Raphael's "The School of Athens"

Raffaello Sanzo da Urbino, more commonly known simply as Raphael, painted his famous fresco The School of Athens in 1510-1511 during the Italian High Renaissance (Beckett 128). Raphael painted the fresco in the Vatican for Pope Julius II, and it remains there today (PAVM). The Renaissance era in which he painted The School of Athens was marked by a break from religious medieval values and an affinity for classicism, especially in art (Encyclopedia Britannica). The word "Renaissance" literally means “rebirth,” symbolizing the revival of classical Greek and Roman principles. The emergence of a more humanistic and individualistic worldview also characterized the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Europe. Economically, life became more secular with the development of a rational money-credit system and European exploration in the West (Encyclopedia Britannica). Interest in education, particularly about nature and humans themselves, grew during this cultural and social Renaissance (Encyclopedia Britannica).

The School of Athens exemplifies several of the main Renaissance values. Perhaps the most obvious is its portrayal of classicism through the painting’s arches, classic philosophers, and harmony in its composition. Plato and Aristotle, famous Greek philosophers, are the focuses of the painting because of their central position (Beckett). Raphael painted several other great thinkers in his masterpiece such as Socrates, Euclid, Ptolemy, and Zoroaster, emphasizing the importance of knowledge (PAVM). Pythagoras, at the bottom left, also represents education and intelligence with the celestial globe he is examining (Beckett 128). The words “Causum Cognito” (“Knowledge of Causes”) above the painting stress learning and potential (Wikipedia). Rather than just accepting the will of God as an explanation for the unknown, people started to investigate the natural world. Raphael painted each person with different stances, expressions, and clothing, demonstrating the Renaissance value of individualism. The School of Athens is a depiction of human capability, uniqueness, and contribution, not religious reverence. The fact that two intelligent people are the vanishing point, not God, symbolizes the Europe’s straying from religion because prior to the Renaissance, all medieval art had a strong religious focus. This work of art shows Europe’s deviation from complete devotion to God in its recognition of human achievement and nonreligious philosophy. The School of Athens is a tribute to the accomplishments of talented people; the very fact that the central focus is not God, but rather man, demonstrates a decrease in religious dominance after the Medieval period’s devout faith in the Christian Church (Duiker 339).

This painting fits in thematically with the other works of art because it is a historical example of a cultural separation from religion. However, it differs from the rest because the change in faith was not born out of pain or some kind of suffering. During the Renaissance, it was a positive influence—an influx of knowledge and philosophy—that caused Europeans to stray from their religious piety. In contrast, “Dulce et Decorum Est” exhibits a crisis of faith due to the horrors of war, and the characters of Perspolis challenge their faith because of the Islamic regime’s corruption. All three works are similar in that they express a deviation from faith. However, Raphael’s painting varies from Owen’s poem and Satrapi’s novel because the historical moment that inspired it was one of education and rebirth, not of hardship.

Beckett, Sister Wendy. The Story of Painting. DK Publishing: New York, 1997.

Duiker, William J. and Speilvogel, Jackson J., Eds. World History. 5^th ed. Belmont, CA:

            Thomas Wadsworth, 2007.

Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. “Raphael’s School of Athens.” 18 Apr.

2011. <http://www.vatican-patrons.org/raphael.htm>.

“Renaissance Art.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011.

Web. 18 Apr. 2011.

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/497788/Renaissance-art>.