Questioning Authority in the School of Athens

On a recent trip to Rome, I was walking through the halls of the Vatican museums and after entering one of the Raphael rooms, I turned my head to discover, to my amazement, my favorite fresco: The School of Athens. I had somehow forgotten that this image resided inside the walls of the Vatican, so the unexpected encounter with it was the most delightful surprise. The School of Athens has been one of my favorite artworks for a while, partly because of all the nostalgic memories of entire afternoo...