Leonardo+Davinci

Leonardo Davinci



[|Self Portrait in Red Chalk]" 2011.

Artist: Leonardo Davinci Mediums: Oil, Marble, Wood, Charcoal, Ink, Silverpoint on Parchment Date: 1452-1519 Period: 15th Century Renaissance Country of Origin: Europe Culture: Florintine

__ Descriptive Biography – Andrew Pauls __

__The Birth__

Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452, nearVinci,Italy. His father’s name was Ser Piero and his mother was Caterina He was born at the third hour of the night, which is about 10:30 at night. He was baptized the next day. Five men and five women witnessed the ceremony. Leonardo’s first memory was of a bird that will give him the idea of inventing a flying machine when he is older. He was fascinated with all sorts of animals, treated animals with love and patience.

__Qualities__

He was a painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and a writer. Leonardo is considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time, also the most diversely talented person to have lived. His mind and personality were almost superhuman.In addition to being just about the smartest person ever, he was reported to have been a strikingly handsome man with a handsome voice. He was also a vegetarian that followed strict dietary rules. He loved animals so much that he would often buy caged animals and set them free.

__Growing Up__

Leonardo grew up in his father’s home in Vinci.He had access to all scholarly text owned by his family and friends. Legend has it that Leonardo’s father asked him to paint a round shield. He thought it would be great to paint a weird creepy head. He brought all sorts of subjects for his painting. He brought lizards, bats, maggots, etc. He painted a monster exhaling smoke and poison gas. He was so into his painting that he forgot all the animal subjects he used and the specimens began to rot. His father was so startled by what he saw and how real it looked. When he was about 15 his father apprenticed him to the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence. Even as an apprentice Leonardo showed great talent.In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo received training in painting, sculpture and technical-mechanical arts.

__Apprenticeship – The Baptism of Christ__



One of his big breaks was to paint an angel on Verrocchio’s “Baptism of Christ”. It was finished around 1475. According to Vasari, the apprenticeship was arranged by Leonardo’s father.Leonardo was about 23 years old when he painted the angel kneeling at the far left. He chose to paint his portion of the painting in oil instead of the traditional egg tempera method.The figure definitely shows signs of characteristics Leonardo would retain and develop throughout the rest of his career. These signs are shown in the locks of hair, the brightness in the eyes and the look on the face.An x-ray of this painting showed the original sketch that Verrocchio did for Leonardo’s angel was completely different from the final result. He seemed so much more talented than his master that Verrocchio would never touch colors again. He was so ashamed that a boy understood their use better than he did. This was Verrocchio’s last known painting.

__First Commission – Adoration of the Magi__



In 1478 Leonardo became an independent master. His first commission, to paint an altarpiece for the chapel of Palazzo Vecchio, the Florentine town hall, but was never finished.His first large painting was the Adoration of Magi.This painting measures a sizable nine feet by eight feet, Leonardo was commissioned in 1480 to paint this work for the main altar of the monastery of San Donato a Scopeto, near Florence.He was to complete it within thirty months, but it remained largely unfinished and was left behind Florence when Leonardo set out for Milan the next year. The original contract for this particular painting was complicated with the monks offering Leonardo payment in the form of a third of some land they had received in a bequest. The rules were attached to this in that the property was unable to be sold for the three years following the completion of the painting, except back to the monks and for the price of 300 florins. With the land came an outstanding legacy of 150 florins that Leonardo had to repay in installments.He was also asked to provide all paints and gold required for the panel though limited help was given in the form of an advance. There was also a penalty clause if he failed to deliver on time.

__The Service of the Duke of Milan__



At around 1482 he entered the service of the Duke of Milan in search of new challenges and to make some money.He wrote an astonishing letter to apply for the position. He stated in the letter that he could build portable bridges that are very light, strong and easily movable. He could build armored vehicles, catapults, and other war machines. He also stated that he could execute sculpture in marble, bronze, and clay. In conclusion he offers to execute the bronze equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza. The Duke kept Leonardo busy painting, sculpting and designing court festivals. He also worked on designing weapons, buildings and machinery.

__The Last Supper__



The Last Supper is a mural painting that Leonardo created for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza. It represents the scene of the last supper from the final days of Jesus as it is told in the Gospel of John 13:21, when Jesus announces that one of his apostles will betray him. It took Leonardo nearly eighteen years to complete.He started painting it in 1482 and did not finish it until 1499.Leonardo was often observed at work and would climb the ladder, raise his brush and would work on it all day never stopping, not even to for food or drink. Three or four days might go by without him even being seen. When he finally put in an appearance he could stare at the wall for several hours, suddenly seize his brush, make two strokes and leave again.At one point the prior complained about Leonardo’s laziness. When he was called in by the Duke to explain, Leonardo asked, “Do friars know how to paint?”

