Leonardo da Vinci ( ) Born in small town in Tuscany –Outside of Vinci (near Florence) Called the genius of the Renaissance –Art –Inventions –Scientific discoveries –Fortifications, assault weaponry –Constant experimentation Archetype of the Renaissance Man Struggled with patronage

Apprenticeship Nature was his teacher – much of his art is based on the laws and principals of nature Apprenticed to Andrea del Verrocchio for almost 10 years Legend has it that Verrocchio used a young Leonardo as his model for his famous David and the angel Raphael in Tobias and the Angel.

Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci. The Annunciation. c Oil and tempera on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.

Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci. The Baptism of Christ. c Oil and tempera on wood Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

Possibly the only extant sculptures of Vinci’s

Beheading of St. John the Baptist - Museo Dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence 12 1/8-inch by 16 1/2-inch altar panel made for the Baptistery in Florence

Olga's Gallery Leonardo da Vinci. Adoration of the Magi Oil on wood. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Back to Leonardo's Page HomeHome Artist Index Country IndexArtist IndexCountry Index academy.org/leonardo- adoration-of-the- magi.htmlhttp://smarthistory.khan academy.org/leonardo- adoration-of-the- magi.html Orange-brown paint is the work of another artist. Vinci’s grayish sketch done in lampblack mixed with diluted glue and covered by a primer of white lead Abandoned in 1482, left in the hands of Amerigo de’ Benci Bottom part lopped off, water damage

Leonardo da Vinci. Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with an Ermine). c Oil on wood. Czartorychi Muzeum, Cracow, Poland. Leonardo wrote a letter to the ruler of Milan, Duke Ludovico il Moro (Sforza) in which he recommended himself as a military inventor and engineer. He claimed that he could make bridges 'indestructible by fire and battle', and 'chariots, safe and unassailable'. To this he added at the end that he was also an architect, a sculptor and a painter with Ludovico

Meijer Sculpture Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI

Leonardo’s Notebooks Renaissance humanism recognized no mutually exclusive polarities between the sciences and the arts, and Leonardo's studies in science and engineering are as impressive and innovative as his artistic work. ◦ Flying machines ◦ Submarines ◦ Turbines ◦ Elevators ◦ Ideal cities ◦ Anatomy (close to discovering the circulation path of blood) ◦ Geology ◦ Botany

In 1994, this 36-folio manuscript was acquired by Bill Gates at the Armand Hammer estate auction. The analysis of movement of the water is a central theme, together with studies of geology (fossils, the circulation of water and natural disasters) and astronomy. Bill Gates plunked down $30.8 million for the Codex Leicester (making it the most expensive book ever sold)! Leonardo's depiction of the secondary light phenomenon Actual photo of the secondary light phenom- enon. The Value of a da Vinci Notebook…

Portrait of the Executed Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli, 1479 On December 29, 1479, Leonardo made this portrait of Baroncelli who was condemned to death for his part in the Pazzi conspiracy to kill the Medici sons, Guiliano and Lorenzo.

Leonardo da Vinci. The Neck and Shoulder of a Man. c Pen and ink on paper. Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK.

Leonardo da Vinci. The Foetus in the Womb. c Pen and ink with wash over black chalk and red chalk on paper. Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK.

Leonardo da Vinci. Head Measured, and Horsemen. c.1490 and Pen, ink and red chalk on paper. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy.

LEONARDO’S Inventions GIANT CROSSBOW MULTI- BARRELLED MACHINE GUN TANK OR ARMOURED CAR

Leonardo da Vinci. Battle Cart with Mobile Scythes. c Pen and ink with wash on paper. Biblioteca Reale, Turin, Italy.

PARACHUTE

Leonardo da Vinci. The Proportions of the Human Figure (Vitruvian Man) Pen, ink and watercolor over metalpoint. Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice,Italy. Vinci believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe.

Leonardo used both image and text to express the ideas and theories of Vitruvius, a first century Roman architect and author of 'De Architectura libri X'. The Vitruvian ideas, presented by Leonardo, formed the basis of Renaissance proportion theories in art and architecture.

