The School of Athens piece by Raphael is representative of the Renaissance in several ways. The Renaissance period was the rebirth of ancient Rome, and their influence is clearly evident in the architecture of the building (ex. the arches). The piece represents the foundation/potential of human knowledge; it signifies a shift to modernization, where religion is still important, but math and science are also highly valued and humanity is celebrated. It is believed that some subjects present in the paining include Aristotle and Socrates. The painting contains key Renaissance-period elements, such as vanishing point (perspective) and balance & symmetry (proportion).