__Some of his inventions and sketches__

Leonardo may have been the greatest inventor in history, yet he had little effect on the technology of his time. Da Vinci would draw sketches and diagrams of his inventions, which he preserved in his notebooks. He either lost interest in building them or was never able to find any wealthy patrons to finance the construction of his designs. As a result, almost none of his inventions were not built during his lifetime. He also never published his diagrams so nobody else knew about them until his notebooks were discovered long after his death.

__His Death__

On April 23, 1519, Easter Eve, exactly forty five years before the birth of Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci made his will, and on May 2 of the same year he passed away in ClouxFrance. Legend has it that King Francis was at his side when he died, cradling Leonardo’s head in his arms. His last words were, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”

__ Contextual Media Analysis – Sara Hillegonds __ Florentine Period: Early Life (1452 – 1482)

Early in his life, Leonardo studied painting, sculpture and technical-mechanical arts under Andrea del Verrocchio as his apprentice. He also studied with Antonio Pollaiuolo whose workshop was nearby. In 1472 he accepted into the Painters’ Guild of France (Kemp). When //The Annunciation// (1472 - 1474) first arrived at the Uffizi gallery it was originally thought to be a work by Domenico Ghirlandaio who also studied under Verrocchio. Since then a preparatory drawing for the angel's sleeve has been recognized and attributed to Leonardo. The work illustrates the influence of Verrocchio on the young Leonardo, in the sculptural quality of the figures and their draperies. The blurred, hazy outlines of the features of the landscape background give the impression of great distance. Leonardo used light brush strokes with no lead in his paint (Pedretti).

Leonardo worked independently in Florence until 1481. There are many pen and ink drawings from this period, including many technical sketches like pumps, military weapons, and mechanical apparatus (Dover). In his notebooks, the drawing does not illustrate the text; rather, the text serves to explain the picture.



Verrocchio's //Baptism of Christ// (c. 1472 - 1475) was one of the first examples of that we have of Leonardo’s painting. As Verrocchio’s apprentice, he was allowed to paint an angel and part of the landscape in this work. Leonardo painted the angel with natural movement, presented it with a relaxed demeanor, and gave it an mysterious glance that both acknowledge its surroundings while remaining inwardly directed. In Leonardo's landscape segment in the same picture, he used atmospheric perspective and sfumato (the smooth transition from light to shadow [Pedretti]) to make the landscape more believable.



Also in 1481, Leonardo received one of his first substantial commissions, //The Adoration of the Magi//. Through he never completed this, it gives us a lot of insight into the Leonardo’s subtle methods. The various aspects of the scene are built up from the base with very delicate, paper-thin layers of paint in sfumato. The main treatment of the Virgin and Child group and the secondary treatment of the surrounding groups are clearly set apart with a masterful sense of composition. He did several preparatory drawings for this work, consisting of a perspective study and other figural studies. One of his initial studies was done in red chalk, which is not a precise medium. It is just medium used to create a rough sketch to begin to get the arrangement of the figures along with the architecture.



His perspective study is done pen and ink over metal point with brown wash and traces of white heightening. Metal point was the pencil of the Renaissance. It is a small, sharpened metal rod used for drawing precise compositions on paper or parchment. The metal could be lead, silver, copper, or gold (//Encyclopædia Britannica)//. He also did several figural studies with pen and ink over silverpoint. Silverpoint was the most common choice because it is the most suited to permanent drawing. The silverpoint produced clearly defined lines so in order to express modeling, emphases, and light phenomena, it had to either by means of repetitions, dense hatching, or else supplemented by other mediums.



From 1475 to 1478, //Madonna and Child with Flowers// was created**,** and it is now in the State Hermitage Museum**.** It is likely that this was the first work painted by Leonardo independently from his master Verrocchio. It is oil on canvas (transferred from wood panel in 1824). Numerous preparatory compositional sketches related to this painting suggest that Leonardo evolved the composition by means of the “brainstorming” technique of drawing, where he drew repeatedly and at speed on one area of the paper directly from his imagination, until a suitable compositional solution evolved (Kemp). This sketch is done in ink. In 1480 Leonardo did his //Portrait of Ginevra de'// Benci. He opened new paths for portrait painting with his ability to link nearness and distance and his brilliant rendering of light and texture (Richter). Also in 1480, Leonardo started //St. Jerome//. He presented the gaunt body of St. Jerome with a realism that came from his extensive knowledge of human anatomy; Leonardo's mastery of gesture and facial expression gave his Jerome an unrivalled expression of sorrow.

