The School of Athens! A famous painting of a near mythological place. Raphael’s piece from the early 1500s is eye catching and enchanting. Featuring a large number of figures lounging about, contemplating, and discussing various topic. The painting is not historically accurate, nor is intended to be. Besides the use of some building techniques not known at the time, like the iconic arch, the figures in this painting are from many times and places. Of course, here in the modern day, we can mat and frame them any which we way like, something they would surely be jealous of.
Yes, that’s right. Many of the figures shown here in the School are not random faces. Though not all have been identified, and many are in dispute, there are a number who are clearly meant to depict certain people from history. The two most noticeable are Aristotle and Plato, the central figures of the painting. They are very interesting men, who represent two different ways of thinking about the world.
Broadly speaking, Aristotle was more of a scientist, shown above in a painting by Rambrandt. He was interested in finding rational, provable explanations for the world around him. He would look at things in nature and want to find out more about them, about ho they worked. He studied the four elements in an attempt to find out what the world was made of. He also wrote about storytelling, economics, physics, and government. Indeed, it was men like him who discovered the golden ratio, which is so helpful in framing, and many aspects of the design.
Plato was different, more of a philosopher, shown partly in the painting above by Jacques-Louis David (who’s work we have looked at before), which is technically focused on Plato’s own teacher, Socrates. His studies overlapped Aristotle, in that he also wrote about the ideal forms of government and morality. But he worked with ideals, more based on theory than observation of existing ideas. His Allegory of the Cave is an interesting way of looking how the way the world is shaped.
Plato and Aristotle, as the central figures, represent the two very different ways of thinking about the word, which leads to one of my favorite observations about the piece. The actual historical figures in the paintings are on their proper side of the school. That is, the “scientists” tend to go on the right with Aristotle, and the philosophers on the left with Plato. This is more of a theory, since the identities of the figures aren’t all 100% confirmed, but I always thought it helped bring this piece together.
The hard work of all our artists and/or framing novices does not go unnoticed so we’re honored to present to you the winners in our 6 coveted categories. Their choice of color, quality, size and even core allowed them to stand out amongst the 200+ submissions. You have all done so well to make this [
Valentines Day Matboard and Frame Ideas Custom Heart Shaped Matboards A Valentine Day matboard and frame is a great gift to show someone how much you care. A heart shaped matboard and frame is a simple yet thoughtful way to show your appreciation. See our custom designs for loving gift ideas this Valentines Day. Contact us with [
2019 Photo Contest We are launching our biggest contest ever! E-mail or Instagram a picture of our mattes or frames with your artwork for a chance to win up to $200. This is a fun way to share your artwork with our audience and show case how you use our custom matting and framing products! [
We are launching the first and biggest ever award show dedicated to your matted art! E-mail or Instagram a picture of your artwork with one of our products, for a chance to win up to $200 or our brand new Matboard and More merchandise. This is a fun way to share your artwork with our [
2022 Christmas Submissions 2022 was an incredible year all around for Matboard and More. We are excited to share with you some of the customer submissions from the holiday season. It’s always an honor for us when our custom mats and picture frames are utilized to showcase your gifts and treasured art pieces. To be [
Custom Opening Shapes Available In addition to oval opening matboards, we’ve added unique corners including Diamond, Rounded, Angled, Step and Circle corners. Explore all our new custom mat board openings now.
Come take a look behind the curtain to see the magic of making custom matboards and frames! Our facility in Marietta, GA is where we create all of our products. We are proud to source from US suppliers and make everything in house. This ensure we have the highest quality and standards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGZ288Jf6ds Matboard Storage [
Jen A is this years winner of the photo contest! This picture is so perfectly framed, pardon the pun. This year was definitely the best in terms of quality of photos. We had so many creative submissions and it was very challenging for our team to choose, but Jen A stood out with her gorgeous [
V-Grooves Available for Custom Matting V-Grooves are a shallow cut across the mat which exposes the core color of the top mat. V-Grooves can be cream, white or black depending on the mat core color. Your matboards will have extra flair and style that will make uniquely display your art. Add a V-Groove with just 1 click on [