Modulo 4 del videocorso Simboli nell'Arte 2 : simbologia neoplatonica - A1

One of the most interesting symbols that we find in the works of the great masters of the past is that relating to Neoplatonic philosophy. Neoplatonic philosophy was born in ancient Greece, the work of Plotinus. In some ways, they reworked some elements of Plato's philosophy and then gradually, however, over the centuries, it was

first forgotten and then again recalled and reworked by other philosophers, including Marsilio Ficino in the Renaissance, a great scholar of alchemy and astrology, but certainly a master of Neoplatonism. In his academy, which was founded thanks to the patronage of the Medici family, Cosimo de' Medici, Marsilio Ficino built his Academy in Careggi, where the greatest

minds of the time converged, and his influence brought about great changes in the way of thinking in society, precisely his own, but above all in the art contemporary to him and also in that which came after Marsilio Ficino. So much so that even great authors were strongly imbued with Neoplatonism, not only Botticelli, who was one of

the artists who directly attended the Academy in Careggi, but even for example Raphael Michelangelo so we must first of all go and try to understand what the principles of Neoplatonism are see how the great artists have applied them in their works so a large part of the works of the greatest masters of the past

especially the Renaissance are imbued with Neoplatonism and this philosophy was in some way elaborated by Marsilio Ficino to make it also with the principles of Christianity in fact we will see that many Christian or Jewish religious principles are in some way reworked and comparing them with the philosophical principles of Neoplatonism they find a series of