Many artists tried to illustrate this divine relationship, but with varying success. An illustration of Vitruvian man by Cesariano in his Cosmo Vitruvius of 1521 reeks of failure. Cesariano drew a perfect circle and square tangent to each other at the four points of the square; then he forced a figure of a man into the design so that his hands and feet touch the points. The result was one of the most disproportioned figures of the Renaissance, with arms too long, legs too short, and hands and feet too big. A system of relationships alone did not make beauty happen.

da Vinci’s drive to understand who we are and why… His studies of proportion fuse artistic and scientific objectives. Movement and liveliness in arms, legs Thin lines on his form show the significant points of the proportion scheme. These lines indicate da Vinci's concern with the architectural meaning of the work. Leonardo is representing the body as a building and illustrating Renaissance theory, which linked the proportions of the human body with architectural planning. Basic geometric shapes and proportions are central building blocks in nature – and in human nature. Represents a cornerstone of Leonardo's attempts to relate man to nature.

Shady Patronage…

Alexander’s illegitimate son Cesare Borgia (legitimized through a papal bull) was a murderer and adventurer Patron to Leonardo from Cesare Borgia by Bembo in Galleria dell' Accademia Carrara ( , cardinal from ) Alexander VI, a.k.a Borgia pope Known for nepotism, corruption, luxury, arrogance, brazen favoritism of the Spanish to detriment of the local people. The Dominican monk Girolamo Savonarola preached against them and for this reason Alexander had him burned alive.

First Version The Madonna (Virgin) of the Rocks Oil on Canvas (originally panel) 78¼ x 48" Commissioned – 1483 The Louvre, Paris

Second Version It brings the viewer closer to the figures It is much bluer and has an air of flowing waters Other new or changed elements include St. John's cross of reeds; the hand of the angel which no longer points at St. John; the halos and the lighter drapery. Both the halos and the cross were a later addition done by an unknown artist.

Louvre, Paris – 1 st version National Gallery, London – 2 nd version

"The heavens often rain down the richest gifts on human beings, but sometimes they bestow with lavish abundance upon a single individual beauty, grace and ability, so that whatever he does, every action is so divine that he distances all other men, and clearly displays how his greatness is a gift of God and not an acquirement of human art. Men saw this in Leonardo." Georgio Vasari ( ) (author of 'The Lives of The Artists')The Lives of The Artists

The Battle of Anghiari (detail) Black chalk, pen and ink, watercolour on paper, 452 x 637 mm Musée du Louvre, Paris – Copy, executed by Reubens

Leonardo da Vinci. The Last Supper. c Oil and tempera on plaster. Santa Maria delle Grazie, Refectory, Milan, Italy

Close up of deterioration, after restorations in which over- paintings from past centuries have been removed. Part of the irreparable damage is from Leonardo’s own experimentation with paint techniques.

Leonardo da Vinci. Self-Portrait Red chalk on paper. Biblioteka Reale, Turin, Italy.

New Artistic Techniques Chiaroscuro A word borrowed from Italian ("light and shade" or “dark") referring to the creation of volume by depicting light and shade by contrasting them boldly. strengthening an illusion of depth Sfumato from Italian sfumare, “to tone down,” or “to evaporate like smoke” The blurring or softening of sharp outlines in painting by subtle and gradual blending of one color or tone into another.

MONA LISA (La GIOCONDA) c Oil on pine panel 30 x 20 7/8 in.) Louvre, Paris rg/leonardo-mona-lisa.html Vinci kept it with him until his death in 1519 in Amboise, France Speculation that a second portrait exists – for Guiliano de’ Medici, who may have been her lover Chiaroscuro – use of shading and light to create the illusion of roundness, depth Sfumato – use of shading, blending to create the illusion of depth of perspective in the background

Reverse Leonardo’s self portrait – the noses, mouths, foreheads, cheekbones, eyes and brows match up

Leonardo da Vinci. St. John the Baptist. c Oil on wood. Louvre, Paris, France.