LEONARDO DA VINCI (1452-1519)
The sky smiled and Da Vinci was born, Leonardo. The impact and resonance of his contribution to humanity cannot be measured in simple mortal terms. Driven by an insatiable thirst for knowledge, his life’s work is an impressive synthesis of art, science and technology.
How is it that a figure who lived almost five centuries ago continues to fascinate and capture our interest today? With the recent discovery of a Da Vinci study that had been sealed for centuries and the ongoing debate over the true origin of the alleged Da Vinci Code, time has revived and reinvigorated interest in perhaps the greatest thinker of all time.
Born the illegitimate son of a notary, Leonardo was born in 1452 on a small farm in Anchiano. In 1457 he moved to Vinci where he remained with his father’s family although he was never legitimated. At the age of 14, Leonardo moved to Florence to begin an apprenticeship in Verrocchio’s workshop. At that time, Andrea del Verrochio was the most famous artist in Florence. During his tenure with Verrocchio, Leonardo learned to mix colors and painted simple parts of paintings. In June 1472 Leonardo was inducted as a member of the Florence Guild of Painters.
the annunciation
The Annunciation, painted in 1480-1481, now hangs in the Louvre. It is a small painting with a deep misty landscape with highly detailed flowers in the foreground very typical of Leonardo’s style during his time in Florence.
THE LAST SUPPER
By far one of the most famous paintings of all time, the Last Supper was painted between 1495 and 1498 in the Santa Maria delle Grazie Monastery in Milan. This biblical scene, commissioned by the Friars of Santo Domingo, is significant for its incredible composition and the subtle emotional interplay between the apostles. With great dexterity and mastery of the human form, this captivating work is both a moving testament to Christianity and a marvel of DaVinci’s virtuosity and technical finesse as a painter. This painting firmly establishes Leonardo’s position as the supreme master of the High Renaissance. At all times, Christ is the central focus of the scene. This is accomplished by placing Christ in the center of the painting and placing all spatial lines and perspective points within the frame of the painting to draw the viewer into the very center of the painting. The apostles are in fact minor characters and each and every figure is majestically shaped to frame and enhance the focus on the figure of Christ. The years surrounding the period in which the Last Supper was painted were periods of intense anatomical study for da Vinci. It is a well-known fact that Leonardo dissected cadavers in order to fully understand the complex workings of muscles and the inner workings of the human body. Of immense importance is understanding that the individual apostles are reacting to Christ’s announcement that a traitor is among them. This is the very heart of this timeless and enduring image. The “Pathos” of each figure is brilliantly executed through gestures and reactions that reveal each apostle’s individual amazement, disbelief, and fear. Undoubtedly one of the most copied paintings in the world, The Last Supper has deteriorated badly over the years. This was due to da Vinci’s experimentation with pigments and natural decomposition related to time. Initial conservation efforts date back to the early 18th century. The most recent restorations lasted twenty years and were completed in June 1999.
MONA LISA FROM THE GIACONDA
Begun in 1503, the Mona Lisa was a commissioned portrait of Florentine nobleman Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi de Giocondo’s third wife, Lisa di Antonio Maria di Noldo Gjerardini at the age of twenty-four. Painted on poplar wood, the Mona Lisa’s iconic imagery is so ingrained in Western culture that the mysterious woman’s enigmatic smile is almost identical to the art itself. As with many of da Vinci’s works, this painting has an impressive history. The charm and myth of the work are combined with the technical and artistic virtuosity of the piece. The subtlety of the magnificent smile, the richly layered and highly detailed background are the hallmarks of a process known as sfumato. Using layers and layers of glazes, the illusion of depth is achieved. This technique, highly developed by the Dutch masters, was adopted and perfected to such an extent by Leonardo that it became a da Vinci trademark. Another good example of sfumato is The Virgin of The Rocks (1484) National Gallery, London.
The original Mona Lisa was actually larger than the current one, 77 x 53 cm. Originally, there were two columns, one on each side of the figure, making it much clearer that the young woman is sitting on a terrace. Leonardo worked on Mona Lisa for 4 years and kept the painting for himself. Some believe that she simply could not part with him. Nine years later, upon arrival in France, the painting was in his luggage and was sold to King Francis I. Amboise, Fountainbleau, Versailles, the collection of Ludwig XIV and the Louvre housed this fascinating masterpiece. Napoleon took the painting out of the Louvre and hung it in his bedroom. Following his banishment to Elba, the Mona Lisa was returned to the Louvre.
In 1911, the painting was stolen by an Italian art thief. Ironically, two years later, the Mona Lisa reappeared in Florence, the city of its true origin! Ultimately, the painting returned to the Louvre. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Mona Lisa was exhibited in New York, Tokyo, and Moscow. Today the masterpiece is in permanent residence at the Louvre and international law prohibits any foreign exhibition.
