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Analysis of raphael's the school of athens
What the school of athens painting is about
Analysis of raphael's the school of athens
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The School of Athens, by Raphael, is one of the most well known paintings of the Italian renaissance, finished around 1511. It is a fresco, painted directly on to the walls of rooms in the Vatican Palace that would later be named after Raphael. Physically, The School of Athens is one painting of three representing philosophy, one of the main themes of the renaissance—the other two being literature and theology. The three paintings combine for one gramd image.
What is most intriguing about this painting is that nearly every figure in the painting is said to represent a famous scholar or philosopher throughout history. Although Raphael did not directly claim that any specific person was represented, the allusions are clear. The two men in the
center of the painting, surrounded by members of the school, are Plato and Aristotle. It is said that the books they hold are their own continuously famous works, and are seen pointing in contrasting directions, which echoes their contrasting views. Plato, on the left, is pointing up, reflecting his views on the nature of the world and how the eternal world must have been created by a supreme physical being and that the world is a living creature. Aristotle, right, carries his Ethics, which describes how men should be and bases the world off what they can agree to be true and how to achieve happiness, is seen gesturing outward. Furthermore, this piece is layed out like a poster sized Where’s Waldo? print. Raphael used rough likenesses and written descriptions to base his represented figures as most of them did not have officially documented portraits. Therefore, art scholars rarely agree that any one figure actually represents any specific philosopher, just that they are there. Those rumored to be represented include Pythagoras, Alexander the Great, and Euclid. It is even believed that Raphael painted himself in this work as well. I also like that there are so many interpretations to this painting. There is a theory that suggests mathematical equations based on the distamces and shapes between the figures. Another claims each figure represents one of the studies of ancient Greek philosophers, and that depicting them all together unites the fields in a way they hadn’t been brought together before. What is also a tribute to the Greek scholars is that all of these studies are painted on a religious setting, which goes against their values.a The setting of the fabled school is also a nod to the Greeks. The two statues in the backround are aspirations for those of the school. One is Apollo, god of music, art, and knowledge—three things greatly valued by the philosophers of this era. The other is Athena, godess of wisdom and war. I can’t help but find this piece interesting. Every time it is studied, a new way of looking at it comes to light and new details are uncovered. Though it will always be a mystery as to who the figures truly are, part of the fascination is in finding their identities based on studies and contextual clues. There are always new details to behold and representations to uncover, which truly cements its place as one of then most famous and memorable paintings created.
In addition, scenes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and St. Blaise, a fourth century martyr, are also present. All the characters in the panels more or less have halos and therefore are holy figures. The twelve apostles line the bottom of the panels, perhaps suggesting that they were the foundation of the Catholic religion. Basically, the painting is designed for a church altar, it has religious figures in it, and it is filled with Bibles and images of Christ's crucifixion. All of this relays a strong message to the viewer that this is what is important in life; one should pay close attention to religion and have respect for
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.
Artists have many motives of (as to) why they create pieces of art. ‘The School of Athens’ by Raphael and ‘Judith Decapitating Holofernes’ by Artemisia Gentileschi shows this. Raphael used a lot of patterns as well as people to show the intellectuality of Athens. Artemisia Gentileschi, on the other hand, depicted a scene from the Old Testament in her artwork.
Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous artist, mathematician, engineer, and philosopher. Many people describe him as the perfect archetype for the man during the renaissance. Born in Vinci, Italy in 1452, Da Vinci has influenced many present day artists and is one of the most well known artists of the renaissance. During his lifetime, Da Vinci created many famous journals with anatomical drawings, inventions, and writing. One of the drawings found in his one of his many journals is the Vitruvian Man. Over time, his drawing has become one of the most well-known icons for the renaissance. Named after the first century B.C.E Roman architect Vitruvius, this drawing depicted a man with what Vitruvius described in one of his books as the ideal proportions for a man. Based off of notes from Vitruvius’s book, the drawing showed a man standing up straight with his arms spread out, on top of that pose, Da Vinci drew the man in a pose with his arms reaching slightly above his head, and his legs spread (this is usually called spread eagle). The actual drawing is shown below.
- Priest of Troy being punished by the Gods for warning against accepting horse from the Greeks. Sea serpents attacked him and his sons. Beautiful anatomy.
