The School of Athens
From Ask in Wiki
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| The School of Athens |
| Raphael, 1509-1510 |
| fresco |
| 500 × 770 cm |
| Apostolic Palace, Vatican City |
| 64 worlds greatest paintings |
The School of Athens is one of the most famous paintings by the Italian renaissance artist Raphael. It was painted between 1509 and 1510 as a part of Raphael's commission to decorate with frescoes the rooms that are now known as the Stanze di Raffaello, in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The Stanza della Segnatura was the first of the rooms to be decorated, and The School of Athens the second painting to be finished, after La disputa.
Because it was positioned over the philosophical section of the library of Pope Julius II, The School of Athens shows the greatest philosophers, scientists and mathematicians of classical antiquity. Plato and Aristotle, the Greek philosophers that were considered most important, are standing in the center of the composition at the top of the steps. Plato, a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, is holding his Timaeus. Aristotle is carrying a copy of his Nichomachean Ethics. Their gestures correspond to their interests in the philosophical field - Plato is pointing upwards towards Heaven and Aristotle is gesturing towards the earth.
Diogenes is lying carefree on the steps before them to show his philosophical attitude: he despised all material wealth and the lifestyle associated with it. This portrait of Diogenes was an afterthought, as it was not in the original cartoon. Below is a great block of stone the significance of which is sometimes connected with the first epistle of St Peter. It symbolizes Christ, the "cornerstone" which the builders have rejected, which becomes a stumbling block and a "rock of offence" to the unbeliever. The man leaning on the block is meant to be Michelangelo. This figure too was not in the original cartoon due to their professional rivalry. In 1511, Raphael snuck into the Sistine Chapel to view Michelangelo’s work on the ceiling by candle light. He was so awed by the unfinished work that he added Michelangelo in his own style of painting to show his respect for the artist.
