Art: The mirror of society
How did the school of Athens mirror the Renaissance
The school of Athens, is a painting by Raphael, which was made in 1509-1510AD. The painting is the vision of a humanist dream. The painting includes several characters of no repetition, and each of them symbolizing an important person… The school of Athens is the mirror of the Renaissance, as this piece doesn't include kings, saints, or Jesus, but a group of revolutionary thinkers, artists and scientists from the Greek times to Renaissance. There are 2 conflicting sides. One side represents the side which is studying the world beyond what we could sense (philosophy), and the other side is studying about things we can observe with our 5 senses (science, math, Architecture). In Renaissance, its openness helped both of the sides to improve drastically. The Renaissance encouraged great thinkers and new ideas, and celebrated those in the past. These aspects of the Renaissance are shown directly in the School of Athens.
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Pilot Sashimi in the school of Athens.
If I ever had the luck to be in the painting "The school of Athens, painted by Raphael in the year 1510-1511, I would like to be Aristotle, who is in the middle of the painting, wearing a blue and grey Toga. The reason I would like to be Aristotle is because of the idea he brings and the position he is in the whole painting...
Aristotle is a philosopher, who was taught by Plato, and taught Alexander the Great. Aristotle is the founder of formal logic, an idea that was pioneered by zoology. Although many of the major scientific advances made by the world is made by tackling Aristotle's idea, one shouldn't forget that all scientists who came after him are in debt to him, as he was the one who created formal logic. Also, one shouldn't forget that his ideas were made 23 centuries ago.
In the painting, Aristotle represents the side which is interested in the world that we could see and could observe. Aristotle is in the middle of the painting along with Plato. I would like to be Aristotle, as he is one of the figures that get the most attention, and the fact that he is presumingly the leader of the half which believes in observing the world by our senses. Aristotle's idea agrees to mine, as I think that the world has to be observed, and not thought about. I enjoy observing and talking about what is happening around me,l and what has happened before me. Aristotle was the same. When I grow up, perhaps,I would like to be like him, if I ever have the fortune to do so...
Sources
http://www.claudiampublications.com/images/Reflection.jpg
http://peanut1red.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/aristotle3.jpg