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 professor himself may be the most brilliant and captivating aspect of the painting. His gaze is piercing and the details of his features are very pronounced and picturesque. Upon looking at his face, one can see that his intellect is unquestionable, for his brow bends in a very discerning manner. The curls of his hair have the perfect amount of detail and his suit the perfect mount of folds. He is arguably the centerpiece of the painting with his respectable stature which conveys control and wisdom (with perhaps a hint of well-deserved
Raphael’s interpretation and style was clearly influenced by Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, less the background landscape, furniture and loggia. By comparison to Leonardo’s portraiture, Raphael’s figure is more volumetric, fuller “and with an uncomplicated, self-confident, robust personality” (L21, 27:56), which also describes the Humanistic depiction of the facial expression illustrated indicative of the emotion aspect of this work. Kloss (2011) describes the color scheme as being a palate of “an exquisite balance of grays and blacks, warm flesh tones and whites, against the luminous background of gray mingled with brown-beige tones” (L21, 28:06). Raphael’s stylized contours are “superbly drawn, especially that of the splendidly designed hat. Look at the brim of the hat, which is at once compact and commanding” (L21, 28:23). Kloss (2011) remarks: “this is one of the touchstones of great portraiture, and not only Renaissance portraiture. Rubens would copy it and emulate it. Rembrandt would borrow from it. No one would improve upon it” (L21,
In my thesis essay topic I will discuss how art in the Greek culture has change drastically since making it first appearance, in my essay topic I hope to showcase knowledgeable information on the subject while providing supporting details. This topic was interesting to me because beforehand even though I have taken many art classes, this class gave me a little more insight to the world of art and has influence my taste since traveling. I am amaze at how much Greek art has influence modern day culture. Greek culture has also paved the way for many other forms of culture forms and exhibits. So what did this essay mean to me? It was away for me to study and review what I thought was most significant about Greek times and the art pieces that stood out to me the most. I also like that I get to get my personal reflection on key pieces that lead to the new era of classical and non-classical art. In my essay, I will show how ancient Greece was a very unique culture that went through great efforts to produce high class art.
Daedalus, a famous sculptor and architect, lived during the time of ancient Greece, in Athens. He gets jealous of his nephew, Talus, who is also famous for sculpting. Daedalus kills him, and horrified, he starts wandering around. Daedalus ends up in Crete, where King Minos “hires” him to build a labyrinth. Daedalus becomes imprisoned, and watches birds and their flight pattern. He makes wings for himself and his son Icarus. Daedalus warns Icarus about not going too high or too low, and as they fly, kept an eye on him. Icarus seemed to be obeying, so Daedalus focused on his own flying. Icarus goes too high, and the wax on his wings melt, and Icarus falls to his death, screaming. Daedalus looks down at the feathered ocean, and realizes that Icarus
My report is on ancient Greek art mainly sculptures and vase art I will also
The headdress that is seen on the ground in front of all the men looks like it resembles the style the Pope wears. It does not look like it belongs on the battlefield or that it would belong to any specific person in the painting. The man on the left has hair that looks to be blowing toward the others in the painting, which is opposite of the smoke, which is blowing toward the boats and gathering in a dark cloud above the water. The two men in green are also interesting in the piece of work as they are the only two who are in this color uniform and do not resemble a
Over a period of time Greek art of the past has changed and evolved into what we value in todayís society as true art and services as a blue print of our tomorrow. As we take a closer look at the Geometric Period and stroll up through the Hellenistic Period allow me to demonstrate the changes and point out how these transitions have served the elements of time.
The Italian Renaissance included some of the greatest artists we have ever seen from Leonard Da Vinci, to Michelangelo, and Raphael. The Renaissance took place from the late thirteenth to sixteenth centuries and is know as the ‘rebirth’. The idea that the rebirth of the arts after being asleep for a thousand years is an amazing thing to grasp. This time brought back light to liberal arts, which were on the brink of being extinct. (Murray 2) What is also interesting about art during this time was that most of the art had Christian in its roots, for example, Botticelli’s The Allegory of Spring (Faure 1) is said to have had a Christian interpretation. (Murray) “Every Italian artist, willingly took the title of architect, sculptor, and painter” (Faure 2). At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the Italian painters had asked the Flemish painters for their secret techniques because the Italians felt like the language of painting was one that was always meant for them. (Faure 4) The sculptors claimed their inspiration from ancient works. Lastly the Renaissance introduced idea of individualism, which helped the Italians get away from everything that was going on during that time. Art during the Renaissance included painting, sculpting and architecture, all of which were an important part in expressing the idea of individualism and making art what is is today.
Raphael’s painting, “The school of Athens” is not merely a conglomeration of all of the philosophers of the time period, but includes a more profound amount of time, effort, and thought put into the placement and depiction of each of the characters. Each of the characters has been painted in a way that is reflective of their individual beliefs and philosophy. Though each individual was depicted as a specific philosopher from the time period there is still some debate over exactly which philosopher is which. There are at least ten of these philosophers who have been depicted so clearly that there is no argument as to the reasoning behind their portrayal. Some of the philosophers that were specifically painted in such a way were: Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Hypatia, Diogenes, Euclid, Heraclitus, Epicurus, Averroes, Parmenides, and Pythagoras. These philosophers all had different beliefs and ideas about the world, and each is placed into the painting in such a way that represents these ideas.