The School of Athens (Figure 1) is a fresco painting–a painting done in sections in the fresh plaster–on one of the four walls of the room, the Stanza della Segnatura this room is designated as papal library in the Vatican palace. In this image Raphael represents pictorially the intellectual activity of philosophy. He chooses to represent philosophy by depicting a large number of philosophers in the midst of their activities. The fifty-eight figures who occupy the grandiose architectural space are depicted in the midst of their activity: they are questioning, arguing, demonstrating, reading, and writing. Each figure is characterized so that it is not a mere compositional device, but a shorthand statement of the figure represented (Murray, 62). Raphael rendered the faces of the philosophers from classical statues if known, or else used his own contemporaries for models (Haas, 8) Raphael’s School of Athens is the first art work to represent the epitome of Greek philosophy in a unique manner. The fundamental conception of The School of Athens is without precedent in the tradition of European art. Before Raphael, artists depicted philosophy allegorically. (Most, 145). School of Athens depicts the whole complex product of Greek thought. Greek philosophy may be divided in three phases: the material, the speculative and the scientific. These three phases are depicted in Raphael's work, the material and the scientific are purely physical and occupy the lower level, whereas the speculative is depicted on the upper platform (Garigues, 409). In this paper we will analyze how the three phases of Greek philosophy are illustrated so skillfully in Raphael’s work The School of Athens. The School of Athens is entirely without precedent in the tr... ... middle of paper ... ...it to the fourth, who appears lost in ecstasy at the revelation he receives (Garigues, 419). Having arranged the grouping, the expression, the tout ensemble of his characters, Raphael must have felt somewhat at a loss for a fitting scene in which to place them. The architecture of the structure in the grand manner helped with conferring unity and opportunity to place the groups in a harmonious manner. The flight of steps is key to the placement of the philosophers into and across the space of the picture and permits the construction of an architectural framework which is not only rational spatially, but is in harmony with the significance of the subject (Murray, 64). On the one side, as presiding deity, he placed the sculptured image of Apollo, the god of inspiration, and of high endeavor; on the other, Minerva, the genius of wisdom, science, and practical life.
In conclusion, although Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, do appear very different, come from entirely different geographic regions and were separated by thousands of years, they do have many things in common. When we consider subject, style, and function; perhaps other works of art have more in common than they appear to have.
At the start of the exhibition we are presented with various busts and sculptures of certain, and presumably famous, figures. It is when we see the sculpture of Aphrodite (see Fig. 1) that we start sensing the significance of the exhibition. These sculptures were the norm during the second century in the Bay of Naples, and by viewing the intricate details in each art piece we understand how worthy each work meant to each of the artists. The sculpture of Aphrodite portrayed a serene greeting to the exhibitors. She stood in the middle welcoming us with a soft and warm smile. Through this sculpture we view how the Pompeii artist was following the Greek perception of the human body such as what we see in Polykleitos’ sculpture, Doryphoros; Aphrodite stands with the weight shifted on to her left foot portraying the cross balance of the human body. Once we appreciate the first art room we are then presented with various pieces of the gardens that were found around the Bay of Naples.
The artists of the Baroque had a remarkably different style than artists of the Renaissance due to their different approach to form, space, and composition. This extreme differentiation in style resulted in a very different treatment of narrative. Perhaps this drastic stylistic difference between the Renaissance and Baroque in their treatment of form, space, and composition and how these characteristics effect the narrative of a painting cannot be seen more than in comparing Perugino’s Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St. Peter from the Early Renaissance to Caravaggio’s Conversion of St. Paul from the Baroque.Perugino was one of the greatest masters of the Early Renaissance whose style ischaracterized by the Renaissance ideals of purity, simplicity, and exceptional symmetry of composition. His approach to form in Christ Delivering the Keys of the Kingdom to St.Peter was very linear. He outlined all the figures with a black line giving them a sense of stability, permanence, and power in their environment, but restricting the figures’ sense of movement. In fact, the figures seem to not move at all, but rather are merely locked at a specific moment in time by their rigid outline. Perugino’s approach to the figures’themselves is extremely humanistic and classical. He shines light on the figures in a clear, even way, keeping with the rational and uncluttered meaning of the work. His figures are all locked in a contrapposto pose engaging in intellectual conversation with their neighbor, giving a strong sense of classical rationality. The figures are repeated over and over such as this to convey a rational response and to show the viewer clarity. Perugino’s approach to space was also very rational and simple. He organizes space along three simple planes: foreground, middle ground, and background. Christ and Saint Peter occupy the center foreground and solemn choruses of saints and citizens occupy the rest of the foreground. The middle distance is filled with miscellaneous figures, which complement the front group, emphasizing its density and order, by their scattered arrangement. Buildings from the Renaissance and triumphal arches from Roman antiquity occupy the background, reinforcing the overall classical message to the
Another Magnificent piece of artwork is Leonardo's sketch of a man within a circle. Vitruvius adding a quote to the piece later on, "man in his perfect proportions, is the center of all things", suggests that this piece was influenced by humanism. We say this because the piece portrays a mere man as the center instead of what the catholics may haved placed, that which god would be in the center of the circle. Catholics, Priests, and church officials alike would not approve of this irrational idea and the sketch itself.
