A Star is BORN!

"Raphael incorporated well-known people of his time into [his renowned School of Athens], such as Leonardo, Michelangelo--and even himself; perhaps he is suggesting that artists are the true stars of his era." - Drogin

Part of the Renaissance was indeed the celebration of art--but more important than the art was the arteests. As we discussed in class, and as Jennifer talked about in her post, the individual was the big star of the Renaissance. And what better way to honor a star than what Raphael did? There is something very worshipful in nestling a person into the beauty of a popular medium of art. People did this throughout time, and they do this now.

Think about Moroni naming the Book of Mormon in honor of his dad.

What about Dante putting Virgil in his The Inferno?

We've all seen animated characters who look like their voice actors.

And of course, people like Peter Jackson slip themselves into the movies they produce.

Doing things like this suggests that these people deserved it. Moroni loved his dad and had watched him pore over the plates of scripture all his life--why not name the completed abridgement after him? And Peter Jackson did a heck of a lot of work in New Zealand for his film trilogy. Shouldn't there be a shot of him eating a carrot in Bree? Of course, those two examples are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but they both represent the same idea. People in the Renaissance believed--and apparently we believe--that the creators, the artists, the stars, deserve to be recognized. 

...But do they? Should we still do what Raphael did? Because in my life, I've found that when I do something "worthy" of praise, that I like the praise to be directed to me, not just to my work. Is this not a common pursuit--to be the creator of something glorious, and then to get the glory for it?

And I know that the Renaissance was about turning from religion...but in the meantime, don't we forget the Creator who gave us these marvelous abilities in the first place?