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- INTERESTING POINTS ON DA VINCI PAINTINGS - IMAGINE PRISTINE LEONARDO DA VINCI ARTWORK Even after 500 years, we can see the magnificence of Leonardo's masterpieces. However it is worth taking a moment just to imagine what Da Vinci artwork would have looked like new, fresh and without the degradation that occurs over time. If we are impressed now, imagine how viewers would have felt 500 years ago?
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Annunciation (Larger version) MAIN USE OF DA VINCI PAINTINGS Most commissions for paintings were to depict biblical images to be adorned by places of worship. Leonardo Da Vinci paintings were famous for encapsulating emotion (as with the Last supper) and for their dynamic posing of the characters’ (such as in Virgin of the Rocks). Biblical setting paintings gave Leonardo an interesting opportunity to really showcase his originality! The same depictions had been painted thousands of times by countless painters. This Renaissance artist however always gave a fresh perspective and an effectiveness that was more striking than the paintings that preceded it. Leonardo’s biblical paintings include the following; Baptism of Christ (small but significant portion painted by Da Vinci), Benois Madonna, Annunciation (smaller and larger version), Virgin of the Rocks (With and without Halos), Last Supper, Madonna of the Yarnwinder and St John the Baptist.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ MAIN USE OF A LEONARDO DA VINCI PORTRAIT Portraits were a product of prestige as the sitters were painted to record and reflect to others their social standing, wealth and level of influence. Sitters would wear their finest clothing and jewellery to capture a moment of their greatest prosperity. A Leonardo Da Vinci portrait was sought after for its absolute realism and the unique posing of the sitter. The posing of the character in the portrait would give a dynamic impression that the painting could come alive. Leonardo’s portrait paintings include the following; Ginevra de Benci, Cecilia Gallerani and the most famous image in the world, Mona Lisa.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Ginevra de Benci DA VINCI CARTOONS A cartoon is the underlying drawing of a painting, which guides the painter on where to paint their colours. Artists tend to consider the cartoon the most crucial part of the painting. Overall, in the case of Leonardo, a cartoon is an unfinished painting. Leonardo’s cartoon’s include the following; St Jerome, Adoration of the Magi and the Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist, which added to Leonardo's fame as ‘divinely inspired’ as it was opened for viewing to the public and received large crowds. ~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Virgin and Child with St Anne DA VINCI’S WORKSHOP Leonardo ran his own business that was comprised of a workshop in which he employed a number of apprentices. His workshop would take commissions from patrons to produce pieces of art and decoration. Leonardo’s workshop was a similar to the one he had joined with Verrocio at the age of 14 in 1466. Having come from being a student to a distinguished Master, Leonardo was now in the role of training the next generation of artists. Leonardo would have delegated the work on some of his paintings to his students. Delegating chores involved anything from mixing paint to painting small portions of the paintings.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Baptism of Christ – Partially painted by Leonardo DA VINCI BECAME WEARY OF THE BRUSH By 1502 and at the age of 50, Leonardo had given up painting due to his annoyance of patrons' idiosyncrasies and in order to focus more on his private studies of nature and science. Leonardo was at the time living in the Servite monastery where the monks were pressuring him to create some paintings in exchange for his stay. Leonardo would turn away wealthy patrons who came to him desperate for him to create a portrait of them. A priest of the Servite monastery by the name of Pietro had noted, ‘Leonardo was by now weary of the brush.’ Leonardo recorded his thoughts of why he disliked patrons; 'From Patron you first get flattery, then hard work, then ingratitude and recriminations.' LEONARDO DA VINCI’S MONA LISA - ‘ LA GIOCONDA ‘ A lady came to Leonardo asking for her portrait to be painted by the great master. Leonardo accepted and broke his period of not painting. He then began work on the Mona Lisa (also called ‘La Gioconda’) There was something about the sitter of the portrait, Lisa del Giaconda that moved Leonardo enough to begin painting again! The painting was finished four years later but instead of delivering the portrait to the owner (Lisa), Leonardo kept and added to this painting for the remainder of his life in an almost obsessive manner.