Figure Study of Two Apostles

There are several drawings by Raphael connected with the Transfiguration. The most powerful of the extant drawings are the studies from life of individual figures. Using the medium of either red or black chalk, these drawings amply display the artist’s skill in finding expressive postures for his figures, as well as his continued commitment to painstaking preparation. These qualities are found in the nude study for the two apostles placed in the left foreground, with their intense movements and strong gestures.