Leonardo da Vinci is one of the
most well-known artists of all time. He emphasized authenticity, dimension, and
curiosity in all of his works. He is primarily known for the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian
Man. However, that doesn’t even start to describe his vast and differential
pieces of artwork. He was a man of many talents and had the ambition to match,
a genuine Renaissance man. He was born on April 15, 1452 as an illegitimate son
of Piero da Vinci, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant girl, at Vinci.
Verrocchio, a renowned Florentine painter, mentored Leonardo in the early years
of his life. He moved around Europe throughout his life working and perfecting
his crafts. Although Leonardo is primarily known for being a painter, he excelled
in what seemed to be everything his got his hands into. By the time he died on
May 2, 1519 he was a painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician,
mathematician, scientist, writer, ad an engineer.
As stated
above, this is one of Leonardo’s most famous paintings. It draws a lot of
interest from people due to the sheer beauty and mystery behind the painting. There
is a lot of speculation to who the woman is and what kind of factious
expression she is making. The longer you stare at it the most it shifts and
changes. The deep, rich hues he used help emphasize a romantic aura around Mona
Lisa and the lighter blues and greens in the background help put emphasis on
her pale face. By making the clothes and hair so dramatically dark and the skin
so pale, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to her face and wonder where she he
looking. Most of his paintings containing people shared this same theme of very
pale skin surrounded by extremely dark colors, either in clothing or shadows.
The Last
Supper is an example of a rare style of his paintings. He typically did not use
bright colors in his paintings. Instead he would use more of a monochromatic
color scheme and use shading and shadows to create depth. This painting is one
the most famous religious paintings ever done, showcasing Jesus and his twelve
disciples eating the last meal before Judas betrayed Jesus. Again, Leonardo did
an excellent job instilling mystery into his painting. Why are they placed the
way they are? What are they discussing? It can be interpreted in many different
ways and has been throughout history. Leonardo used the lighting to emphasize
Jesus, in the center of the paining, and then shadowing behind and stronger to
the left side. Depth through light exposure was also, a common theme in his
paintings.
Leonardo
was not solely interested in paintings, as I wrote previously. He was an
insanely curious man and was always trying to find answers to his own
questions. Back during this era, not a lot was known about science and math. Leonardo
decided to venture out on his own to draw up a mathematically and physiologically
accurate sketch of the human body. This is where the drawing of the Vitruvian Man came into play. By using
the circle and square he was able to show how the body changes height and width
as limbs move further away from the core. What seems like such a simple and
obvious finding was a huge step forward in the medical field during his time. Leonardo
did a lot of medical drawings including diagrams of organs, muscles, and bones.
Human
bodies were not the only diagrams that he sketched during his life. As stated
above, he was also an engineer. He was interested in machinery and what made it
work. He often sketched weapons and other contraptions. Leonardo even attempted
to invent wings to help humans fly. He truly had a mind years wiser than his
generation. When drawing his inventions, he would make sure there were proper
measurements so it could be used as an instruction type manual. He was all for
creating and trying new and crazy things. When painting and drawing he would
often used different types of media to test what would work and what wouldn’t.
This often led to unfinished or ruined pieces but he never really focused on having
a perfect final project. He was all about creating something new and original.
The reason
I am drawn to Leonardo da Vinci is solely because of his story and the incredible
masterpieces he was able to create solely off of passion. He had a rough
childhood and used that to fuel his imagination instead of letting it tear him
down. His attention to detail, even in his sketches, has inspired me. My
favorite things to draw and sketch are animals and people. The human body is a mystery
and the way it is portrayed through drawings can help shed light on certain
questions had.
WORKS CITED
Leonardo Da Vinci Biography. (n.d.).
Retrieved February 20, 2017, from
http://www.leonardoda-vinci.org/biography.html
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg/687px-Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Last_Supper_(copy)_-_WGA12732.jpg/350px-Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_Last_Supper_(copy)_-_WGA12732.jpg
http://payload128.cargocollective.com/1/10/333206/4872870/3440442-photo-of-the-vitruvian-man-by-leonardo-da-vinci-from-1492-on-textured-background_1000.jpg
http://www.leonardodavinci.net/images/drawings/design-for-a-giant-crossbow.jpg
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