De School van Athene (linker deel) 1530 - 1582

Giorgio Ghisi created this section of "The School of Athens" using engraving techniques, sometime between 1515 and 1582. During the Renaissance, classical antiquity served as a touchstone for artistic and intellectual endeavors. Ghisi reflects this cultural infatuation by depicting philosophers and scholars from the ancient world. But the idea of 'antiquity' was itself a social construct: Who got included, and who was left out? Engravings like this one served as a means of disseminating knowledge and artistic ideas across Europe. The lack of diversity, however, points to the exclusionary practices embedded in historical narratives. It prompts us to reflect on who gets to be remembered, and whose contributions are marginalized or forgotten. Consider how this image, while celebrating intellectual achievement, also subtly reinforces existing power structures and biases. It reminds us that even in the pursuit of knowledge, questions of identity and representation are always at play.