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Raphael's Stanze at the Vatican |
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written
by saruw / 09.17.2004 |
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Personal Observations |
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When assigned this topic I hardly had any idea how prominent a place Raphael had in the Renaissance. As a poorly studied art historian, I could only name Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci off the top of my head as famous artists from the Renaissance. One google query later, and I realized that I was given the opportunity to study one of the greatest artists of all time, who packed some amazing works of art into his short 37 year life. At a quick glance, the School of Athens can be praised for its great detail and stellar use of perspective. I had no idea the can of worms that could be opened by trying to figure out the identities of the characters. I couldn~{!/~}t believe the great detail that Raphael purposely went to in an effort to achieve perfect balance. The relationship between the walls to promote a powerful conglomeration of ideas combined with the faces in the paintings being intentionally painted to make reference to the famous books which were stored on the rooms shelves floored me. When Pope Julius II walked into this library in 1512, he was just as lucky as I felt the day we went on the tour. Pictures and websites do Raphael no justice with regards to the immense size and power that the walls emanate into a rather small room. I found it most interesting to study the progression in ability inspired by Michelangelo that can be noticed by even the worst art-eye. Also, I felt the inclusion of his two great masters~{!/~} faces into the painting was similar to the way that great athletes, actors, and musicians praise their teachers when given the chance after being honored themselves. I feel so rewarded for spending the time to learn in great depth the power of the amazing Room of the Segnatura.
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