School of Athens Art Analysis

 

            Raphael, School of Athens, fresco, 1509 - 1511 (Stanza Della Segnatura, Papal Palace, Vatican)

I have always been captivated by the famous painting "School of Athens" by Raphael. It is one of my favorite works from the Renaissance period. I admire the artist's talent and knowledge that he poured into creating this magnificent piece. It's fascinating to note that Raphael was influenced by Michelangelo's work, especially since Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling nearby during the High Renaissance.

This painting reminds me of how I used to admire a famous basketball player and tried to emulate his moves after watching his highlights while growing up. I believe "School of Athens" would be a perfect fit for a library, almost like a bookshelf where the philosophers depicted in the painting are the books filled with all the knowledge in the world. I dream of owning a painting like this one day and hanging it over my study room.

I identified four main art elements in this painting. Firstly, the use of color is striking. The two central philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, are depicted in contrasting colors. Plato wears red and purple, symbolizing the ether and fire, which do not have weight. On the other hand, Aristotle wears blue and brown, representing earth and water, which do have weight.

The second and third elements I noticed were shape and form. There are geometric shapes such as squares, rectangles, and cubes throughout the painting. Additionally, I spotted a person holding a globe, which is another type of geometric diagram.

Lastly, the use of line is prominent in the painting. Raphael employed linear perspective to create a sense of depth and space. The central vanishing point, located at the feet of Plato and Aristotle, serves to create the illusion of depth and distance by causing all parallel lines in the painting to converge.

     School of Athens. Perspective: Central Vanishing Point

Bibliography

Zucker , S. and Harris, B. (May 22, 2017) A-level: Raphael, school of athens, Smarthistory. 

          Available at: https://smarthistory.org/raphael-school-of-athens-2/ (Accessed: 16 September 2024).

Raphael: The School of Athens, 1509. perspective: Central vanishing point (no date) Raphael: The School of Athens. Perspective, Vanishing Point. Interactive Map. Antonio Gutierrez. Available at: https://gogeometry.com/geometric_art/school_athens_perspective.html#:~:text=In%20%22The%20School%20of%20Athens%2C%22%20Rap (Accessed: 16 September 2024).

Lex's First Blog

My name is Leexan Data, and I live in Kodiak, Alaska. My family and I migrated to the United States from the Philippines when I was 16. I graduated from Kodiak High School in 2008 and started working for the airlines in 2009. I received my AAS in Business from UAA in 2021, and I am currently working on obtaining my BA in Business from UAF. I enjoy playing video games and basketball during my free time. I also love art, especially canvas drawing, and paintings. I am really looking forward to learning more about art this semester. Additionally, I am excited about the idea of becoming a blogger!

I have chosen the painting "Spoliarium" by Juan Luna. Growing up in the Philippines, Juan Luna was considered a national hero due to his exceptional talent for painting, which was greatly admired by the Spanish people. I have always wished to see this painting in person, and I hope that one day I will have the opportunity to gaze upon it. I enjoy drawing myself, and I usually use pencils of different grades. I love visiting art museums, but living on a small island, our options for places to go are rather limited. Unless we travel to the main city, we won't be able to visit an art museum.

Spoliarium By Juan Luna