The School of Athens

The School of Athens

The Renaissance world looked to the classical world for guidance and inspiration. Raphael painted important contemporary scholars as well as scholars of antiquity. For example, Plato points to heaven, Aristotle indicates earth, Socrates counts debating points on his fingers, Diogenes sits sprawled on the steps, Pythagoras demonstrates, Ptolemy holds a globe and Michelangelo sits resting his elbow on a piece of marble. {AM}