The Renaissance artist Raphael depicted the powerful and controversial Pope Julius II in a portrait painted around 1511. This video looks beyond the quiet, contemplative figure that Raphael painted to the fierce “Warrior Pope” who shaped the High Renaissance in Rome. Raphael’s skillful hands reshaped reality, transforming a fiery, battle-hardened leader into a model of spiritual calm and dignity. Julius’s skillfully presented image reminds us how a portrait can persuade, manipulate, and mythologize.

Speaker: Dr. Heather Graham