“School of Athens” “Night Watch” Comparison Paper

“School of Athens” (1509-1511) by Raphael and Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” (1642) are

pieces of art which portray distinctive historical developments. Both artworks depict groups of

people engaged in diverse activities, portraying the central characteristics of those at the

historical time which the art was developed. The artists utilized a form of metaphor where

objects are placed into the art to portray a specific meaning. In “School of Athens”, Raphael uses

books to signify the schools of thought and philosophy at the time. In “Night Watch”, Rembrandt

uses a musket to signify the civic duty of the guardsmen at the time.

Raphael, the composer of the “School of Athens,” lived and worked in Florence and

Rome for a better part of his life, which was the basis of his artistic style. He is well known for

his use of colors and compositional elegance. He was commissioned by the Pope to paint the

Vatican and created a series of frescoes that are part of his major artistic works. In the “School of

Athens,” Raphael portrays a scene of people sitting , contemplating, debating, etc. The central

figures referred to by the artist in the School of Athens are the two most prominent men in

Ancient Greek philosophy: Plato, on the left, and Aristotle, on the right. Plato is seen pointing

upwards while Aristotle’s hand is raised with the palm facing down as if he is trying to calm or

bless people.

On the other hand, “Night Watch” by Rembrandt is a group portrait of a militia company.

In the painting, Rembrandt depicts the captain and his lieutenant surrounded by a group of

sixteen men. Compared to other artworks showing portraits of civic guards, “Night Watch”

stands out due to its originality. Instead of replicating the typical arrangements of the bows and

arrows, the artist has animated the portrait.

 There is a clear distinction between the two artworks based on the context in which the

art was developed. Due to the inclusion of Plato and Aristotle, each holding books in their left

hand, it is evident that most people engaged in scholarship and literary composition at the time.

As stated above, most people are seen debating or contemplating a subject of their own which

suggests that there was fierce competition among scholars at the time and a depiction of

philosophy. On the contrary, “Night Watch,” shows a group of militiamen holding rifles and

other weapons. This group also seemed to be compact under their captain and were joyful at that

moment. Specific actions are performed by sitters denoted by their roles as militiamen. One of

the noticeable elements of “Night Watch” art is the musket; three of the five musketeers have

been given a prominent place behind the captain and the lieutenant.

Similar to the school of Athens, which simultaneously depicted several activities done by

different groups of people, “Night Watch” shows a group of militia. More so, the artistic uses

specific elements such as books or spears to allow the audience to contextualize the art work.

The books depicted in the “School of Athens” show the context of philosophy, scholarship, or

literary composition.