THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS by Raphael Sanzio, 1509-1511, fresco, 200 in × 300 in (500 cm × 770 cm)
THIS PAINTING IS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE as a handmade oil painting reproduction here: [ Ссылка ]
During the Renaissance, there was a 30-year period of unprecedented artistic creation, referred to as the High Renaissance. It started with DaVinci’s Last Supper, through Michelangelo’s Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and beyond. But it’s this painting, The School of Athens, by Raphael Sanzio that may be the purest embodiment of the spirit of enlightenment and refinement of the Renaissance.
The School of Athens is a large fresco at the Vatican measuring nearly 17 feet by 25 feet. It is an imagined gathering of the greatest Greek philosophers of the past, meeting in an airy forum, exchanging ideas in a spirit of openness and the pursuit of truth.
The two central figures are Plato and Aristotle, each representing different schools of Greek philosophy, with each philosopher’s adherents placed right and left.
The painting is composed in one-point perspective. The angles of the walls and floor tiles direct the eye into the center of the gathering. From there you can go right or left, traveling down the painting.
One is struck with the overriding symmetry and harmony of the composition. It’s perfectly balanced, perhaps too balanced. Artists are trained to avoid such perfect symmetry, as it tends lack interest. However, the School of Athens is the exception that proves the rule.
Raphael modeled many of the characters after the great minds of the Renaissance. For instance, Plato bears a striking resemblance to Leonardo da Vinci. The Pope’s architect, Bramante stands in for Euclid or possibly Archimedes. Michelangelo is the model for Heraclitus. Raphael even found roles for himself and his longtime companion, Fornarina.
Without a doubt, Raphael was a master in his own right, but he wasn’t above absorbing many stylistic lessons from his mentor, Michelangelo. In fact, Raphael was within spitting distance of the Sistine Chapel, when Michelangelo was painting his famous ceiling, while he, Raphael was working on his School of Athens. It’s reported, Raphael would surreptitiously, sneak into the Sistine Chapel at night to see Michelangelo’s progress. As a result, Raphael’s figures bear a striking similarity to Michelangelo's robust, and well-defined characters.
Of course, one doesn’t need a master’s degree in philosophy to understand the School of Athens, just the ability to appreciate a great work of art.
Canon in D Major by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license ([ Ссылка ])
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