Why is the Pagan, "The School of Athens" fresco relevant in the Vatican?(part 3)

[Why is the Pagan, "The School of Athens" fresco relevant in the Vatican?(part 3)]

In a blog, I have to limit myself to write the short version of the same thing I would have if I were to write a book. I may be, therefore, accused of over simplification.

Let us ponder about the common denominator among the three: Apelles, Heraclitus, and the goddess Diana (Artemis).

They all have something to do with Ephesus. A great temple of Diana/Artemis in Ephesus, one of the 7 wonders of the world, was rebuilt many times, once after the flood, and again after being burnt by Herostratus, and after being destroyed by Goths, and so on.
One of the curious characteristics of the statue has to do with the lady having the multiple breasts. One reason could be that she was there to feed and to nurture the hungry (souls).

Apelles, the legendary painter, had first studied with the teacher, Ephorus of Ephesus. The legend has that his portrait painting of Alexander the Great was at the temple of Diana.

Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic philosopher known for the idea of the union of the opposite, Logos, and the eternal fire, was a native of Ephesus, although he being a aristocratic decent, hated the common people of Ephesus. He also had said : "To God all things are beautiful, good, and right. Men, on the other hand, deem some things right and others wrong."
(citation: http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Philosophy/Heraclitus.html)

Now let us "baptize" these elements.

It is interesting to note that the above quote reminds us of Genesis, where Elohim, after examining the creation, proclaim(s) that it is good, and later, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the Knowledge of Good and Evil (right and wrong).

Heraclitus spoke of Logos and the fire as the essential element. Logos is mentioned and understood differently by the different philosophers, but it was later equated as Christos/Christ, and there is the mentioning of the baptism by the fire in Matthew 3:11. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist spoke of a being who will baptize everyone with the Holy Spirit( Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ ) and the fire. In John 14:16-17, the Holy Spirit as the comforter (παράκλητον /parakleton) is mentioned by Jesus.  Later, at the Pentecost, the tongues of fire also appears to the disciples.

Finally, let us contemplate about Diana. In Christianity, the figure of Charity is often breast feeding the ones in need, but if we look again at the image, Diana is not the one who is sitting on the throne. The throne itself has the two images of Diana. This lady who sits on such throne is Sophia, a being of Wisdom, similar yet different from Athena-Minerva.
It is interesting to know that when the temple of Diana was destroyed for the last time by the Christians, the remnants from the temple were actually used in Constantinople and especially for the columns for Hagia Sophia, the great Byzantine Church! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis )

The name "Hagia Sophia" means the "Holy Wisdom"; therefore, from such point of view, this lady in the ceiling tondo may represents, not only the pre-Christian Greek wisdom, but the Baptized Wisdom as well, especially of the Eastern (Greek Orthodox/Byzantine)Churches.

(It is also interesting to note that in 1453, Constantinople fell to the invasion by Ottoman Empire, and the flood of the Greek refugees came to "Italy", so perhaps, this fresco may be paying homages to the brother Empire, although the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Catholic "empire" were not necessary friendly towards each other during the Middle Ages.)

So, this fresco of "The School of Athens" along with the "Philo-Sophia" tondo on the ceiling represents the elements that were sort of the prefiguration of Christianity, thus relevant in the Vatican.

Why is the Pagan, "The School of Athens" fresco relevant in the Vatican?(part 2)

[Why is the Pagan, "The School of Athens" fresco relevant in the Vatican?(part 2)]

In the previous posting, I have introduced some of the reasons why this fresco abundant with the pagan theme was commissioned and accepted by the Vatican. In this posting, I would like to dig a little deeper. At the end of the previous posting, I have posed the question: "What is Plato pointing at?"

Let us examine this.

We can see that Plato is pointing upwards. This gesture of using the index finger may suggest that he is directing the viewer towards something important. This gesture can be seen in the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci. Saint Thomas in "The Last Supper" and the enigmatic figure in what is known as "St. John the Baptist" are making the similar gestures.
Above Plato, there are 3 window like openings, and we can see the sky. Number 3, of course, can suggest the Holy Trinity.

