School of Athens (1509-1511)
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Raphael was a very unique artist during the Renaissance period. One of his most astonishing paintings (fresco) is the School of Athens or Scuola di Atena (1509-1511). This painting is located at the Vatican Museum in Raphael’s Room; it occupies the entirety of one of the walls of the room and truly captures the sight, interest, and imagination of the observer. The School of Athens revives the past and brings it to the present throughout the wonderful depiction of several artists and philosophers who have exalted the power of human intellect throughout the acquisition and transmission of knowledge. Besides, this painting authentically conserves ad reinforces specific values directed towards the good for humanity, the self-realization of humankind, and the development of human achievement within the Renaissance culture (Niebuhr, Christ and Culture, 33-38). It unfolds the meaning of Christianity in a very unique time period and characterizes it throughout a marvelous work of art.
The School of Athens portrays the genuine revival of the Classics; it exalts the importance and impact of philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. It brings them to the present and hence, allows the viewer to become an active participant of ancient knowledge. The interaction of different types of knowledge and learning provide a marvelous depiction of the awareness of human intellect as the creator of several ideals, values, and beliefs. New discoveries and original creations reveal the triumph of knowledge within humanity during the Renaissance era. Free agency, personal destiny, heroism, and self-exaltation constitute fundamental values depicted in this painting, with the primary objective of “expressing the needs, hopes, and aspirations of humanity” (Plumb, The Italian Renaissance, 123) and of shaping a Renaissance culture founded on various human ideals “untrammeled by convention, dominated by instinct, swept along by his nature, fulfilling his fate with the agility of an acrobat, yet true to his inner essence, his mysterious virtù” (Plumb, The Italian Renaissance, 120).
The achievement of a maximum level of human knowledge throughout the revitalization of the past and the transcendence of body and spirit towards the future and destiny is authentically embodied by the School of Athens, which with its movement, emotion, color, and splendor allow the viewer to become immersed within the painting. Particularly, the self-portrait of Raphael looking at his audience invites humanity to participate in the ideals of the Renaissance, which transformed and shaped a new way of understanding and viewing the world from a cultural perspective of humanism, heroism, realism, and holism. Furthermore, the fresco incorporates a variety of forms, providing it with movement and rhythm. The use of geometric shapes, and horizontal and vertical lines enhances a sense of depth, motion, and perspective within the fresco. Likewise, the lines in the fresco converge in a focal point: Aristotle and Plato, who become the epitomes of Greek philosophy and the authentic figures of the revival or rebirth of the Classics in the Renaissance period. The combination of shapes and lines in the fresco create a global effect of three-dimensional space; moreover, some figures appear to be closer than others and hence, a unique sense of motion and perspective is produced. In addition, the incorporation of naturalistic and realistic elements in the fresco allow it to become a very concrete and tangible work of art with numerous humanistic elements and various signs of the expression of Renaissance culture.
Other fundamental elements in the School of Athens include color and symmetry. Particularly, the fresco is a very colorful work of art that expresses and embodies unique emotions and moods in the different figures. Besides, the symmetry in the fresco symbolizes the value of harmony and perfection of humanity and of the universe as a whole. The ideal of balance in Greek philosophy is fulfilled throughout the symmetrical fusion of Aristotle and Plato, and the rest of the figures, as well as the structural organization and architectural style of the space depicted in the fresco. Emphasis is placed on Aristotle and Plato; however, they also contrast with the rest of the figures, due to the location of the focal point in relation to the perspective lines. Also, the fresco encompasses rhythm; the combination of color, forms, and lines endows it with visual beat, with movement.
The School of Athens displays the development of Christian identity during the Renaissance in a very unique way. It portrays Christianity as a revival of the past and as the heroic exaltation of the antique. It also depicts holiness as humanity’s choice, freedom, knowledge, and ultimate physical, harmonious, and transcendental perfection. During the Renaissance, the free nature and agency of human beings, their personal decisions in relation to their destinies, as well as their permanent strive for perfection constituted the essential Christian values that directed humankind towards the true encounter with their exalted and glorified selves. Through knowledge, art, and philosophy, these values became fulfilled and provided a path of understanding regarding the genuine model and exemplar of bodily and spiritual excellence within Christian identity. Nevertheless, the School of Athens abandons the ideal of human sin within Renaissance Christian identity; its main purpose is to exalt the harmonious character of humanity throughout the revival of the Classics, in particular of Greek philosophy. It does not reinforce the value of recognition of human sin; one the contrary, it strengthens the value of human knowledge, perfection, and ultimate harmony through free choice, individualism, and holism.