II. First Milanese Period (1482 - 1489)

In 1482 Leonardo moved to Milan to work for Duke Ludovico Sforza as the //pictor et ingeniarius ducalis// (“painter and engineer of the duke”). He spent 17 years in Milan, until Ludovico's fall from power in 1499. He painted and sculpted for festivals during this time (Radke). He was also frequently consulted as a technical adviser in the fields of architecture, fortifications, and military matters, and he served as a hydraulic and mechanical engineer (Dover). From 1483 to 1486, he worked on the altar painting //The Virgin of the Rocks//, commissioned by the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception (Richter). This work reveals Leonardo's painting at its purest. The secret of the picture's effect lies in Leonardo's use of every means at his disposal to emphasize the visionary nature of the scene: the soft color tones (through sfumato), the dim light of the cave from which the figures emerge bathed in light, their quiet attitude (1508 - created another version of the work)



During the years 1495 to 1498, //The Last Supper// was painted in the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Before painting he did many preparatory sketches. His first sketch was done freehand with pen and ink. He also did a sketch of the head of Judas with red chalk on reddish prepared paper. His sketch for St. Philip was done with black chalk. Leonardo liked to work slowly which is something that can’t be done with the traditional fresco method where fresh plaster is used. Instead, he used another method which he had developed: tempera on a base, which he mixed himself, on the stone wall. This procedure proved unsuccessful, and the base soon began to loosen from the wall. Damage appeared by the beginning of the 16th century and deterioration soon set in. By the middle of the century the work was called a ruin (Richter).



During this period Leonardo also worked on a sculptural project that seems to have been the real reason he was invited to Milan: a monumental equestrian statue in bronze, sometimes known as the Sforza Horse, to be erected in honor of Francesco Sforza, the founder of the Sforza dynasty (Radke). He did many sketches of horses, one example being a page from a sketchbook where he focused on the individual parts of a horse. The studies would be a useful guide for the clay model of the Sforza horse. Another sketch was done on dark blue prepared paper in metal point highlighted with brush and white gouache- gouache being a painting technique where an opaque white pigment is added to watercolors to produce opacity (//Encyclopædia Britannica)//. In 1493 the clay model of the horse was created. It was to be cast in bronze, but all the bronze had to be used to make weapons and bullets for the war. Since then, several models have been made in the image of Leonardo’s drawings (Richter).

III. Second Florentine Period (1500 - 1508)

Isabella d'Este tried to get a painting done by Leonardo during this time, but he seemed to have been concentrating more on mathematical studies than painting. However, several great works came from this period. From 1502 to 1516 the //Virgin and Child with St. Anne// was painted (Pedretti). Soon after he started that work he began the //Mona Lisa// (1503-1506). The curves of the woman's hair and clothing, created through sfumato, are echoed in the valleys and rivers behind her. Leonardo strove for softness and balance in his works. Leonardo’s time spent in Florence was also spent doing dissections in the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova where broadened his anatomical work into a comprehensive study of the structure and function of the human organism. He also studied the flight of birds, and the movement of water (Kemp).



IV. Second Milanese period (1508 - 1513)

// The Battle of Anghiari // was started but was unsuccessful because of Leonardo’s technical experiments with paints that seemed to have impelled Leonardo to stop working on the mural. The preliminary drawings reveal his idea of the “science of painting”(Kemp). Leonardo went to Florence in 1507-1508, where he helped the sculptor Giovanni Francesco Rustici execute his bronze statues for the Florence Baptistery. Soon after, Gian Giacomo Trivulzio commissioned Leonardo to do an equestrian sculpture for his tomb. Many sketches remain.

In 1509 he did an //Engraving of a dodecahedron.// Engraving produces very defined lines and is good for precise drawings. Like metal point, if you want to have a variety of shades it has to be done through cross-hatching or by using washes of other media. This engraving is a more complex form that is based on Leonardo’s mathematical drawings. (Richter)

V. Last Years (1513 - 1519)

In his last years, Leonardo still made sketches for court festivals, but the king treated him as an honored guest and allowed him freedom to do as he pleased.He didn’t have many commissions during this time.

__ Davinci’s Evolution- Kathryn Holland __ [|"Study of Shoulder and Neck"] Davinci 1510. [|"Heart"]Davinci 1500.

Leonardo Da Vinci is considered one of the greatest artists of his day. Though brilliant in his vision, much of what he started was never finished, as George Plochmann says of Da Vinci “ …In Connecting principles with discreet subject matters he left much undone.” And indeed this held true with many of the projects pursued by Leonardo Da Vinci. One of the aspects of this artist not frequently focused upon however is just how brilliant the mind of Da Vinci was. Both in philosophy, literature, physics and zoological inquiries, all beautifully rendered through drawing. Da Vinci studied in depth human anatomy, animal anatomy and machinery.

[|"Seige Machine"] Davinci 1480. [|"Machines in Motion"]Davinci 1512.