Nevertheless, I feel that there are even more important elements placed beyond these 3 openings at the top of this fresco. I have mentioned before that there are ceiling paintings beyond the fresco walls.  There is a tondo fresco directly above "The School of Athens" fresco showing a lady sitting on the throne holding the two books with each titled, "Moralis" and "Naturalis". These two books correspond with the two books, "Timeo/Timaeus" and "Etica/Ethics", held by Plato and Aristotle. ("Moralis" = "Ethics / "Naturalis" = "Timaeus")
She is a personification of Philosophy or Sophia (Wisdom) herself. Behind her, there are some Latin words inscribed on the two panels carried by the children: "CAVSARVM COGNITIO (Causarum Cognitio) / the Knowledge of the Causes
Her golden throne has the two sculptures showing the Goddess Diana with many breasts. Diana is a Roman name for the Greek Goddess Artemis, and she is a virgin moon goddess. Moon "reflects" the sun light as we reflect with our reason.
She is gazing towards her right. Her eyes are looking slightly above. Although there are many fresco panels on the ceiling, she seems to be not looking at any of them.
Because the ceiling is curved, the direction/"path" of her gaze also curves like the bullet trajectory, and it would eventually end at the center of the fresco, "Parnassus." There is Apollo at the upper center of this fresco, and Apollo is a Greco-Roman sun god. He is gazing above as if to meet the gaze of Diana.

Are any of these elements relevant in the Vatican? Considering how Catholic Christians had been zealously destroying the pagan idols since the establishing of the new state religion in the Roman Empire, it may seem quite odd to see this much pagan elements in the center of the Catholic religion.

If you are careful, you can observe an oddity in "The School of Athens".

I would like you to focus onto a man who is sitting in the foreground, the lower left side of the fresco from the viewer, contemplating and holding a pen to write something on the paper. He seems to be isolated from the rest and/or indifferent or oblivious to the others and the events surrounding him. If you pay attention to his feet, you can see that he is wearing the boots. While all the others are either wearing the sandals or being barefooted, this fellow is not. The legend says that the model for this figure is Michelangelo and the person portrayed here is the great Heraclitus.
Heraclitus was from the aristocratic family, and he was a misanthropist. The one who proclaimed that "all things are ever in a state of flux" was also a pessimist.   Nevertheless, he was a great philosopher who had discovered the existence of Logos, the organizing principle which brings order to the universe, so to speak. While Thales considered the water as the essential element and Anaximenes, the air, Heraclitus considered the fire as the essence and equated with Logos. This fire seems to be the fire that consumes the universe to destroy it in order to renew it as the Phoenix.
This figure of Heraclitus was not included in the original cartoon of the fresco, and it was later added before the fresco was completed.
It is interesting to note that you can draw a line connecting Heraclitus and Philo-Sophia via Plato's raised right hand.

If you turn to the right corner of the fresco, you can see the young Raphael posed as the legendary Greek painter, Apelles. The Renaissance painters sometimes placed themselves in the paintings as the participant and /or the witness. Apelles was a court painter to both King Philip of Macedon and King Alexander the Great. King Philip was King Alexander's father.

There happens to be a common denominator amongst Heraclitus, Apelles, and the two figures (Goddess Diana x 2) of the throne of Philo-Sophia.

What then, is this common denominator?
(...to be continued...)

Why is the Pagan, "The School of Athens" fresco relevant in the Vatican?

[Why is the Pagan, "The School of Athens" fresco relevant in the Vatican?]

I have mentioned briefly during my previous post that Aristotle was incorporated into the Catholic theology by Saint Thomas Aquinas. In fact, when I was studying the history of western philosophy, I remember hearing that Aristotle's philosophy was "baptized" by Saint Thomas Aquinas.

It is interesting to observe that this fresco is facing another fresco depicting the Christian theological dispute titled,"Disputa."
While some have placed the themes of these two fresco as rivaling or opposing, I hold the exact opposite stand point. As the old philosophy was "baptized," and the new churches were built on the old sacred sites, the Greco-Roman philosophy became the ground/soil where the early Christianity had sprouted. In fact, Saint Paul, in his speech, recognized the magnanimous hearts of the ancient Greeks who had built the alter for "the unknown god" (Acts 17:23).

