Each artist uses varying principles of design in their works, making every piece of art unique. Design refers to arranging the visual elements to generate the desired aesthetic depending on unity, rhythm, balance, or other principles (Fichner-Rathus, 2016). The Renaissance artist Raphael, the creator of The School of Athens, used varying principles in his composition to demonstrate differences between characters and their relation to a certain group.
The School of Athens represents various individuals, and principles of design help understand people’s contradictions. Raphael employed variety to exaggerate each person’s distinctions, contrast in Plato’s and Aristotle’s clothes to show their mindsets, and emphasis by putting the two philosophers in the center to divide their followers (Fichner-Rathus, 2016). Moreover, the artist utilized balance to depict characters’ distribution of weight, as they have different poses, with some standing, sitting, or poising on one leg (Fichner-Rathus, 2016). Finally, Raphael used unity to show the strategic placement of figures, reflecting that despite people’s disparities, they are united within one school (Fichner-Rathus, 2016). Notably, Raphael also appears to have employed a root five rectangle with the bottom of an image equally divided to place his self-portrait on the right half with a group of rationalists (Fichner-Rathus, 2016). The principles of design in the painting are interconnected and necessary to understanding the composition’s meaning.
To summarize, Raphael utilized such principles as unity, balance, variety, contrast, and emphasis in The School of Athens. As a result, the audience can begin by viewing the whole image and then start to analyze details, such as the division between Plato and Aristotle in the center or a person balancing on one foot. Together, the principles of design generate a complex piece of art.
Reference
Fichner-Rathus, L. (2016). Understanding art (11th Ed.). Cengage Learning US.