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Mona Lisa or La Gioconda - DA VINCI PAINTINGS, SCIENCE AND CONTRAVERSY- SCIENCE IN LEONARDO DA VINCI’S ARTWORK Virgin of the Rocks is a good example of Leonardo Da Vinci and Science melding together. At the bottom of this painting, Leonardo paints in detail a ground where we can see the geological layers which have formed over time and which reflect his understanding of geology. His understanding of Geology also formed the basis of his evolution theory fundamentally the same as Charles Darwin’s but over 300 years before him! ~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Virgin of the Rocks – with Halos FLIGHT AND ANATOMY IN LEONARDO DA VINCI’S ARTWORK In the copy of the lost painting of Leda and the Swan, Leonardo amalgamates his skill of painting, his knowledge of anatomy (and knowledge of how babies are formed within the anatomy of a woman) and his dream of flight. The myth of Leda and her swan mate probably would have touched Leonardo's comical side.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Leda and the swan Leonardo’s in-depth anatomy studies gave him the knowledge to increase the realism of his drawings to an absolute level. This is one of the reasons why the figures drawn have an ‘alive’ quality about them. STUDIES OF NATURE It is possible that Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting embodies the largest array of subjects that Leonardo studied and mastered. These studies include fluid dynamics, bridge engineering, botany as well as optical illusions just to name a few! - CONTRAVERSIAL PAINTINGS - VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS Leonardo had created a number of Controversial paintings in his time. One of the paintings is the Virgin of the Rocks (without Halo’s.) Leonardo was not paid for this painting, as his patrons were furious Leonardo had not painted halos on the heads of the characters.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Virgin of the rocks – without halos THE LAST SUPPER AND THE DA VINCI CODE BOOK This painting has always been a testament to Leonardo’s Genius as an artist. The cartoon was so thoroughly planned (over two years!) and the characters so dynamically painted as an emotional snapshot that even in its deteriorated state, this Da Vinci fresco painting is still recognized as a masterpiece! Controversy surrounded this painting at first as Leonardo took such a long time to complete it. Then, as soon as the finished masterpiece was unveiled and put its patron in a state of awe, the painting began to crack and crumble due to a new method of painting, which reacted badly to moist air and water. Now controversy shrouds this painting again due to the release of the Da Vinci Code book and the supposed Da Vinci code secret this painting is said to conceal.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :Da Vinci last supper painting! THE HIDDEN DA VINCI PAINTING OF THE BATTLE OF ANGHIARI Both Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were given the commission to paint halves of a war scene. Leonardo had completed his half but the paint began to dissolve due to again a new painting method that Leonardo had introduced. The painting was believed to have been destroyed beyond repair. New evidence has been emerging to say that this Da Vinci painting was not destroyed but instead saved and then intentionally hidden out of sight. Art scientists are hot on the trail of uncovering the mystery of this paintings’ resting place. It is said that if found, the hidden painting of the Battle of Anghiari will be the greatest Art find, of at least the Century.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :A copy of a copy of the Leonardo's lost Battle of Anghiari! OTHER CONTRAVERSIAL DA VINCI PAINTINGS Other controversial paintings include, Baptism of Christ (as he introduced a new method of painting), Last Supper (again due to a new method of painting), Mona Lisa (where he smashed the conventional rules of portraits) and St John the Baptist (where he painted his best friend know as the ‘little Devil’ in the role of an important biblical figure!) All of Leonardo’s Cartoons were considered controversial also as he had not finished work on them in favour of new projects that caught his attention. This would undoubtedly have made his Patrons furious.
~ Leonardo Da Vinci Painting ~ :St John the Baptist Return from To
Updated:08/FEB/12 21:15 GMT
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