The School of Athens: A Masterpiece by Raphael Sanzio da Urbino

Raphael, a product of the Renaissance, presented a different style of art and introduced a new medium for expression. His repertoire included both complex and simplistic work. The variety in his art allowed him to attract attention from both royalty and common people. His artistic ability is neither challenged nor debated. An outstanding support and teaching from his father planted a seed of inextinguishable desire. Later in his life, Raphael watched this seed bloom as opportunities began to wallow at his feet. However, Raphael was no genius compared to his contemporaries and neither did he have a drop of noble blood in his family history. The facts were not stacked in his favor. Nevertheless, Raphael was always known for his work ethic and good manners.

The Renaissance religious art was created not just for the artist pleasure but to inspire people to use their creatives mind and express what they thought. Art was one of the most distinguishing factors during the Renaissance. The art period in the 15th century was bridged in Italy between The Middle Ages and the High Renaissance. The polymath Artist and philosophers of this historical time stressed of new ideals, three-dimensional organization, rationalistic analysis and a human-centered perspective that altered the look of art to this day. Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo were some of the most famous men during this time. They both were profound painters and defined as the archetype of the Renaissance man. However, these artists were

Raphael was born on April 6 1483 in Urbino, Italy. Urbino was a cultural center that encouraged arts. Raphael’s father, Giovanni Santi, was a painter for the Duke of Urbino. Giovanni taught Raphael basic painting techniques and the principles at the Duke of Urbino court. Giovanni died when Raphael was just 11 years old. He took over his father’s workshop and it became his own. Raphael was known as the most famous painter in town. When he was a teenager he was positioned to paint for the Church of Nicola in Castello. In 1500, Perugino, another famous painter invited Raphael to be his apprentice in Pergina. In Perugia, Perugino was working on frescoes at the Collegio del Cambia. This experience lasted for four years and Raphael learned more knowledge and hands-on experiences. During this period, Raphael developed his own unique painting style.

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.

...ater following the oration, in 1510, Italian Renaissance artist Raphael painted the fresco the School of Athens, a significant artwork that illustrates Raphael’s vision of a world in an intellectual perspective. It is not a school, but rather a gathering of all the great figures of the Classical World, with Plato and Aristotle as the centre figures. The painting supports Pericles’ statement that the Athenians do not require Homer to write them into history, and that similar to the Ekklesiasterion, the piece signifies the importance of discussion and knowledge. This is similar to Pericles’ comment in the oration that discussion is “an indispensable preliminary to any wise action at all.” The oration continues as a statement of the myth of Athens and the success and achievements of their civilisation that branched from the knowledge and ideas of the Athenian citizens.

The renaissance era of the 1500's was a time of artistic, philosophic, and scientific wonder and inspiration. Several new discoveries were made in the areas of science, and assumptions on the world and universe around them were expressed by philosophers. Many individuals had been gifted with artistic creativity and skill. The astonishing achievements of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael are considered momentous to the Renaissance period. In this paper, I will talk about the endeavors and achievements of these three amazing Renaissance men.

...renaissance. This is was evident by the grand sculptures and paintings he created; he was the first great sculptor since Roman times and no one used marble on such a large scale since the fall of Rome until Michelangelo came along. The implements and styles of art that Michelangelo used for his works made his masterpieces the greatest masterpieces in history. Since Michelangelo mastered many fields in art, such as sculpting, fresco, and watercolor, he incorporated his learning and new creative styles of art into his creations. Furthermore, he was able to study artists such as Da Vinci since he lived longer then almost all of his contemporaries and he learned from their styles and perfected them. Through his work, Michelangelo was capable of reflecting his long-lasting spiritual and artistic endeavors; until this day, Michelangelo is known as the “melancholy genius.”

Art in the Renaissance “Known as the Renaissance, the period immediately following the Middle Ages in Europe saw a great revival of interest in the classical learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome” (History). The word Renaissance is French for rebirth (Sachs 7). The origins can be traced back to Italy in the 14th century (History). Florence, Venice, and Rome grew into major centers in art, due to the changes that were occurring during this time (Sachs 7.) Artists across the country were exploring their newfound creativity and for new ways to express these advanced concepts (Sachs 7).

The definition of sculpting is, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “to make or represent a form by carving, casting, or using other shaping techniques”. Though, one could easily argue that in ancient Greek culture, sculpting meant more than just the craft of carving, casting, or shaping. Sculpting was the expression of imagination, an illustration of passions and storytelling, and a means of communication. The early Greek sculptures that we view today are incredibly important to the study and interpretation of history. This is because we are able to analyze these sculptures and theorize why the Greeks sculpted a certain way during certain eras. The different styles of Greek sculpting can be broken down into three separate periods:

The Renaissance was a rebirth that took place throughout Europe, it was started in Italy because of three advantages: thriving cities, a wealthy merchant class, and the heritage of Greece and Rome. `The Italian Renaissance was the rebirth of art and classical knowledge. It was a rich period of development where art became very popular in the evolving civilization. Due to the renaissance rebirth there was a greater need for: scientists, artists, and architects, many of them also used the ancient Greek and Roman ideas to help with their own projects. There were three types of renaissance too; early, high and late. In the early renaissance Sandro Batticelli, Giotto di Bondone, Donatello, and Masaccio were born into major artists and sculptors. During the High Renaissance some of the biggest artists such as: Leonardo da Vinci , Michelangelo, and Titian became popular. In the Late Renaissance works of Pontormo, Parmigianino, and Rosso Fiorentino came to be known. The Feast of the Gods painting was done by Alfonso, and has become a master piece of the Italian Renaissance era. Da Vinci was a man of both worlds, he was known not only for his amazing artwork but also for his great knowledge in science. Unlike the regular artists In his time he was a painter, architect, musician, inventor/engineer, sculptor and scientist. He was born in 1452 and in 1483 he moved to Milan where he completed his first artwork-Madonna on the Rocks. Leonardo da Vinci was also known to be a phenomenal inventor and engineer, he was asked by the government to build all kind of buildings and even create new weapons. Before his death in 1519 he started drawing hundreds of human body sketches, he found the people he wanted to draw from the nearby morgue. Da Vinci w...