Shadow Shot Sunday

You might not pay that much attention
to the shadows in this room
at the Vatican—it's one of the Raphael
rooms, where he painted his "School of Athens." 

[To see more Sunday Shadows, go here.]

abc Wednesday—X is for "xenophilia"

xenophilia: an attraction to or love of foreign
people, manners, or [in this case] culture.
The ancient Greeks seen here in a fresco by
Raphael ("The School of Athens") can be
admired in the Vatican Museum.


[To see how others handled the letter X,
visit the abc Wednesday meme.]

Mellow Yellow Monday

These details of "The Coronation of Charlemagne"
are in my favorite part of the Vatican Museum,
the Raphael rooms.  Although Raphael is believed
to have made the design for this composition,
the work was probably done by a couple of artists
from his workshop.  Either way, I think it's stunning.

I also love it when the artist includes
a figure like this,  peering out of
the canvas—usually it's a
self-portrait, so I wonder if
this is Raphael (or one of his
colleagues) as a child.
[See more Mellow Yellow here.]