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If there ever was an opposite to Michelangelo
during the High Renaissance, it was Raphael. The fact that they
were antagonists was clearly seen by their contemporaries. At
the time, they both enjoyed equal fame, although Michelangelo
is definitely better know today (with the possible exception
of those in their late teens or early twenties who watched some
cartoon about ill-behaved turtles with similar names). Anyway,
Raphael combines the best of Leonardo's gentle modulation and
the sculptural power of Michelangelo's figures to create works
that are rich, beautiful and striking. It is Raphael's style
that most art historians point to in order to define the High
Renaissance. In his masterpiece, The School of Athens
(c. 1510-11), above, Raphael pulls out all the stops to create
the perfect Renaissance work. As in Leonardo's Last Supper,
the cast of characters line up with Plato and Aristotle in the
middle, while the Classical architecture acts as a backdrop,
pulling the viewer into the work by means of 1 point perspective.
Borrowing from Michelangelo, the figures are highly sculptural,
twisting and turning with high movement. The theme looks back
to the Classical era.........Greek philosophers, poets, mathematicians
congregating in platonic dialogue........but in a way, the scene
really isn't Greek at all: The space is actually a preview of
the new St. Peter's (Bramante and Raphael were buds, you know)
and the figures are not at all classicised. This fresco, which
stands in the Stanza della Segnatura in the Vatican, is the epitome
of Renaissance humanism.........looking back to Classical achievements
while celebrating the rebirth of human know-how and ability. |
