The Life and Work of Leonardo Da Vinci - Term Paper Example

Leonardo Da Vinci i. Introduction Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, a great Italian Reconnaissance era artist, commonly called Leonardo da Vinci had diverse interests in many fields including painting, sculpting, science, invention, architecture, mathematics astronomy, geology, music, engineering, botany, anatomy, literature and cartography. Regarded as one of the greatest minds in history, Leonardo’s genius pioneered a great number of fields and inventions with some like the parachute and helicopter not being feasible until modern times. However, his ability to discover more and push the limits in multiple fields is what truly makes him one of the most iconic figures in human history. Da Vinci’singenuity resulted in the development of theories and concepts that continue to directly influence the lives of humanity more than five centuries after his demise. One quote best describes this; “Art is never finished, only abandoned” (Brasch 22). This means development of some piece of technology or concept in science or art is never truly complete, and will always remain a work in progress for the next person or generation to build on. ii. Life a. Childhood Leonardo was born in the town of Vinci on 15th April 1452 as an illegitimate son of a Florentine legal notary called Fruosino di Antonio and Caterina who was a peasant. The first five years of his life were in his mother’s home called the hamlet of Anchiano before he moved to Vinci in 1457 to live with his father (Brasch 6). During his stay in his father’s household, Leonardo got an informal education in mathematics, Latin and geometry. However, very little about his childhood years is on record. Leonardo’s expansive breadth of mind was clear to many early on in life. In one instant described by 16th century biographer Vasari, a peasant farmer requested Ser Piero to have his shield painted with Leonardo taking up the challenge and producing a painting of a monster that was so terrifying that it eventually sold to the duke of Milan. b. Apprenticeship Aged 14 in 1466, Leonardo started an apprenticeship as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea di Cione or Verrocchio, an artist whose workshop was among the best in Florence(Atlay and Wansley38). The studio exposed Leonardo to theoretical and technical knowledge of a number of fields ranging from drawing, sculpting and painting to chemistry, carpentry, metallurgy, mechanics, metalworking and leather working. During his time at the studio, Leonardo developed a close attachment to Verrocchio which influenced much of his work in life an allowed him to be part of many of the latter’s projects most notable being theBaptism of Christ. According to Vasari, Da Vinci painted the angel in the painting so much better than Verrocchio’s that the master never painted again.Six years after starting the apprenticeship and at age twenty, Leonardo became a qualified master in Saint Luke’s Guild of doctors and artists. After this, he started operating from his workshop, set up by his father. However, his close attachment to Verrocchio saw him continue to collaborate with his former master. c. Professional life Leonardo started out his career as painter before delving into other fields. In 1478, the artist left his father’s residence and Verrocchio’s studio(Atlay and Wansley49). By 1980, he lived with the Medici and worked at the Neo-Platonic academy of poets, artists and philosophers in Florence called the Garden of the Piazza San Marco. DaVinci believed that if an artist studied from natural objects and use nature as the standard, he would produce art of good standards. This philosophy played a great part when he prepared his paintings as he primarily sought to imitate nature, giving rise to naturalism. The idea is to persuade the audience to see beyond the object while at the same time emphasizing on the humans in the painting as the center. A good illustration is the Baptism of Christ where one can see the brown rocks in the river in the background although Jesus, the angels and John the Baptist remain the focus. However, Leonardo’s ingenuity was the source of great-inspired distraction that resulted in him being famous for his incomplete works. The St. Bernard Chapel altar in Palazzo Vecchio commissioned in 1478 and the adoration of the Magi commissioned in 1481 are some of his famous incomplete works. By 1482, Leonardo who was working for the house of the Medici had established himself as a talented musician. He created a horse shaped silver lyre for Lorenzo de’ Medici who then sent him to Milan (Vasarion.p). Here Da Vinci wasto act as peace broker with Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, with the lyre meant to be a gift. During this time Leonardo described to the duke the great things he could do in engineering who decided to keep him on to work for him. From 1482 to 1499 Leonardo worked for Ludovico on many projects including the painting of virgin of the Rock and the last supper for the Santa Maria Delle Grazie monastery, which ended up being one of his most famous work and the most reproduced religious painting (Brasch 20). In 1485, the artist met Matthias Corvinus on behalf of Ludovico in Hungary and painted the Holy Family.It was also part of his employ to design the Milan cathedral dome, equestrian monument as well as prepare pageants and floats. As usual, the monument initially meant to be of bronze remained incomplete for years before being finally made out of clay and being called the Gran Cavallo. The year 1499 saw the start of the Second Italian War that resulted in the invading French troops overthrowing Ludovico with Gran Cavallo’s life-size model serving as target practice (Vasarion.p). Leonardo fled Milan alongside his friend and assistant Salai and Luca Pacioli who was a mathematician and headed to Venice. Here he used his genius to work as a military engineer and architect and developed ways of defending the city from a naval attack. He returned to Florence in 1500 as a guest in the Santissima Annunziata Monastery with the monks providing a workshop. During his short stay at the monastery, Ser Piero made the Virgin and Child with St Anne and John the Baptist cartoon, which received great admiration from the populace who flocked to view it. In 1502, Leonardo moved to Cesena where he was under the service of Pope Alexander VI’s son, Cesare Borgia. At the time, maps were rare objects, which prompted Da Vinci to make a map detailing Borgia’s stronghold, Imola to get the patronage. He would later produce another map of Chiana Valley, Tuscany to aid his patron in getting a better strategic overlay of the land. His