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Apr 18, 2024 · School of Athens, fresco (1508–11) painted by artist Raphael, in the Stanza della Segnatura, a room in Pope Julius II’s private apartments in the Vatican. It is perhaps the most famous of all of Raphael’s paintings and one of the most significant artworks of the Renaissance.
- Stanza Della Segnatura and The Four Branches of Knowledge
- The School of Athens
- Who Are The Figures in The School of Athens?
The School of Athensis one of four wall frescoes in the Stanza della Segnatura. Each wall represents one of the four branches of knowledge during the Renaissance—theology, literature, justice, and philosophy. The room was set to be Julius’ library, and therefore Raphael’s overall concept balances the contents of what would have been in the pope’s s...
Set in an immense architectural illusion painted by Raphael, The School of Athensis a masterpiece that visually represents an intellectual concept. In one painting, Raphael used groupings of figures to lay out a complex lesson on the history of philosophy and the different beliefs that were developed by the great Greek philosophers. Raphael certain...
Plato and Aristotle
The two main figures in the work are placed directly under the archway and in the fresco’s vanishing point, a compositional trick to draw the viewer’s eye to the most important part of the painting. Here, we see two men who effectively represent the different schools of philosophy—Platoand Aristotle. An elderly Plato stands at the left, pointing his finger to the sky. Beside him is his student Aristotle. In a display of superb foreshortening, Aristotle reaches his right arm directly out towar...
Socrates
To the left of Plato, Socrates is recognizable thanks to his distinct features. It’s said that Raphael was able to use an ancient portrait bust of the philosopher as his guide. He’s also identified by his hand gesture, as pointed out by Giorgio Vasari in Lives of the Artists. “Even the Manner of Reasoning of Socrates is Express’d: he holds the Fore-finger of his left hand between that, and the Thumb of his Right, and seems as if he was saying You grant me This and This.” Among the crowd surro...
Pythagoras
In the foreground, Pythagoras sits with a book and an inkwell, also surrounded by students. Though Pythagoras is well known for his mathematical and scientific discoveries, he also firmly believed in metempsychosis. This philosophy states that every soul is immortal, and upon death, moves to a new physical body. In this light, it makes sense that he would be placed on Plato’s side of the fresco.
The School of Athens (Italian: Scuola di Atene) is a fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1509 and 1511 as part of a commission by Pope Julius II to decorate the rooms now called the Stanze di Raffaello in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.
The School of Athens represents all the greatest mathematicians, philosophers and scientists from classical antiquity gathered together sharing their ideas and learning from each other. These figures all lived at different times, but here they are gathered together under one roof.
- While Theo Roosevelt makes a good point, the primary idea that this painting has in connection to the time of its creation, the Renaissance, is a r...
- As far as I know, the painting was for Pope Julius II.
- might be too late, but it was painted between 1509 and 1511
- The elements are represented on Plato and Aristotle's clothing. Plato wears purple and red, colors meant to reflect air and fire, respectively. The...
- This painting teaches us that during the Renaissance, classical learning from the ancient Greeks was highly valued.
- Linear perspective is a mathematical formula using a system of lines known as 'orthogonals.' Linear perspective allows a scene to be interpreted as...
- It was common for Renaissance artists to include self-portraits. It was during the Renaissance that artists took on more importance and began signi...
Dec 6, 2023 · School of Athens. by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris. Whose side are you on? Two great philosophers of antiquity, Plato and Aristotle, face off in this meeting of minds. Raphael, School of Athens, fresco, 1509–11 (Stanza della Segnatura, Papal Palace, Vatican).
Aug 21, 2020 · Commissioned by Pope Julius II (r. 1503-1513 CE) and completed in 1511 CE, the most celebrated section today is The School of Athens (see below) which shows all the major philosophers, astronomers, and mathematicians of the ancient world.
Oct 27, 2021 · The creator of “The School of Athens”, Raphael, was considered to be a child prodigy, who since his teenage years, had shaped the course of European art history. The School of Athens (1509–1511) by Raphael, fresco at the Raphael Rooms, Apostolic Palace, Vatican City; Raphael, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
