Raffaello - Schule - Albertina 17544, Die Transfiguration (Figuren als Akte)

This drawing captures the figures of the Transfiguration as 'nudi,' or nude studies, allowing the artist to master the musculature and tension of each character before adding drapery. The upper portion shows the serene, floating figures of the divine realm, while the lower section is crowded with the dramatic, twisting bodies of the Apostles attempting to heal a possessed child. The composition creates a sharp visual contrast between the calm light of the heavens and the chaotic shadows of the material world.

The Transfiguration serves as a primary visual metaphor for Neoplatonic ascent, illustrating the transition from the 'region of unlikeness' (the material world) to the divine light of the intelligible realm. This theme was central to the circle of Marsilio Ficino, who interpreted the radiant body of Christ as the ultimate manifestation of divine beauty and the goal of the soul's purification.