The School of Athens, 1512
Raphael
Fresco · 550 x 770 cm
Ancient philosophers debate beneath painted arches that seem to extend the real room.
Raphael gathers the great philosophers of antiquity beneath soaring arches, Plato and Aristotle at the vanishing point. A perfect marriage of drama and geometry, this Vatican fresco is a defining monument of the High Renaissance and of human reason.
What you're looking at
The faces are people Raphael knew. Plato, pointing upward at the centre, is given Leonardo's head; the brooding figure sprawled on the steps was added late and is Michelangelo, who was painting the Sistine ceiling in the next building at the time; Raphael put himself at the right-hand edge, looking out. The architecture behind them was never built — it is a Roman basilica of the kind Bramante was then designing.
On a Frame TV
About 1.84:1, wider than 16:9. The clean crop trims the sides where the crowd thins out and keeps the two central figures where they belong. Bright, warm and evenly lit — an easy picture to place.
Vatican Museums · Visit it in Vatican City →
- 4K master file (3840px+)
- Samsung Frame TV–ready crop
- Phone wallpaper crop
- Printable art card
Public domain · one .zip, no sign-up
More like this
Other works in the collection, starting with Raphael.