employ involved travelling allover Italy with Borgia while providing the services of a military engineer and architect. During his tenure under Cesare, Leonardo also constructed a dam reaching from Florence to the sea as a means of ensuring canal water supply in all seasons. The year 1503 saw him return to Florence rejoin the Guild and design and paint the Battle of Anghiari over the next two years (Vasari n.p). It was also during this period that he was unwillingly part of the committee charged with relocating the statue of David by Michelangelo. By 1506, he was back in Milan where he started to create Charles II d’Amboise’s equestrian figure with it wax model surviving to date. However, his stay in Milan was short with the genius returning to Florence in 1507 to sort out problems over his father’s estate with his brother. iii. Leonardo’s Works and influence a. Painting For most of the four centuries following his death, Leonardo’s fame came from achievements as a painter. The Mona Lisa and the Last Supper are the most famous of his works. The former also known as “la Gioconda” meaning the laughing one is the most famous painting (Brasch 18). It is particularly fascinating with the elusive smile mysteriousness from the subtle shadowing of the corners of the eyes and mouth adding to the allure. The unrivaled detail in the eyes and the hands and unadorned dress with the dramatic landscape all combine to create an epic canvas. In the Last Supper, which depicts the instance after Jesus tells his disciples that one of them is going to betray him, Leonardo wanted and succeeded in capturing the faces and reactions in detail. However, as in his other paintings, although the people are the center as well as point of measure, Leo incorporates nature in the background with such detail that one can see the clouds. In all his paintings, this style is clear to the audience. Other than being his legacy, this quality has seen imitation and incorporation by other artist over the years with his paintings being usedin lessons and discussions as examples. The qualities of his works are useful in understanding paint laying techniques, anatomy, geology, botany, light, gradation of tone and registering of emotions through gestures and expression. In the end, Da Vinci has influenced a great number of artists like Vasari who follow his styles and techniques. b. Journals and notes During the Renaissance period, there was recognition of science and the arts as lacking mutually exclusive polarities. This saw Leonardo delve into both fields with studies in the former being as impressive as those of the arts. The result is 13,000 pages of drawings and notes fusing both fields, which Da Vinci maintained and made from continual observations throughout his life and travel. Although these notes are mainly mirror-image cursive (Brasch 27), include both mundane and intriguing designs. The Vitruvian man is one note that has significantly aided in understanding of the human body. The notes also contain studies on plants, animals, fetuses, dissections, rock formations, mechanics and architecture that have given significant contributions to their related fields. c. Scientific studies Verrocchio always insisted that his students learn anatomy(Atlay and Wansley39). This is where the artist’s study of the human anatomy began. Quickly, he mastered topographic anatomy and made drawings of visible anatomical features. After becoming a successful artist, Leonardo had permission to dissect corpses in hospitals I Florence and Milan where he learned much about the internal functioning of the body. He then made an anatomy treatise detailed using over 240 drawings and notes. These included studies about the skeleton, muscles and sinews. His studies on the skeleton and the muscles that produce the forces that result in movement prefigured modern biomechanics(Atlay and Wansley278). He also studied internal organs including the heart and the circulatory system and the reproductive organs producing the in utero first drawings of the fetus. All of these were pioneering steps in the field of medicine with some still in use in treatment today. d. Inventions and engineering In a letter addressed to Ludovico, Leonardo described himself as an engineer capable of creating all types of machines. His life’s work is a clear indication of these abilities. He designed and made many great inventions some feasible and some impractical, all of which are documented in his journals. These include hydraulic pumps, finned mortar shells, musical instruments, reversible crank mechanisms, steam cannons, the parachute, tank, and a flying machine. His design concepts are the foundation for many modern day machines with the helicopter being the prime example. Leonardo also designed a single span 220 m bridge for the Golden Horn inlet although Sultan Beyazid II did not pursue the project (Atalay and Wansley 199). The realization of this vision came five centuries later with the construction ofa Norway bridge on this concept. iv. Later years In most of Leonardo’s later years between September of 1513 and 1516, he lived in the Vatican in Belvedere alongside Michelangelo and Raphael. During one meeting between the pope and Francis I who had retaken Milan, Da Vinci was commissioned to create a lion that could walk and open its chest revealing lilies for Francis. Later in 1516, he got under the French king’s service utilizing the Clos Luce manor house near the Chateau d’Amboise, which was the king’s residence(Brasch 22). Leonardo spent his last three years at the manor relying on a 10,000 scudi pension. The great artist died on May 2nd 1519 the manor and was buried in the Saint-Hubert Chapel leaving an unrivaled legacy. v. Conclusion In his life, Leonardo da Vinci pioneered research into a number of fields with science and art being the major two. He also made notes and drawings on his extensive observations throughout his life. The notes observations and works have been key drivers in the propagation of many fields and the development of many machines many years after his death. It is an undeniable fact that the role played by Da Vinci in the renaissance era has had both direct and indirect influence on western civilization. This proves his famous words that “Art is never finished, only abandoned”. Bibliography Atalay, Bülent and Keith Wamsley. Leonardos Universe: The Renaissance World of Leonardo Da Vinci. Washington, D.C: National Geographic, 2008. Print. Brasch, Nicolas. Leonardo Da Vinci: The Greatest Inventor. New York: PowerKids Press, 2014. Internet resource. Vasari, Giorgio. Vasari: Life Of Leonardo Da Vinci. Web.mnstate.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015. Read More