Why it matters
The School of Athens gathers the great thinkers of antiquity around Plato and Aristotle in a vast classical hall, painted with a mastery of perspective Raphael learned from Leonardo. It has been called his masterpiece and the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the Renaissance.
Did you know?
- Plato is believed to have Leonardo da Vinci's features, and Heraclitus those of Michelangelo.
- Raphael included his own self-portrait beside Ptolemy.
- The figure in white on the left is the only one looking straight at the viewer; who it represents is still debated.
Based on the Wikipedia article The School of Athens (CC BY-SA 4.0).
