Leonardo da Vinci: The Master Artist
Leonardo da Vinci, born in 1452, is considered as one of the most gifted artists to have graced modern art. Most of his paintings, such as the Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, the Virgin of the Rocks, and the Vitruvian Man, represent his wit and genius. Despite the fact that he only painted a few paintings during his lifetime, the reflections on the completed masterpieces withstood the test of time (Barolsky, Paul, 394). Leonardo's painting's enduring impression is due to his strong knowledge of human anatomy, which he shows in many of his works. Using the concept of human anatomy and linear perspective, the Leonardo managed to produce almost realistic painting; much better than his predecessors in the art. While most of the painting in the Renaissance period was mostly flat and two-dimensional, Leonardo's application of linear perspective in The Last Supper, Vitruvian Man, the Mona Lisa, and the Virgin of the Rocks were precisely graphic and almost real.
The Artist
Leonardo was born (1452) and trained as a painter and sculptor in a town called Florence in Italy. His teacher Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488) gave Leonardo a masterful teaching in the artistry but it was Leonardo's curiosity and voracious hunger for more knowledge that propelled him to the greatness he that accompanies his name (Veltman, Kim, 381). Throughout his career, he was constantly observing, experimenting, drawing, and inventing different concepts of art. Moreover, he used this knowledge to investigate nature and used it to make exemplary drawings. Even though his completed drawings are few considering his caliber, he left behind almost 2,500 works of art and ideas (most of which are gathered into notebooks). Over the course of his life, da Vinci lived and worked in Florence (1472-82, and 1500-1508), Milan (1482-1499), and spent his last days in Rome (1513-1516), and in France (1516-1519). To this day, his genius in art and sculptors inspires artists and scientists continuously.
Leonardo's Masterpiece: The Last Supper (1495)
In The Last Supper (1492/94-1498), Leonardo captures the moment of the last supper, immediately Jesus Christ reveals to his disciples that one amongst them would betray him. The revelation seemed to have caused a visible response amongst his disciples, sends a wave of emotions towards them. Looking closely, the reaction of each apostle is unique, a concept Leonardo termed as "motions of the mind." Despite that, there is a sense of order expressed in the portrait; the head of the Master (Christ) appears in the center of the masterpiece and framed by a halo. The head also acts as the center point at which the openings of projections of the perspective of architecture settings converge. The arrangement of the apostles is orderly too; four groups are arranged around Christ with three united by their pose and gestures, while Juda with a shadowed face appears on the opposite side of the table.
As expressed by Arnheim, acknowledges that despite years of neglect, the uniqueness of the painting has manifested itself throughout time (Arnheim, Rudolf, 167). Moreover, the perfect symmetry of the painting of the painting and the use of linear perspective draws the viewers' attention to Christ, who is the center of the painting. This, as Arnheim notes is the quality that is needed for every good piece of art. Baroslky in his article "Leonardo, Satan, and the Mystery of Modern Art" explains that the crave for perfection in Leonardo's portrait can be unachievable for modern artist, but it has become part of the religion; every piece of art is measured by how perfect it appears (Barolsky, Paul, 401)
Leonardo's Masterpiece: The Vitruvian Man (1490)
The Vitruvian Man is a painting of a square and a circle image overlaid on each other to form a single image. It is a presentation of the Vitruvian proportions of the man with arms and legs spread out and inscribed in a circle, providing a perfect presentation of his mastery of human anatomy. The setting of the penis is at the center of the portrait, which in turn appears to be the center of the square, and in notably the center of the subscribed circle. His keen interest of proportionality is evident in the picture and explains why other paintings of his are structured to appear proportional; a trait that was not lacking in the art of the Renaissance era.
As Rykwert in the article "Leonardo's Vitruvian Man" explains, Leonardo's execution of the art is an expression of the perfection of anatomy (Rykwert, Joseph, 99). The proportional human body needed to be presented as such in the drawings, and in the portrait. Moreover, Barolsky presentation of perfect art as the bottom line of any modern painting. Moreover, the linearity of the portrait forms most of the basis for the art by Leonardo such as the Mona Lisa.
Leonardo's Masterpiece: The Mona Lisa (1503)
The Mona Lisa is one of Leonardo's greatest portraits. It is presumably a painting of a woman called Lisa, Francesco del Giocondo's wife. The painting is shrouded with mystery and the soft light in the painting and the calm smile of Lisa creates an enchanting atmosphere around it. Other than that, the figure seems to look directly at the viewer while its head, torso, and arms all face a different direction (Bishop, Philip, 211). Leonardo's understanding of nature and perfection is evident in the contours of rock formation and streams at the background of the portrait; mostly forming a continuous form, as if everything is in motion.
Barolsky discusses that the portrait smile was that of Leonardo, thus creating his feminine double. The inwardness of the portrait and the lines of the painting reflects the human nature and a presentation of an artist psyche for his work. Through linear perspective, every line and brush of the painting are demonstrated to present perfection, something modern artist has to work to achieve. The perfection of the work, as Belting and Jeniffer (pg 183) discuss, affects the viewer deeply, and the sense of wonder that comes along with it makes the piece of art irresistible.
Leonardo's Masterpiece: The Virgin of the Rocks (1483)
The painting is a representation of Virgin Mary, Christ, John the Baptist and an angel. The composition the painting is in a basic pyramidal arrangement and included the four figures in a balanced way (Bishop, Philip, 210). The natural environment is evident and the proportionality of the four figures intact. More so, the angel on the left reinforces the Christ figure on the right, and the thus drawing the figure to the little Jesus as he blesses St John.
While the pyramidal composition was a concept employed mostly by the artist in the Renaissance period, Leonardo's linear perspective makes the artist appear natural and engaging. Moreover, the knowledge of natural perfection brings life into the picture, setting the way for the modern art to prevail. Veltman in the article "Leonardo da Vinci: A Review" states that the painting of the Renaissance period had difficulty in presenting complex technical drawings but through the knowledge gained through studies, Leonardo was able to present figures such as this one and lay ground for the artist that followed to prevail (Veltman, Kim, 382).
Conclusion
Leonardo's quest for knowledge and constant curiosity was the epitome of his concept of linear perspective which he used to present and showcase perfection in his pieces of art. Through linear perspective, Leonardo was able to present almost perfect figures; something that has become a tradition to be followed by the modern artists.
Works Cited
Arnheim, Rudolf. “The Coming and Going of Images.” Leonardo, vol. 33, no. 3, June 2000, p. 167
Barolsky, Paul. “Leonardo, Satan, and the Mystery of Modern Art.” Virginia Quarterly Review, vol. 74, no. 3, Summer98, pp. 393-414.
Bishop, Philip E. Adventures in the Human Spirit. Lawrence King Publishing Ltd, London. 2014.
Rykwert, Joseph. “Leonardo’s Vitruvian Mian.” Architectural Review, vol. 231, no. 1380, Feb. 2012, pp. 98-99. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=76472948&site=ehost-live.
Veltman, Kim H. “Leonardo Da Vinci: A Review.” Leonardo, vol. 41, no. 4, Aug. 2008, pp. 381-388.
