School of Athens (Raphael) Easter Egg - Raphael in Painting

Did you also know that Raphael initially disliked Michelangelo but after he saw the Sistine Chapel ceiling, he added him to the School of Athens painting. In the center near the bottom you can see Michelangelo seated on the step. Raphael had to chip away the dryed fresco coating and add him after his observations of his work.

The man "playing the game" is Archimedes. Behind and above him is Bramante. Raphael is in the group standing to their right, next to the pillar. The group is Zoroaster, Ptolemy, Raphael (looking at you), and Perugino. The two figures in the center are Aristotle (jesturing to the Earth) and Plato (pointing to the Heavens). Plato is Leonardo. Allegedly, everyone in the fresco is a philosopher portrayed by a friend/contemporary of Raphael.

Pretty much everyone in the painting is a philosopher or Renaissance artist. Thats why its called "School of Athens." The famous philosophers were from Greece and during the Renaissance, students studied the works of the Greek thinkers. This isn't an Easter Egg at all, just the story behind the painting.

Dolorem, i agree. And, on top of that, it's a relatively well-known fact. I must of learned this in, hrm, maybe fourth grade when we used to have the "picture person" come to our class...

Not to be a pain, but this isn't so much of a secret. It was meant to depict great masters by using new masters to represent the old. A combining of the best elements, so to speak. I guess though that it is interesting in that you don't necessarily recognize whom is depicted without a little help.

Guns and Roses lifted a detail from this classic for the cover of "Use Your Illusion". --iaTr

An easy way to find Raphael: he is the only person in the painting looking at the viewer.

Look its right here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Athens