Though a brilliant painter and sculptor, Da Vinci was above all an inventor. This is seen in his approach to conveying the human figure, animal portrayals and his sketches of machinery. Often times drawing is viewed as preparatory; the step that comes before one creates a piece of art. However many of Da Vinci’s drawings were so well developed in thought and idea, that one is able to see a glimpse of his true genius. The pieces I have chosen to focus on are all drawings attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci. I chose his drawings because this is a variable aspect of genius that Da Vinci possessed, and it shows the versatility and skill, and scope of his skilled hand. The first is entitled “Study of the Neck and Shoulders” to demonstrate his in-depth knowledge of human anatomy which of course trickled down into his other works within painting and sculpture. The second piece I’ve chosen is entitled “Study of Cats and Other Animals” to better demonstrate the result of Da Vinci’s zoological inquiries and study of the animal form moving in space. The third and final piece is entitled “Siege Machine” to show more of Leonardo Da Vinci’s involvement with invention, resulting from his interest in physics and philosophy. Leonardo Da Vinci: the scholar was what made this artist so intriguing.

[|"Head of a Young Woman"] Davinci 1508 [|"Grotesque"]Davinci 1500.

During the 15th century there was an admiration of mathematics and the role that it could play within artistic perspective. Da Vinci not only had a fascination with the role mathematics would play within art, but the role art would play within mathematics. This was a daring notion during the day of Leonardo Da Vinci, for many of his contemporaries believed there to be a stark divide between math and art. Da Vinci on the other hand believed that there was overlap between the two. This would fuel his later inquiries and studies of the anatomy of nature, including the human figure, animals, and environmental landscapes as well as the developing technology within the fifteenth century. This is evident in his drawing of “Seige Machine” where Da Vinci blatently overlaps technology and art in a rendering of a war machine. This is resultant from his studies of physics and philosophy of technology, each detail created is significant both isolated and integrated into the whole of the piece. As stated by George Plochmann in reference to the studies of Leonardo Da Vinci, “ His everlasting obsession with anatomical observation [of both nature and it’s creatures] predisposes him to think that a painter unlearned in the fabric of the human body and unskilled in its most exact rendering is a man worthy of his calling…” Da Vinci believed that if one were to paint merely bone and muscle that this would lead to a certain wooden quality within a painting, holding that an artist must be able to “render interior passions of a mans soul through outer form” (George Plochmann, //The Sources of Leonardo Da Vinci//) This is a curious thing to discover about the motivations of this artist, as Leonardo Da Vinci had a distinct introversion when it came to emotion. In looking at the variety of art pieces made by this artist however, there is an unmistakable emotive grace to his many created forms.



[|"Study of a Horse"]Davinci 1480. [|"Animal Grotesque"] Davinci 1500. [|"Study of Cats and Other Animals"]Davinci 1513.

Leonardo Da Vinci often times connected the study of the elements to the study of art, likening the movements of water and fire to the movements within art. Plochmann agrees that “Where he [Da Vinci] mentions individual sciences it is nearly always to join them with others” This is true with all of Leonardo’s anatomical studies of nature, in particular the human form. Da Vinci draws similarities between the movement of water on a mountain to the movement of blood through the human body, viewing “…the part as the context for knowledge” (George Plochmann, //The Sources of Leonardo Da Vinci//) finding that each “part tries to unite itself with the whole to overcome its own incompleteness” because the world as a whole has a togetherness as do the many parts that make it up. In looking at each element as a part of the whole, he eludes to the fact that each scientific part plays an artistic role in the concept of the whole. This is made evident when one looks at his drawing entitled “Study of Shoulder and Neck”. In his philosophy of art as a science, there was little distinction between form and function, everything in existence had moving parts to be studied and further understood. Leonardo Da Vinci “concerned himself with shapes resulting from movements” which lead to the radiance and grace in the forms he created. This is seen most clearly through Da Vinci’s zoological inquiries. “The study of Cats and Other Animals” is a prime example of Leonardo’s curiosity about not only the anatomy of creatures but how they move in space. He observed habitat, and habit of animals to gain a better grasp on the anatomy of nature. Da Vinci believed that “sinew alone is insufficient to achieve…” the true rendering of the inner-quality of a living thing. Creating the mere form of something wasn’t enough to make it breath. There was value for Da Vinci in including the undercurrent spirit of the subject matter when creating a piece. As so well pointed out by Plochman “Although phenomena can be isolated for study, every part tries to unite with the whole” and it is through this manner that Leonardo Da Vinci progressed through his art, in realizing and developing each part within the whole.

[|"Leda and The Swan"]Davinci 1515. [|"Virgin and Child with Saint Anne"]Davinci 1508. Leonardo Davinci showed quite a bit of interest in recording his many studies through written manuscripts also. There was a certain connectedness that Davinci saw between science and the arts, the way of nature and the way of the beauty of how it was shown. As with so many of his other works however many of these manuscript series remained unfinished and unpublished. One notable example of this is the Complete Science For The Painter Series. Davinci wished to instruct other growing minds on the technique he himself had studied and put to use. The Complete Science For The Painter series was also to include Ombre derivate, which studies the behavior of secondary shadows and free light as a continuation of the prior manuscripts studying this topic.

Davinci wanted to lay a ground-work of sorts for understanding how to create shadow and light in art through the use of a scientific application. This series of written pieces “focuses on the imperceptible spiritual energy without mass” (Nicholl, Flights of the Mind, 2004). This, according to Davinci is “…the most certain means by which the shape of any body comes to be known…” Another is the MS A Painters manual which spells out the explainations of human movement and techniques on how to render that through painted medium. Leonardo studied human motion in depth as well as the human form. A common location for such studies were local brothels, which allowed an artist unchallenged access to observe and study the human form. As it was often considered a social taboo to have live models, especially if they were female.

[|"Female Genitals"] Davinci 1493. [|"Fetus"]Davinci 1510. [|"Skeleton Study"]Davinci 1500. Davinci 1489.

Brothels provided an easy way to obtain accurate information about form and movement. Many of these indepth studies rendered in Davinci’s later works, such as Madonna in the Rocks. Although some argue that the form portrayed her was likely based on Davinci’s apprentice, “…as in so many Leonardo compostions there is a hinted narrative.” (Nicholl, Flights of the Mind, 2004). Indeed with many pieces started by Davinci, there is a focus on relatable human quality and experience, so that the audience is able to connect with the imagry shown. By 1513 Davinci travels, writing in the Paris MS E manuscript that in the month of September of that year he was heading back out ofMilanand was bound forRome. Many of his now well known pieces such as the image of Leda, the original Mona Lisa and his anatomical folios would have been packed up with him on the road. It would have been around this time that Davinci began De Ludo Geometrico, meaning on Geometric Games, as a new instruction manual on the interplay of shapes and forms within nature and of the mind. The Deluge, which contains studies of Atmospheric phenomena soon followed, with the goal to “depict that which cannot be depicted” (Davinci, by Nicholl, Flights of the Mind, 2004).



[|"Eddy"]Davinci 1512.

In 1508 Davinci expounds on this fascination by explaining that “ ‘I have seen motions of the air so furious that they have caught up in their course whole roofs of great palaces and carried them away’” (Nicholl, Flights of the Mind, 2004). This shows that this artist had been studying the patterns of weather and environmental phenomena for quite some time prior to beginning this latest of his many started manuscripts, including the resultant Deluge dated to approximately 1515. The Deluge is inspired by Davinci’s scientific inquiries into the nature around him. In order to present a comprehensive overview he needed to fully understand the “mechanisms of upheaval” (Nicholl in Flights of the Mind, 2004). This was in the hopes of fully rendering the volatile and violent aspects of weather and natures response to it. In the later years of Davinci’s career he began to research the development of babies. This caused quite a bit of controversy, for at the time there was still quite a bit of mystique surrounding human birth. Leonardo became interested in how the soul of a baby forms. In 1515, Davinci begins writting his “Embryological Studies” which further proof Leonardo’s advanced medical knowledge on pregnancy and the capabilities of the female form. During the last years of this artists life, he worked mostly on royal commissions for high status families and the Pope. Davinci created quite a few status portraits during this time. Leonardo began networking with the newly appointed King at that time, Francois I of France.

This is further evidenced by the status portrait of Francois I dated to 1515-20. The King later offered Davinci a salary position as a court artist, and a place to stay in the palace, enjoying Leonardo’s philosophical viewpoints. Vasari later wrote of Davinci in the published first edition, in 1550 that “…He could not be content with any religion at all, considering himself in all things much more a philosopher than a Christian” Due to Davinci’s inquiring mind, this holds true. The curiosity and exploratory nature of Leonardo Davinci’s work came from a place of advanced knowledge and study. That Davinci’s genius continues to have influence today cannot be denied. One thing that is absolutely certain about Leonardo Davinci’s legacy, is that although his manuscripts and drawings may never have manifested in completed or published works, the lineage of knowledge left behind about nature and its beauty continues to hold the truth that Davinci was so striven to achieve during his life time.

__ Interpretation – Abigail Sadler __

__Ginevra de’ Benci__



The female portrait became increasingly humanistic in the hands of Leonardo da Vinci. He transformed what was once a statement on status into something that spoke of individuality and character. Leonardo’s innovative style dispensed the traditional and known iconography of portraiture. This resulted in portraiture that held a greater sense of humanity and emotion. Dated from around 1747, Leonardo’s painting Ginevra de’Benci is a testament to how this genre was transformed through his skill and innovation.

The sitter, as previously mentioned, is Ginevra de’Benci, the daughter of a Florentine merchant. It has been suggested that this painting was perhaps commissioned to commemorate her marriage, at the age of seventeen, to Luigi di Bernardo di Lapo Niccolini which took place on January 15, 1474. [|[1]] However, another theory has been suggested that perhaps better explains the imagery in the portrait. It has been proposed that Bernardo Bembo, the Venetian Ambassador to Florence and a close friend and platonic lover of Ginevra’s, instead commissioned the painting. [|[2]] There are multiple details found in the portrait that lend support to this argument. At the same time, understanding Bembo as the patron allows for a deeper understanding of the symbolism found in the imagery.



On the reverse side of the portrait is painted a banner that weaves between branches of juniper, palm, and laurel set against faux porphyry. The banner reads, “Virtutem Forma Decorat,” which translates to beauty adorns virtue. [|[3]] It is in this detail that the connection between Ginevra and Bembo becomes most clear. Interestingly, the motto found on the banner is similar to Bembo’s own impresa, “Virtus et Honor,” which reads virtue and honor. [|[4]] The sprigs of juniper, palm and laurel are also imbued with meaning that connects the lovers while exposing the message of the painting. For instance, the laurel is a reminder of the role that Lorenzo de’ Medici played in the blossoming of their relationship which was fostered within his court. [|[5]] The motto on the reverse connects the painting’s commission to Bembo and shows a likely source in poetry. The beauty and virtue of Ginevra was praised in poems that Bembo’s humanist friends dedicated to him. [|[6]] Perhaps the words found in the banner came from the lines of one of these poems. Either way, Ginevra is no doubt tied to those words, as her outer beauty, so wonderfully captured by Leonardo, is a testament to her inner purity and moral character.

While the portrait is concerned with the virtuous character of the sitter, the woman is also being connected with nature. Ginevra is represented as a microcosm of nature reflected by her surroundings, seen in the juniper that bears her name, and the unity of the colors that connect the sitter with the landscape. [|[7]] While Ginevra does have some affinity with the landscape, why this is so remains somewhat unclear. The fertile landscape might suggest a connection to a woman’s role within society, that of wife and mother. [|[8]] However, this seems at odds with such a highly individualized portrait. Why would Leonardo care to make such a generalization about the role of women? While the juniper is a playful element that is a pun of Ginevra’s name, [|[9]] it seems likely her harmony with the landscape might indicate nothing more than Leonardo’s own affection and careful study of nature.

In comparison with other Renaissance portraiture, the shockingly innovative, psychological and individual quality of Leonardo’s painting becomes most evident. The portrait A Young Lady of Fashion attributed to Paolo Uccello dates from 1465 and was completed only a decade prior to Leonardo’s Ginevra de’ Benci. But, the portraits seem worlds apart and the comparison showcases the truly revolutionary style of Leonardo’s portraits. Uccello’s conforms to the traditional function of female portraiture, the ornate fabrics and the conspicuous jewelry is a testament to the woman’s familial wealth and status. [|[10]] This woman has been transformed into a beautiful symbol of wealth and power but the painting tells us little of her own character or life. Leonardo’s portrait departs from this tradition and in doing so he imbues his sitter with a sense of being. The ¾ pose used by Leonardo shows his humanistic concerns; he wants to reveal her humanity unlike the profile view that works to conceal the individual. [|[11]] Furthermore, the obvious symbols of wealth and status have been stripped away in the portrait of Ginevra, leaving the viewer to focus on her humanity.



The //Mona Lisa// is probably Leonardo da Vinci’s best-known painting. The artwork has gained cult status and been subject to an endless number of interpretations. Her smile alone has captivated the imagination of generations of people. The fact that the //Mona Lisa// has remained highly visible in our popular culture speaks to Leonardo’s ability to create a painting that is as beautiful as it is intriguing.
 * Mona Lisa**

The artwork dates from 1503-1504 and is a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine merchant. The painting speaks to Leonardo’s unique ability to give his portraits a strong sense of psychological introspection. [1] The smile on Mona Lisa’s face gives her character; she seems to be capable of thought and feeling. Similar to the earlier portrait //Ginevra de’ Benci//, the fancy dress and jewels that represent her social class have been removed. Perhaps this is to encourage the viewer to look beyond superficial ornamentation and focus on the sitter’s humanity.

Similar to Leonardo’s other paintings, the //Mona Lisa// maintains a mysterious quality. This is perhaps part of why she has captivated generations of onlookers, as she embodies the essence of feminine allure in that she will never become known. [2] The enigmatic smile on her face heightens her elusiveness and charm. The landscape mimics the elusive quality of Mona Lisa’s expression. The viewer is drawn into the painting, as indistinct but inviting paths invite exploration. [3] It is the cryptic character of the both her expression and the landscape that has inspired endless interpretations. However, with endless romantic interpretations comes the risk of losing sight of the artist’s own intentions. It could be suggested that the origins and meaning of Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile are not so mysterious after all. According to Vasari, Leonardo had employed people to entertain Lisa del Giocondo while she was sitting for the portrait. [4] So, perhaps the expression that has captivated the imagination of millions is nothing more than the result of a woman who is amused by the antics of a jester. However, even in light of that information Vasari himself noted that “in this work of Leonardo da Vinci’s there was a smile so pleasing, that it was a thing more divine than human to behold.” [5] So, while her expression might have resulted from something perfectly common, it nevertheless holds a mystical and unknowable quality.



__Virgin of the Rocks__ Leonardo da Vinci’s religious paintings have a graceful, alchemistic quality that brings the heavenly experience alive before the viewer. The earlier version of //Virgin of the Rocks// is a beautiful example of the quiet power of Leonardo’s religious paintings. A Franciscan confraternity commissioned the painting, which dates from c.1483, as a large altarpiece for a chapel dedicated to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. [1] The painting shows a young Virgin Mary with the infant St. John and the baby Jesus Christ. They are accompanied by an angel and occupy a rocky landscape.

The scene is unique in that it shows a meeting between Jesus and St. John as infants, which is rarely seen in art. [2] Perhaps this is explained by the fact that the story depicted is not found in the bible, but has sources in more obscure Christian scripture. One such source is a biblical Pseudepigrapha where a story describes how during their flight into Egypt Mary and Jesus met John and Elizabeth in the wilderness. [3] The dominance of the Virgin and St. John in the early version of the painting might also be explained by a written source. The Apocalypsis Nova is a collection of the writings of a Franciscan theologian who believed the virgin and St. John to be the protagonists of the New Testament. [4] This could explain why St. John and the Virgin are featured so prominently in the painting.Also, Leonardo might have focused so much attention towards the figure of St. John because of his connection with St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan order. According to Franciscan thought, St. John was both the forerunner of Christ and the “other” Francis, thus connecting him to the founder of their order. [5] It is also possible that Leonardo’s depiction of the scene had sources in the visual arts. A possible source for Virgin of the Rocks could have been Filippo Lippi’s //Madonna Adoring the Child//. The painting dates from c. 1459 and features a young St. John, the Christ Child and the Virgin placed against a rocky landscape. [6]

It is interesting that given the paintings connection to Franciscan thought, it was rejected. It is known that there was a dispute over the painting’s monetary value but the iconography also presents its own problems. [7] Issues such as the absence of halos, the dominance of St. John, and unclear landscape somewhat obscure the message. This could have been a point of contention considering that, traditionally, religious paintings are meant to be didactic and their message clear. In the second version of this painting, dated from c. 1491-95, the issues of the earlier version have been addressed. The halos sit upon the heads of the figures and St. John is now holding the cross that clearly identifies him. Perhaps most importantly, the angel’s gesture no longer draws the viewer’s attention away from the infant Jesus, confirming his centrality. [8] The landscape has also changed; it no longer holds the same otherworldly quality. Instead, the grotto and the seascape have become more naturalistic. [9] Both paintings are masterfully executed, but the second version has transformed the scene into something that is less mysterious and its meaning more available.

In both paintings, the figures and landscape are filled with symbolism that speaks to the meaning of the painting. The body of water seen in the distance might symbolize the “veni di aqua bellissima,” a metaphorical image used in the 14th century to convey the purity of the virgin. [10] Considering that the painting was originally commissioned in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the imagery would reinforce the Virgin having been born free of sin. But, it also seems likely that the distant sea is meant to recall the waters in which St. John baptized Jesus.

Like the water that surrounds it, the rock formations have an important significance. Artists often place St. John or St. Francis within rocky landscapes as the lives of both saints are tied to such environments. For instance, in 1224 St. Francis received stigmata while on a mountainside. The connection deepens upon the realization that the chasms of the rocks in the landscape relate to Francis’s open wounds resulting from the stigmata. [11] Considering that the commission for this painting came from a Franciscan confraternity and the previously mentioned connect between the two saints, this kind of imagery seems appropriate. The formation of the rocks also connects the landscape to the Virgin and the Christ child. Both have been metaphorically described as rocks in the bible, for instance, Jesus was considered to be the incarnation of god born out of rock. [12] The function of the landscape extends beyond just offering a suggestion of place, as it is rich with symbolism and meaning.

The figures in the paintings also play an important role in connecting the Franciscan confraternity to their commission. In the painting the Virgin envelops St. John in a protective gesture. As previously mentioned, Franciscan thought explained St. John to be an alternative St. Francis. So, while St. John is present in the scene, so too is St. Francis and his followers. The members of the confraternity would have understood this gesture as a reminder of how the Virgin also protects them [13] For the confraternity; this painting in many ways is a testament to the refuge offered by their religion.

Even in their differences, both versions of Leonardo’s //Virgin of the Rocks// retain a sense of mystery and complexity that is unique to the artist’s work. In comparison with Raphael’s //La Belle Jardiniere//, the mystical and cerebral quality of Leonardo’s work is confirmed. Raphael’s painting also shows the Virgin with St. John and Jesus but the treatment is completely different. Raphael’s figures are monumental in comparison to their setting and exist in a world that has an everyday, tangible quality. The buildings that sit in the distance tie the entire scene to reality. This is in stark contrast to the painting by Leonardo, whose figures compete with a landscape that is otherworldly and mysterious. Raphael’s painting seems to be a more simplistic meditation on the Virgin’s role as mother and protector. Whereas, the narrative of Leonardo’s painting is also far more complex as the figures and the landscape work on many different levels.

