Who they were
Raphael was an Italian painter and architect who, with Leonardo and Michelangelo, formed the trio of the High Renaissance.
What they did
He was known for the harmony and grace of his Madonnas and for his Vatican frescoes, above all The School of Athens. He became a leading artist in papal Rome before his early death at 37.
Legacy
His balanced, idealized style became a model of classical beauty for later academic art, and he is counted among the greatest painters of the Renaissance.