Italian architect and painter. Raphael's paintings embody the ideals of the High Renaissance. He became an apprentice at Perugino's workshop, and was very influenced by him. He was also influenced by Leonardo and Michelangelo, whom he met when he moved to Florence in 1504. Raphael is best known for his Madonnas and for his large figure compositions in the Vatican in Rome. His work is admired for its clarity of form and ease of composition and for its visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur.