Leonardo Da Vinci Biography And Artwork - Essay Example

Leonardo Da Vinci Biography And Artwork The artist chosen for this assignment is Leonardo Da Vinci, the most famous Italian polymath. Da Vinci is fondly called ‘archetype of the Renaissance man’, for he gained prominence as a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, and musician and writer. As Killinger points out, Leonardo along with other humanists and Renaissance artists like Donato Bramante (1514) adorned the most famous Sforza Ludovico's (1479-1500) court (71). His works generally contained drawings, scientific diagrams, and his thoughts on the nature of painting. His three greatest works are Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and Vitruvian Man. “Leonardo's ideas were vastly ahead of his time” (Leonardo da Vinci: complete works). Evidently, the European artist community, to a large extent tried to imitate the styles of Leonardo. He spent much of his time in creating realistic paintings. Da Vinci broke new ground for a painting technique in many of his paintings. He introduced a color shading technique called "Sfumato". There after he indulged in demonstrating his complete mastery in painting techniques including chiaroscuro and which enabled him in creating extremely realistic three dimension pictures. It made the immense impact on the next generations including the iconoclastic Caravaggio. Moreover, Leonardo Da Vinci was the first one amongst the painters to study the anatomical proportions of human beings. Among his early works, The Baptism of Christ is a remarkable one. The theme of the painting is the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist. Evidently, the idea of this work closely relates to the description of the event found in the gospels. This work is noted for its clarity, higher quality, and uniqueness; and this is said to have drawn by Davinci together with other apprentices like Botticelli or Lorenzo di Credi when he was only 23 years old. The scene is depicted as John the Baptist pouring water over Jesus' head. The extended hands above indicate God the Father whereas the dove indicates the presence of Holy Spirit. In this work, the angel kneeling on the left side and the landscape behind him are believed to have been the specific contributions of Davinci; and the image of the angel has evoked controversy with regard to its pose, complexion, and no conventional form (Scaramella). The Baptism of Christ One of the most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci Mona Lisa an oil painting painted on a poplar wood. This was created between 1503 and 1519, and is the most parodied piece of art till date. According to critics, Da Vinci kept a long held mystery that loomed over her eyebrows. The image in the painting is believed to be the portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo. Mona Lisa is painted on a realistic scale. It has a complete volume typically seen in sculpture in the round. The painting is believed to have been created between 1503 and 1506. Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is the earliest Italian portrait to focus so clearly on a passenger in a half-length portrait. Mona Lisa is highly realistic and that is attributed to the technique of sfumato he used to blend and shade the contours from his light to dark work and to soften the image to make it more lifelike. As Botton points out, Christianity maintained Aristotle's concept that ‘miseries of works were an appropriate means of expiating the sins of Adam', and it was since the advent of Leonardo and Michelangelo that ‘new notes began to be heard' (106). Mona Lisa Evidently, Monalisa as a wonderful work of art has been the topic for research over centuries. Although researchers are at odds regarding various aspects of the painting, they all converge to the point that Da Vinci’s art worth great appreciation for ever. Recent studies conducted on the painting have brought out amazing findings of the secrets the painter had employed in the creation of his masterpiece. According to Cotte, the founder of Lumiere Technology who scanned the painting with a 240-megapixel Multi-spectral Imaging Camera he invented, "the face of Mona Lisa appears slightly wider and the smile is different and the eyes are different," and "the smile is more accentuated I would say" (qt in Bryner). Cotte, being a scientist and engineer analyses the logic of why da Vinci kept Mona Lisa’s right arm across her stomach. According to him, it was for making the pigment behind the right wrist to match up perfectly with that of the cover drapes across Mona Lisa's knee. Other findings of Cotte include the secret behind the transparency of the veil; he believes that “da Vinci first painted a landscape and then painted the veil atop it” (Bryner). The researcher says that the blanket covering Mona Lisa's knees also covers her stomach. The blotch mark on the corner of the eye and chin might be some varnish accidents and not that Mona Lisa was sick. Most of the speculations and arguments regarding the painting still remain the hot topic for debates as a result of the deterioration and restorations of the work. Most of da Vinci’s works evoked wider discussion and criticism. For instance, it is widely criticized that Da Vinci used the same model for both Jesus and Judas in his great work ‘Last Supper’. Recently in 2003, Dan Brown wrote a mystery detective novel named as the Da Vinci Code based on the very work, which argues that the Jesus was in love with Mary Magdalene. He always tried to assimilate science with religion though it was difficult for his contemporaries to comprehend the real sense of many of his works. For example, ‘The Vitruvian Man’ is a Well-renowned drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci created in 1487. This drawing depicts a male figure in two superimposed positions by which his arms and legs simultaneously represent a circle and a square. The correlations of ideal human proportions become the basis for this drawing. It is interpreted that the man in the square represents scientific models while the man in the circle stands for some religious symbols. Da Vinci’s relationship with the Roman Catholic Church itself is a topic for debate. Many believe that da Vinci was not a staunch believer of Catholic Church despite the fact that many of his paintings are based on biblical themes. For instance, as Rosci's notes, Leonardo "adopted an empirical approach to every thought, opinion, and action and accepted no truth unless verified or verifiable, whether related to natural phenomena, human behavior, or social activities." (it in Dear Straight Dope). And hence, according to this observation, da Vinci did not believe in the Catholic dogma and was an insurgent seeking to over through the false beliefs of the society in which he lived. Evidently, as compared to Michelangelo, da Vinci got only a nominal support from the Catholic Church in his pursuit. In the same way, Leonardo’s relationship with his contemporary Michelangelo also was not very substantial, the reason for which is still not sure. However, he was an exceptional figure in the history that proved his part in almost all branches of art and science. In total, Leonardo Da Vinci is considered to be an artist, an inventor and an eminent scientist whose ideas were centuries ahead than the time he lived. More than five hundred years Da Vinci’s reputation as a famous painter rested with a number of paintings which is considered to be the ultimate masterpieces in the world. The virtuoso quality of the works rests with the painterly techniques that he developed. Da Vinci’s exceptional draftsmanship is clear in his larger body of drawings which were later seen in a number of European art works and in art galleries. Works Cited Bryner, Jeanna. “25 Secrets of Mona Lisa Revealed”. Live Science, Oct 2007. Web 12 June 2013 Straight Dope. ‘Was Leonardo da Vinci religious?’ 1999. Web 12 June Scaramella, A. D. Artwork analysis: The Baptism of Christ, by Leonardo da Vinci. Helium, Jan 13, 2013. Web 12 June 2013 Read More