School of Athens c. 19th century

Editor: So, this is Guiseppe Mochetti's "School of Athens," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It feels so grand, almost overwhelming. What's your take on its significance? Curator: It invites a critical examination of who is represented in the pursuit of knowledge and who is excluded. Who gets to be a philosopher, a mathematician, a celebrated thinker? And whose voices are absent from this historical narrative? Editor: That's a powerful question. It makes you wonder about the silences within such a celebrated scene. Curator: Exactly. Consider the socio-political implications of representing knowledge through a specific, often exclusive, lens. Reflecting on how power operates in shaping our understanding of history is key. Editor: I see it now. It is not just an image, but a document that tells us as much about then as it does about now.