A Modern Version of Raphael's School of Athens
My single favorite painting in the history of art is The School of Athens by Raphael. It is a masterful amalgamation of philosophy and art, and it is a staple of western art. While I was contemplating this painting, the idea popped into my head; what if this painting was created with modern figures? I took this idea a step further, and I have found that some of the figures of modernism and postmodernism fit in well with the old painting. Note that I am not an art critic, and while this may be considered blasphemous by some, I’m sorry, but it is more of a philosophical exercise, than an art one. It is possible that I have no idea what I am talking (writing) about, but it was an interesting idea, and I’m going for it.
The two most important people are at the center of the painting; Plato and Aristotle. Unfortunately, there are three titans of modernism- Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. I have no way of determining who are the two most important of the three, I went with Freud, for he is the “father” of psychoanalysis and Nietzsche, because I love Nietzsche and am far from Marx’s biggest fan. In the painting, Aristotle is holding his Nichomachean Ethics, and Plato is clutching a copy of his Timaeus. The latter is a somewhat based on cosmology, and the former a work on ethics. Aristotle is pointing outward, and Plato is pointing upwards. In the modern work, Freud would be Plato, and holding a copy of his Interpretation of Dreams and pointing up, and Nietzsche would be pointing out, holding his Beyond Good and Evil. Marx would be in the center, where the character who I have been told is Socrates or Diogenes. Lastly, I would like to state that Plato looks like Michelangelo and Aristotle looks like Leonardo da Vinci.
Plotinus is also in this painting, and, as a neo-Platonist, it was difficult to find a person to take his place, but if Plato is Freud, then it would be fitting for Carl Jung to be in the place of Plotinus. Plato the character will not necessarily be considered Freud for the duration of this exercise, but for this selection it is the best fit. Some have even described Jung as a neo-Platonist, but I have not studied him enough to make a decision.
Zoroaster (Zarathustra) is also in this painting. He was a Persian prophet, and spurned a centuries old religion, that still is in practice today. The two people I considered for this spot were Báb, the prophet of the Bahá'í Faith and Joseph Smith, the prophet of Mormonism. I decided that the former was a better fit, due to geography and creativity, but Mormonism is the “bigger” religion.
Raphael put himself in this painting, so I would select the foremost artist to take his place. Granted, Michelangelo and Leonardo are, in a way, in the painting, but as the artist of this piece, I deem Pablo Picasso the proper choice. Ptolemy is also in this painting, and he is holding an orb. This was an exceedingly difficult choice, because obviously Albert Einstein must be in this painting, but is it better to put him as Ptolemy, Euclid or Pythagoras? In answering this, I decided to assign Euclid and Pythagoras parts, as well as Ptolemy. Because Ptolemy is holding an orb of the world, is decided that Einstein is best in that role, but what to do with Euclid and Pythagoras? For the former, I have chosen Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, and for the latter I have chosen Leonhard Euler. If Euler is said to be too early a figure for modernism, Gauss would take the place of Pythagoras, and Bernhard Riemann would be Euclid.
The last two western figures are Parimenides and Heraclitus. Both were influential philosophers, the latter slightly more than the former. For that reason, I have chosen Edmund Husserl as Parimenides and Jean-Paul Sartre as Heraclitus. Husserl is credited with being the founder of phenomenology, an important part of 20th century philosophy. Sartre was a major French existentialist. The last major figure in the painting was Ibn Rushd, sometimes known as Averroes. He was an Arab philosopher of the middle ages, and I figured I should use his spot as an important, figure who wasn’t European or American. I have deemed Gandhi (giving a first name is a lost cause) worthy of that spot. Note that I do not love Gandhi, but I believe he is the appropriate person to take the place of Ibn Rushd.
So that is my modern version of The School of Athens. I feel this was an interesting and productive recreational exercise, and I am pleased with the results. Any errors or omissions I made I hope are pointed out by readers, and as always I request it be done respectfully. Thanks, and I would love to go to see the painting in person some day.
The two most important people are at the center of the painting; Plato and Aristotle. Unfortunately, there are three titans of modernism- Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. I have no way of determining who are the two most important of the three, I went with Freud, for he is the “father” of psychoanalysis and Nietzsche, because I love Nietzsche and am far from Marx’s biggest fan. In the painting, Aristotle is holding his Nichomachean Ethics, and Plato is clutching a copy of his Timaeus. The latter is a somewhat based on cosmology, and the former a work on ethics. Aristotle is pointing outward, and Plato is pointing upwards. In the modern work, Freud would be Plato, and holding a copy of his Interpretation of Dreams and pointing up, and Nietzsche would be pointing out, holding his Beyond Good and Evil. Marx would be in the center, where the character who I have been told is Socrates or Diogenes. Lastly, I would like to state that Plato looks like Michelangelo and Aristotle looks like Leonardo da Vinci.
Plotinus is also in this painting, and, as a neo-Platonist, it was difficult to find a person to take his place, but if Plato is Freud, then it would be fitting for Carl Jung to be in the place of Plotinus. Plato the character will not necessarily be considered Freud for the duration of this exercise, but for this selection it is the best fit. Some have even described Jung as a neo-Platonist, but I have not studied him enough to make a decision.
Zoroaster (Zarathustra) is also in this painting. He was a Persian prophet, and spurned a centuries old religion, that still is in practice today. The two people I considered for this spot were Báb, the prophet of the Bahá'í Faith and Joseph Smith, the prophet of Mormonism. I decided that the former was a better fit, due to geography and creativity, but Mormonism is the “bigger” religion.
Raphael put himself in this painting, so I would select the foremost artist to take his place. Granted, Michelangelo and Leonardo are, in a way, in the painting, but as the artist of this piece, I deem Pablo Picasso the proper choice. Ptolemy is also in this painting, and he is holding an orb. This was an exceedingly difficult choice, because obviously Albert Einstein must be in this painting, but is it better to put him as Ptolemy, Euclid or Pythagoras? In answering this, I decided to assign Euclid and Pythagoras parts, as well as Ptolemy. Because Ptolemy is holding an orb of the world, is decided that Einstein is best in that role, but what to do with Euclid and Pythagoras? For the former, I have chosen Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, and for the latter I have chosen Leonhard Euler. If Euler is said to be too early a figure for modernism, Gauss would take the place of Pythagoras, and Bernhard Riemann would be Euclid.
The last two western figures are Parimenides and Heraclitus. Both were influential philosophers, the latter slightly more than the former. For that reason, I have chosen Edmund Husserl as Parimenides and Jean-Paul Sartre as Heraclitus. Husserl is credited with being the founder of phenomenology, an important part of 20th century philosophy. Sartre was a major French existentialist. The last major figure in the painting was Ibn Rushd, sometimes known as Averroes. He was an Arab philosopher of the middle ages, and I figured I should use his spot as an important, figure who wasn’t European or American. I have deemed Gandhi (giving a first name is a lost cause) worthy of that spot. Note that I do not love Gandhi, but I believe he is the appropriate person to take the place of Ibn Rushd.
So that is my modern version of The School of Athens. I feel this was an interesting and productive recreational exercise, and I am pleased with the results. Any errors or omissions I made I hope are pointed out by readers, and as always I request it be done respectfully. Thanks, and I would love to go to see the painting in person some day.
posted by Brian Hillman at 8:47 PM
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