Akademik

   A school of philosophical thought founded by Plotinus in the sixth century. Inspired by the writings of Plato, Plotinus concluded that it is from the One, Intelligence, and the Soul that all existence emanates. For him, it is through intellectual contemplation that these three can be united as a single, all-encompassing reality. The soul possesses a higher, purer form and a lower corrupt part that causes mundane individuals to give into their passions and vices. Those who are enlightened achieve their soul's ascent to the highest level through contemplation. Neoplatonism greatly influenced Christianity. The three hypostases of the One, Intelligence, and the Soul parallels the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the concept of attaining greater heights through contemplation translates to the ascent of the soul to heaven as reward for proper Christian behavior through prayer and meditation.

   The recovery of Greek manuscripts in the 13th century from Byzantium by the Crusaders and their systematic translation into Latin in the 15th century occasioned the revival of Neoplatonism. Marsilio Ficino's founding of the Platonic Academy in Florence under the auspices of the Medici and the writings in which he tried to reconcile Neoplatonism and Christianity sparked further interest in the philosophy. Eventually, every aspect of life was touched by Neoplatonism, including art, and theorists such as Giovanni Battista Agucchi and Giovan Pietro Bellori were soon instigating artists to improve upon what they viewed as the imperfect, corrupt nature by rendering it not as they saw it, but as the higher, more perfect version they envisioned. Among the artists whose works have been interpreted along the lines of Neoplatonism are Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Annibale Carracci.