[1] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci 1452- 1519 The Complete Paintings// (Köln: Taschen, 2003) 56. [2] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 59. [3] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 59. [4] Pietro C. Marani, //Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings// (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000 138-39. [5] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 66. [6] Patricia Emison, “Virgin of the Rocks,” //Zeitschrift fur Kunstgeschiechte//, 56 (1993): 116-118, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1482664 [7] Marani, //Leonardo Da Vinci//, 136. [8] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci,// 139. [9] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci,// 139 [10] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 59. [11] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 59. [12] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 59. [13] Frank Zöllner, //Leonardo da Vinci//, 59. __The Deluges__



The Deluges are a series of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci that date from c. 1510 and depict a series of floods that are both violent and sublime. These drawings portray not only the extreme forces of nature but reveal something that is more psychological. [|[12]] The tumultuous waters and the swirling clouds bestow upon the apocalyptic landscape a sense of isolation and anxiety. Leonardo’s landscape has been transformed into something that is emotional and mystical. These drawings can also be seen as documentation of Leonardo’s changing thoughts about the certainty of nature and science. In his writings, Leonardo da Vinci extolled the importance of the careful study and representation of nature. Leonardo saw this as a way to gain freedom from the artificial style of the 15th century masters, in turn, allowing for a truer form of representation. [|[13]]

However, as Leonardo moved through his career new sources and influences were introduced that challenged his faith in the observable world. Leonardo’s trips to Romeexposed him to classical art and contributed to an eventual detachment from the direct observation of nature, seeing both as equally worthy of imitation. [|[14]] Not surprisingly, his style changed as he began to consider other sources and began to question the certainty of nature. The departure from a faithfully copied natural world is seen the clouds, which have unnaturally sharp, ruffled edges and long sweeping curls that reveal a decorative, mannered naturalism. [|[15]] The romantic character of these drawings shows the influence of antiquity.

While the sketches are undoubtedly influenced by his study of nature, he has in these pieces transcended the observable and found a more idealized form of representation that is directly connected to the idealized forms of classical art. [|[16]] His drawings have also taken inspiration from classical literature. The source for the deluge drawing is a passage in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which tells the story of how Deucalion and Pyrrha survived a flood sent by Zeus. [|[17]] With these influences, Leonardo has created a world that has surpassed the observable and morphed into something both idealized and sublime.

__ References __


 * ‍Printed Sources: **

__Biography Sources:__ N/A

__ Media Sources: __ Pedretti, Carlo. //Leonardo Da Vinci on Painting: A Lost Book//. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California, 1964. Print.

Richter, Jean Paul. //The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci//. Vol. II. Toronto: General, 1970. Print.

Radke, Gary M. //Leonardo Da Vinci and the Art of Sculpture//. Atlanta: High MUseum of Art, 2009. Print.

Santi, Bruno. //Leonardo Da Vinci//. Italy: SCALA, 1994. Print.

__ Interpretation Sources: __ Brown, David Allen, Editor. //Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo’s Ginevra de’ Benci and// //Renaissance Portraits of Women.// New Jersey:PrincetonUniversity Press, 2001.

Di Filippo, Julie, Editor. //Leonardo Da Vinci//.New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2005.

Hall, Marcia. //Color and Meaning: Practice and Theory in Renaissance Painting//. Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress, 1992.

Marani, Pietro C.. //Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings.//New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000.

Zöllner, Frank. //Leonardo da Vinci 1452- 1519 The Complete Paintings//. Köln: Taschen, 2003. __ Evolution Sources: __

Kemp, Martin. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Marvelous Works of Nature andMan. HarvardPressUniversity. 1981. Print.

Nicholl, Charles. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Flights of the Mind. Penguine Group Publishing. 2004. Print.

Plochmann, George Kimball. The Resources of Leonardo Da Vinci. Southern IllinoisUniverisity. 1953.


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// [|[1]] Julie Di Filippo, Editor,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, (New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 2005) 90.// // [|[2]] Pietro C. Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings //(New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000) 47.// // [|[3]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 47.// // [|[4]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 47// // [|[5]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 48.// // [|[6]] David Alan Brown, Editor,// Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo’s Ginevra de’ Benci and Renaissance Portraits of Women //(New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2001) 145.// // [|[7]] Brown,// Virtue and Beauty//, 72.// // [|[8]] Brown, Ed.,// Virtue and Beauty//, 72.// // [|[9]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 48.// // [|[10]] Brown, Ed.,// Virtue and Beauty//, 112.// // [|[11]] Brown, Ed.,// Virtue and Beauty//, 112.// // [|[12]] Marani, Leonardo Da Vinci, 329.// // [|[13]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 320.// // [|[14]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 329.// // [|[15]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 330.// // [|[16]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 333.// // [|[17]] Marani,// Leonardo Da Vinci//, 330.