The School of Athens portrays the genuine revival of the Classics; it exalts the importance and impact of philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Pythagoras. It brings them to the present and hence, allows the viewer to become an active participant of ancient knowledge. The interaction of different types of knowledge and learning provide a marvelous depiction of the awareness of human intellect as the creator of several ideals, values, and beliefs. New discoveries and original creations reveal the triumph of knowledge within humanity during the Renaissance era. Free agency, personal destiny, heroism, and self-exaltation constitute fundamental values depicted in this painting, with the primary objective of “expressing the needs, hopes, and aspirations of humanity” (Plumb, The Italian Renaissance, 123) and of shaping a Renaissance culture founded on various human ideals “untrammeled by convention, dominated by instinct, swept along by his nature, fulfilling his fate with the agility of an acrobat, yet true to his inner essence, his mysterious virtù” (Plumb, The Italian Renaissance, 120).
The achievement of a maximum level of human knowledge throughout the revitalization of the past and the transcendence of body and spirit towards the future and destiny is authentically embodied by the School of Athens, which with its movement, emotion, color, and splendor allow the viewer to become immersed within the painting. Particularly, the self-portrait of Raphael looking at his audience invites humanity to participate in the ideals of the Renaissance, which transformed and shaped a new way of understanding and viewing the world from a cultural perspective of humanism, heroism, realism, and holism. Furthermore, the fresco incorporates a variety of forms, providing it with movement and rhythm. The use of geometric shapes, and horizontal and vertical lines enhances a sense of depth, motion, and perspective within the fresco. Likewise, the lines in the fresco converge in a focal point: Aristotle and Plato, who become the epitomes of Greek philosophy and the authentic figures of the revival or rebirth of the Classics in the Renaissance period. The combination of shapes and lines in the fresco create a global effect of three-dimensional space; moreover, some figures appear to be closer than others and hence, a unique sense of motion and perspective is produced. In addition, the incorporation of naturalistic and realistic elements in the fresco allow it to become a very concrete and tangible work of art with numerous humanistic elements and various signs of the expression of Renaissance culture.
Other fundamental elements in the School of Athens include color and symmetry. Particularly, the fresco is a very colorful work of art that expresses and embodies unique emotions and moods in the different figures. Besides, the symmetry in the fresco symbolizes the value of harmony and perfection of humanity and of the universe as a whole. The ideal of balance in Greek philosophy is fulfilled throughout the symmetrical fusion of Aristotle and Plato, and the rest of the figures, as well as the structural organization and architectural style of the space depicted in the fresco. Emphasis is placed on Aristotle and Plato; however, they also contrast with the rest of the figures, due to the location of the focal point in relation to the perspective lines. Also, the fresco encompasses rhythm; the combination of color, forms, and lines endows it with visual beat, with movement.
The School of Athens displays the development of Christian identity during the Renaissance in a very unique way. It portrays Christianity as a revival of the past and as the heroic exaltation of the antique. It also depicts holiness as humanity’s choice, freedom, knowledge, and ultimate physical, harmonious, and transcendental perfection. During the Renaissance, the free nature and agency of human beings, their personal decisions in relation to their destinies, as well as their permanent strive for perfection constituted the essential Christian values that directed humankind towards the true encounter with their exalted and glorified selves. Through knowledge, art, and philosophy, these values became fulfilled and provided a path of understanding regarding the genuine model and exemplar of bodily and spiritual excellence within Christian identity. Nevertheless, the School of Athens abandons the ideal of human sin within Renaissance Christian identity; its main purpose is to exalt the harmonious character of humanity throughout the revival of the Classics, in particular of Greek philosophy. It does not reinforce the value of recognition of human sin; one the contrary, it strengthens the value of human knowledge, perfection, and ultimate harmony through free choice, individualism, and holism.