Many things can be said about the importance of this fresco from the point of view of the 15th/16th century Catholic theology, but today, I would like to be selective and point out only a few things.

Because the way the perspective is used, it is very easy for us to focus onto the two central figures, Plato and Aristotle.
First of all, how do we know that these are Plato and Aristotle?
If you pay attention to the books they are holding, you can get the sort of the hint. An older looking person is holding a book with the inscribed title, "Timeo (Timaeus/Timaios)," and the younger looking person is holding a book with the title, "Etica (Nicomachean Ethics)."
"Timaeus" is one of the dialogues of Plato, and "Nicomachean Ethics" is one of the several works on ethics by Aristotle. It is very interesting to point that "Timaeus" mentions about the creation of the universe by "demiurge," a Divine presence. Through "Nicomachean Ethics", Aristotle expressed how to be ethically virtuous. If we pay attention to the gestures of the two, Plato is pointing upwards with his right hand, and Aristotle is pointing downwards with his right hand thus creating sort of upward and downward movements. At the same time, Plato's pointing index finger may represent the singularity (of the Divine = one god), and Aristotle's open hand may represents the multiplicity (many men/women)thus forming the one and the many relationship.
Plato is known for his philosophy on Idea-lism and the dualism (i.e., body and soul), while Aristotle is known for his Categories and Metaphysics.

Without going into detail of rather complex philosophy of the two, and just by observing their gestures and the two books in this fresco, we can see the correlation to Christian theology (of pre-reformation 15th/16th century "Italy").
"Timaeus" held by Plato points to the creator (demiurge/god), and Plato is, in fact, pointing upwards. The book is held vertically, thus suggesting the vertical relationship between the creator and the creation below. One of the major themes in the biblical scriptures is to remember where we have come from and who is the Creator of this universe.
If this idea is "baptized", then, it would lead to one of the two most important commandments given by Jesus: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." (Luke:10:27 / King James)

"Ethics" held by Aristotle, with his right hand with its palm open to suggest the many, points downwards to the humanity amongst the universe. He asks, "How can the humans be happy?" The answer leads to the practical life lived (practiced) with virtue. Ethics is related to all of us that is equal under the Creator. The book is held horizontally, and it is suggesting the horizontal relationships of the humanity.
If this idea is "baptized", it may lead to the second commandment by Jesus: "...and (love)thy neighbour as thyself." (Ibid)

While "Timaeus" connects evil with the physical body and admitting the existence of the essence of evil that cannot be overcome by effort (will) nor the power of reason (nous) alone, "Nicomachean Ethics" disagree with such view and puts evil back to our responsibility and, in a way, rejects the idea of Platonic view of the inevitability of evil.
If we "baptize" these ideas, the Platonic evil can be understood from the point of view of the original sin where the grace from Divine alone may be able to transform such condition. The Aristotelian evil can be prevented or overcome by following the 10 Commandments, etc.

Furthermore, if we superimpose the images of these two books (placed vertically and horizontally), we have the symbolic "cross".


As we can see that even if we limit ourselves to the observation of the gestures of the two central figures, we can make the connection to the Catholic theology of.

...then, my next question is: "What is Plato pointing at?"
(...to be continued)

"The School of Athens"

["The School of Athens"]

I have mentioned in the previous blog that "The School of Athens" predominantly shows the well known ancient Greek philosophers.

Have you ever wondered why the pre-Christian 'Pagan' school of philosophy is allowed to be on the Signature Room wall of the Vatican? ... and not only that the tondo ceiling painting is also depicting the Pagan theme?

As I have said before in my blog, in order to be fair, we must see the mural from the point of view of the ones who had envisioned and commissioned to Raphael.
When we study about the Renaissance paintings, we must never forget that most of them were the commissioned paintings. The so called, artists, back then were more like the artisan/craftsman. They took the commissions to live. As a matter of fact, the commissions needed the final approval of the clients. At the same time, the nature of each commission is the so called, "made to order." The clients did 'order' what to paint. They even specified what sort of the color and the pigment they want the painters to use! There is an evidence of the copy of the original contract between a client and Ghirlandaio (one of the Master teachers of Michelangelo) where a client specifies what pigment to be used!

