This is a picture of a painting that when I first saw in class the other day I fell in love with. Something about this painting made me calm and it attracted me immediately. I found it extremely beautiful, but I cannot quite define if it has a religious or a classical theme, because for me the two philosophers in the center of the painting seem like two gods, and the whole atmosphere in the building is so peaceful and welcoming that just isn’t real! This painting was painted by a twenty seven year old artist called Raphael Sanzio. There is not an exact date as to when this painting was painted, but it’s between 1508-1511. He used the technique called fresco, which is basically a very hard technique because the colors cannot blend together, so more layers and different shades of colors will express volume and depth to the painting. The artist used perspective, that makes everything look three dimensional and of course the painting has two basic characteristics that meet the criteria for a Renaissance painting, it has a vanishing point and a horizon. Where the two philosophers are in the center of the painting is the vanishing point and the diagonal lines right below the arcs lead the eye right there and the colors fade as they are further back where the colors at the front are bright. It is a realistic piece but I think that a real school in Athens wouldn’t look so peaceful and harmonious even back then, but he diffidently made it look like a Greek school because the architecture of the building is clearly Greek style.
http://artpuzzlesgallery.com/?School-of-Athens-Raphael-Sanzio
No comments:
Post a Comment