In conclusion, these works by Lorenzo Ghiberti exemplify Humanism through various forms of sculpture. They demonstrate the principles and aims of Humanism through form, structure, and intent. The East doors glorify humanism while expressing the triumphs and follies of man through various poses and dimensional effects. Saint Matthew of Orsanmichele places the ethereal in tangible form for all to witness and works as a reminder that those below are being watched by those above while expressing a certain unity between both. The panel of the North door of Pilate washing his hands speaks of the need to take responsibility and do everything possible to prevent the preventable. These works exemplify the goal of Humanism in physical form and express the ideals of the human soul.
During the Renaissance, people were dedicated to studying human works. They would observe from real life to gain inspiration, new ideas, and to try to recreate the world as they saw it in their art. New techniques such as scientific and atmospheric perspective were created, changing art forever. Artists would use their skills to create works for patrons, from the Church, various guilds, and other religious orders. During the High Renaissance, Julius II commissioned Raphael to decorate the Vatican Palace. The first of the rooms he decorated was The “Room of the Signature”, where he painted The School of Athens. Originally, this room housed Julius II’s personal library, but later on it would be the room where papal documents were signed. In 1508, Raphael began painting four frescoes that represented theology, philosophy, law, and the arts. As stated in Janson’s History of Art Volume II, This fresco “represents a summation of High Renaissance humanism, for it attempts to represent the unity of knowledge in one grand scheme.” Raphael’s The School of Athens is a prime example of humanistic art, as evidenced by the subject of the art itself, the classical elements in the piece, and it’s scientific and illusionistic rendering.
The rise of rational doubt among ancient Greek philosophers lay the groundwork for a dramatic reconceptualization of time and space in the Classical Era. In this paper, I will expose some basic characteristics of the artwork which came out of this era. I will then examine the subsequent rise of Christianity, and how this radical change in the belief system affected the artwork which we see, in turn, from this era.
There are two artworks that I would like to compare and contrast in this research paper. The first artwork is “Abduction of the Sabine Women,” by Giovanni da Bologna, better known as Giambologna, in the Mannerism period. The second artwork is “Apollo and Daphne,” by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and, this artwork was created in the Baroque period. The key connection that puts these two artworks side-by-side for me to compare and contrast is the idea of inviting viewer, not only as an audience, but, also, as a part of the artworks’ itself. “Abduction of the Sabine Women” and “Apollo and Daphne” are two sculptures that share the same vision of connecting art and its viewer based on how they are presented.
In this paper I'm focusing mainly on Renaissance art work, since that was the assignment, but I feel it's important to also mention the other important parts of the Renaissance, architecture, science, politics and religion.
In the two different depictions of the scene Betrayal of Christ, Duccio and Giotto show their different styles on how they compose their paintings. The first decision into the composure of the painting would be the comparison of the size of surface they chose to paint on. Duccio in comparison to Giotto chooses to work on a wooden panel no wider than a foot, and Giotto went with a plaster surface with a width of ten feet. This detail alone lets the viewer know that Giotto’s artwork is embedded in detail and visual consumption. The size difference is the factor between who see’s it and what they see; the fine details and symbolism of the narrative will be better understood if the viewer can see every detail.
Fresco began in the thirteenth century at the time of Renaissance in Italy. This period is the culmination of the European mural art, many famous artists are involved in this exploration to create, the art of mural has been an unprecedented increase. The School of Athens and The Last Supper both are representational works of the Renaissance, have obvious similarities on perspective in composition. This essay will compare these works in the aspects of content, composition techniques and conception.
The ever-changing paradigms of Christian Mysticism can be reflected in the works of art, architecture, and of course, prose of the era. The contemporary works often reflect the same world/religious view despite being different disciplines. The Tympanum of St. Foy reflects the medieval age view of order and hierarchy, backed by the social/economic structure of feudalism. When compared to pieces of prose from the medieval era, one can see how both reflect the same views. I will be using Pseudo-Dionysius’ The Mystical Theology and this Tympanum to show how prose of the era and the architecture, despite being different disciplines, reflect the same paradigm views.
Kane, D. Science in the Art of the Italian Renaissance I: Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise- Linear Perspective and Space. The Ohio Journal of Science. Vol.102. No.5 (December, 2002). Pp.110-112. Web. 2-24-14
In order to grasp Aristotle’s views on art it is important to look at his metaphysics first. However, since his metaphysics are essentially a response to the theories of his teacher, it is central to our examinations to familiarize ourselves with Plato’s understanding of the universe. Plato believed that in our reality all existing objects are mere imitations (mimesis) of perfect objects that exist in some nonphysical abstract realm. This ideology, which can be felt in all of Plato’s opus, reveals several important problems with the nature of art. In opposition to Plato, Aristotle’s metaphysics were much more grounded in the physical world. For him, the notion of ‘form’ was present in all of matter and the dissimilarity between it and the actual material that constituted an object was merely an intellectual one. This bears a relation to art since, for both, Plato and Aristotle, art is an imitation. However, the two philosophers interpret the nature...
In the Renaissance period, portraits were taken only of the wealthiest members of the society. The perfection of such portraits took hours, days and even years to achieve; this is evident in the Mona Lisa portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci. It has become famous and iconic symbol of the Renaissance period. The mysterious smile is the inspiration of many painters, writers and singers. It depicts his unique style influenced by techniques in his period; through it, he perfected his sfumato technique.