(..from the actual contract between Domenico Ghirlandaio and the Prior of the Spedele degli Innocenti)

"...and he must colour the panel at his own expense with good colours and with powdered gold on such ornaments as demand it,  with any other expense incurred on the same panel, and the blue must be ultramarine of the value about four florins the ounce..."

(citation: page 6, "Painting and Experience in Fifteenth Century Italy" by Michael Baxandall / Oxford University Press  1972)


If the painter fail to comply after signing the contract, he is subjected to the litigation. If the client is the Church, one can face the inquisition and the death penalty (burnt at the stake after being subjected to the torture)!!!!

So, it is obvious that the client, in this case, Pope Julius II, and Raphael's Papal advisers had approved the fresco, and the subsequent Popes as well. I say this because there is the case with Michelangelo where the later Pope (Pope Pius IV) had ordered the lesser known painter, Daniele da Volterra, to over paint the unacceptable portions of the original mural.
We have to keep in mind that during those eras, unless one has the extensive theological knowledge (as Fra Angelico, who was a painter and a revered Dominican monk) and the wit to convince or persuade the Papal court, a painter remained as a simple tool for the court to manifest their visions.

Then, why did the Pope commissioned Raphael to paint this fresco and the tondos above?
What is the relation/connection between the Vatican / Catholic Christianity and the ancient Greek (Pagan) philosophy/philosophers?

If this was the painting of or about Aristotle, it is easier to understand, for the philosophy of Aristotle was highly valued and incorporated into the theology of Catholic Christianity by Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the Dominican Angelic Doctor of the Church who is considered one of the most important Catholic Theologians.

We shall explore on this in the future.
Thank you!

Male or Female?

[Male or Female?]

Please take a good look at these 2 images.
Can you tell me the gender of these 2 figures?
(I am sure that if you have studied the Art history, you already know the answers.)
Male? or Female?
By the way, if you have kindly answered on the wall section of my facebook profile, I thank you very much!
Very well then, let us begin with the image A.

If you have thought that this is a male figure, you are correct.
At the same time, if you have thought that this is a female figure, you are correct, too!
How so? How can a person be both male and female?
This, of course, would require an explanation.

First of all, this image (A) is from one of the four fresco murals titled, "The School of Athens," and it was painted by Raphael(Raffaello Sanzio). It was painted between 1510-1511 in the Stanza della Segnatura of the Vatican. The theme of this fresco can be Philosophy (pre-Christian), and it is situated directly under the tondo(round)-fresco titled, “Causarum Cognitio(Cognition/Knowledge of Causes).”
As a matter of fact, most of the characters in this fresco are the ancient Greek philosophers with the two beings, Plato and Aristotle, towering at the central portion of the fresco. The legend has it that the model of Plato was Leonardo da Vinci, whom Raphael adored.
The image A in question is from the lower left(of the viewer)section of this fresco.
If you feel that the gender of this being is not necessary clear, you have the point, for the male model is used to portray the female character. Using a male model for a female is not so surprising, for Michelangelo is known for that.
In the world of music, the role of soprano used to be played by a male singer (counter tenor and castrato).

The name of the model is Francesco Maria Della Rovere, an actual historical figure. Francesco was the nephew of Giuliano della Rovere (Pope Julius II).
The character portrayed here is Hypatia, a well known female ancient Greek scholar from Alexandria (..who was brutally murdered by the fanatic early Christian mobs). According to a legend, she had remained a virgin and rejected the 'carnal desires.' She had lectured boldly as if she were a man.

Let us move onto the image B. If you have thought that this is a male figure, you are correct. This image is the part of one of the four fresco murals I have mentioned above in the Stanza della Segnatura, and the title is "Disputa (Disputation of the Holy Sacrament)." While the upper half of this mural is depicting the Biblical personages, the lower part consists of the historical personages. In here, the figure in question is portrayed as Francesco Maria Della Rovere himself, and he is standing next to Bramante, a Papal court appointed architect, who happens to be the relative of Raphael.

Now you have the answers. Now we are ready to explore a figure in Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." ...and that will be discussed in the future blog of mine...
Thank you friends!