THE ARTIST AS OBSERVER OF NATURE
In addition to Leonardo’s extraordinary contributions to the world of art, his powers of divine intellect led him to explore many other fields of activity. The Renaissance was the period in which science and art merged in the search for the purest, most logical and analytical observation of nature. Da Vinci’s Homo – Vitruvianus is a study of proportions with the human figure inscribed in a circle and a square is a magnificent example of this philosophy and the search for scientific analysis of the time.
Leonardo once again placed himself at the forefront of this new era of reason and intellect. His commitment to observing the human body is second to none and includes studies of the skeleton and muscles, the respiratory and digestive systems, and the evolution of the fetus in the womb. Leonardo’s collection of anatomical studies consists of approximately two hundred folios and is kept in the Royal Library in Windsor, England. Additionally, daVinci’s vast study of nature includes the action of light, plant growth, and the flow of water.
THE SYNTHESIS OF ART AND TECHNOLOGY
Considering the scope and vision of Leonardo’s power of expression and the multitude of interests that inspired and intrigued him, it would be almost impossible to list them all. His spirit of scientific inquiry coupled with a bold and inventive mind allowed him to explore and elaborate inventions and concepts as varied as motors, gears and pulleys, flow mills and irrigation aqueducts. Fascinated by flight, Leonardo carefully observed birds and their wing structures. Applying these deceptively simple principles to mechanics and technology, he produced numerous illustrations depicting flight machines that are, in essence, the “blueprints” for hang gliders, airplanes, and helicopters that exist today. This is just one of many examples of why Leonardo da Vinci is considered an enigma that was centuries ahead of his time.
AN INVITATION TO FRANCE
In the autumn of 1516, Leonardo arrived in Amboise at the invitation of King Francis I. He lived in the small Château Cloux and continued his studies in hydrology. At the age of 67, the great master passed away on May 2, 1519. His health had seriously deteriorated and paralysis had taken over the right side of his body. The remains of Leonardo da Vinci are housed in the Chapel of Saint Hubertus located within the king’s castle complex at Amboise, France.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST
Considered the last of Leonardo’s verifiable works, this painting is startlingly different from previous visual conceptions of the saint. It is a powerful work in its subtle simplicity and contains four recurring elements or themes consistent with da Vinci’s other dazzlingly poetic paintings: the wavy, wavy hair defined with incredible precision, the enigmatic smile, peering through deep, dense shadows and perhaps the most moving, a finger pointing to the sky.
PHOTOS OF INFORMATION AND SOURCES
1.) Self portrait. 1512. Red chalk on paper. Royal Library. Turin, Italy.
2.) The Annunciation. against 1472-1475. Oil and Tempera on Wood. Uffizi Gallery. Florence, Italy
3.) The Last Supper. 1495-1498. Oil and Tempera on Plaster. Fresco, 460 x 880 cm (15 x 29 ft)
Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, (Refectory). Milano, Italy.
4.) The Last Supper (detail of Jesus) see above.
5.) Mona Lisa. (The Mona Lisa) 1503-1506. Oil on wood. Louvre, Paris, France.
6.) The Virgin of the Rocks. 1503-1506. Oil on wood, 189.5 x 120 cm (6 x 4 ft)
The National Gallery. London England
7.) The proportions of the human figure (Vitruvian Man). 1490. Pen, ink, and watercolor over metal point.
Gallery dell’Accademia. Venice Italy.
8.) Female genitalia and fetus in the womb. 1510-1512. Windsor, Royal Library (RL 1901r: K/P 197v)
9.) Study for flying machine. C.1487-1490 (the so-called “helicopter”) Mrs. B f. 83v
10.) Saint John the Baptist. c.1573-1516. Oil on wood. Louvre, Paris, France.
WEBSITES AND WEB PAGE RESOURCES:
http://www.kausal.com/leonardo/
http://www.mos.org/leonardo
[http://www.iblibio.org/wm/paint/auth/vinci]
http://www.artchive.com.com/artchive/L/leonardo.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/3044/adv_over.html
[http://www.bbc.uk/science/leonardo/]
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/vasari/.html
[http://www.island-offreedom.com/DAVINCI.HTML]
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES:
Leonardo da Vinci
By Carlo Pedretti
Published by TAJ Books
Cobham, Surrey
United Kingdom
Renaissance
great ages of man
time life books
Copyright 1965
Art: context and criticism
By John Kissick
Pennsylvania State University
Posted by Wm.C. brown communications, inc.
Copyright 1993.
This article Copyright 2005 by John Keaton. All rights reserved.