissance and claimed that the Renaissance period was an individualist civilisation (Hayek, 2007). This directly juxtaposes Hitler’s collectivist ideology. Analysis of “Portrait of a Young Man” by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino One of the renaissance pieces that was stolen was the “Portrait of a Young Man”, painted by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino in 1514 and shown in Figure 1. Many

historians claim that it is the most important painting to disappear at the hands of the Nazis. The poised and well-dressed man illustrated in the painting has not been identified, however, scholars have regarded it as a self- portrait as the facial features are compatible with Raphael’s other self-portraits. In this portrait, Raphael explores the interchangeability of masculinity and

Figure 1: “Portrait of a Young Man” by Raphael, 1514 (oil on panel, 72cm×56cm)

femininity through clothing choice and the subject’s softened form. The use of texture evident in the wall, fur clothing and hair have connotations to the Neo-Classical balance between human life and nature. The stark contrast of the crisp white ribbon shirt and sable fur coat mimics the contrast between heaven and earth. Raphael’s left hand is positioned near the heart to express self-identity.