Saturday, January 17, 2015

Raphael Rooms - Raphael


We just learned about the famous work of art The Equestrian Statue of Gattamelata by Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, also known as Donatello.

Another famous work of art is a collection of paintings called the Raphael Rooms by artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, also known as Raphael in Italy in 1509.

Just like Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, these were frescoes.
They were painted during the Italian Renaissance, which was a time when artists from all over Europe came to Italy to share their art and work with other artists.

The leaders of the Catholic church named Pope Julius II asked Raphael to paint four rooms, and in each room to paint all four walls and the ceiling, which is twenty paintings.

Unfortunately, Raphael died after he had only completed two of the rooms, so the other artists that he worked with finished the other rooms.

The first room he painted was The Stanza della segnatura, meaning Room of the Signatura.
The four paintings there were to represent theology (God), philosphy (wisdom), jurisprudence (law) and poetry.

The painting for philosophy was called The School of Athens and many people feel it was his greatest painting ever.

Raphael painted 21 different people in the painting, and the people in the painting are supposed to be famous philosophers through history.
Two of the most famous philosophers were Aristotle and Plato, who are in the middle of the room by the door.
Each of the philosophers is dressed and posed different, to help show who they all are and the things in life they tried to study.

(from: wikipedia - the school of athens)


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