Thursday, January 26, 2012

Journal #3: School of Athens by Raphael

Raphael
School of Athens
1510
200 x 300 inches
Fresco Painting
Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/SDR/SDR_03_SalaSegn.html

2 comments:

  1. Raphael
    School of Athens
    1510
    200 x 300 inches
    Fresco Painting
    Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

    Even though I hate this style of art/paintings, I have respect for a 200 x 300 in. painting. There is a lot of detail put into large pieces like this. Everything, as far as the building goes, seems perfect. The ceiling and walls show great depth and space as if the building a very large. The lines that make up the floor, walls, and ceiling perfectly straight. Although statues and the building itself is mainly off-white, there is still a large variety of color used in the peoples clothing. This allows for them to stand out and for the viewer to pay more attention to what the people are doing. It also allows for each person to contrast with the person beside them because a different color is used on each person. I think it is very interesting how each person is doing their own thing or associating with other people. It makes the environment look busy and lively. My eyes did not just go to the people when I first looked at this piece but to the two men in the center of the picture. This is because behind them is the blue sky which is not a color used very much in the painting. I think the artist was trying to express the importance of these two individuals by not only placing them in the center but adding the blue sky behind them to make them stand out as well.

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  2. Raphael
    School of Athens
    1510
    200 x 300 inches
    Fresco Painting
    Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

    Unlike most of the other blogs, I appreciate this painting a lot because I have seen it and know the hard work that must have taken years to finish. Raphael painted the people around the building with brighter clothing to show contrast with the colors. Also he used the proportions very well in making the building look like it actually goes back. I'm pretty sure this painting is supposed to be about the philo0sophers when they were learning new inventions and paying attention to the stars and planets. For me, my eyes go to the floor. I like how he painted them in that perspective because im p0retty sure in that time period, art like this was just beginning. From my first thoughts about this, I liked it, and finishing this critique, I still like it. I think it is very impressive that he did all those p0eople, because as I have learned, people are very hard to do! And I wouldnt have the patience.

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