Let Me Paint This Picture For You

Mrs. Everett asked us to write about a painting, a sculpture, something that stood out to us at the end of our second seminar: Roman Art History. So I picked The School of Athens by Raphael. I have no idea why I love this painting so much. I remember seeing this painting for the first time in my 6th grade history book. For some reason I was captured by it, at the time I had no clue that the version in my textbook was only a part of the painting. I went home after school and told my older brother, Alex, a philosophy buff, about what I had seen. He brought me to his computer and showed me the full sized painting. I was amazed. He explained to me who Plato and Aristotle were, what ideas about the world they had. He showed me Raphael hidden in the right hand corner, and Michelangelo painted in the front left. I sat on his green carpet for hours learning about these different men and other master pieces they had created. He taught me better than my 6th grade teacher, who just skimmed over pages hoping we wouldn't ask her questions. I learned so much from this painting, not only about Raphael’s beautiful art but a part of my brother that brought him so much joy: teaching, philosophy, art. It is odd to think about a painting that was made in 1509, capturing the greatest thinkers in the world, effecting my brother and myself in 2005. Something from so long ago affecting a 12 and a 17 year old. One art piece makes someone feel something they cannot even explain. I can tell you a bunch of symbolic or heartfelt answers of why this painting sticks out to me: but the truth is, I have no clue why, I don’t know why as my teacher flipped through pages I sat on the same page looking into each of the faces in the painting and reading anything I could find about it. I know that I love it, and I know that it makes me feel good when looking at it, isn’t that all one can ask for in a painting? Isn’t that all an artist can hope for? That no matter if they were hired by a Pope to paint a giant mural or just sitting in a class room drawing in a sketch book that their art makes them feel good inside and makes an on looking spectator feel the same? I hope so.

I could go on and on about the things I learned this Saturday in Mrs. Everett’s seminar: debating whether or not Mr. Sullivan was wrong (heaven forbid!) about the Pantheon not letting any rain in through it’s 30ft wide hole, or how Michelangelo had such a symbolic way to say “Go to hell.” to his least favorite Cardinal. How in The School of Athens, Raphael painted Michelangelo in the style that Michelangelo used himself (very muscular). How the Romans would just steal the art they wanted, even the Cardinals. How ridiculously concerned Emperors were about making a piece of art that would represent them better than any other Emperor, and how glad I am that they were. I could tell you all the interesting fun facts that I wrote down in my notes but I wanted to really focus on one piece of art. And I want you to focus on your favorite piece of art too. I leave you with this task: Find that painting, that sculpture, that drawing your niece did for you when she was 3 that is hanging on your refrigerator. Tell me about it. Everything, anything. What about it makes you feel good inside?

-Kathleen Snook