Leonardo da Vinci in Milan according to Giorgione Essay Example For Students

Leonardo da Vinci in Milan according to Giorgione Essay The objective of this essay is to provide an explanation of Leonardo da Vincis life and work as an artist in context with his time spent in Milan. Following an initial introduction to Leonardos formative years in Florence (and his apprenticeship to the sculptor and painter Andrea del Verrocchio, 1435-88), I will attempt to explain the significance of his presence in Milan with detailed descriptions of his work there. Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) was also an artist and architect, but is perhaps better known for his book on the lives of well known painters, sculptors and architects (published 1550; from Cimbue to his autobiography which was included in a revised edition): Vasaris book offers his personal evaluation of the works of these artists, as well as discussions on the state of the arts. His easy, natural writing style helped to make his book one of the most enduring of art histories. His reflections on Leonardos life include insight specifically relating to his unusual character and the intellectual merit of his lifes work. Using this evidence I hope to provide valid observations on Leonardos significance as a father of the High Renaissance. Leonardo (who was christened Lionardo, the name to which Vasari refers) was born near the small town of Vinci on 15th April 1452. The town was situated in the Florentine province of Italy, where his father, Ser Piero was a notary. According to Vasari, Leonardo was somewhat of a child prodigy in his studies, but he showed little commitment to one single area, constantly finding new interests in other subjects: Thus in arithmetic, during the few months that he studied it, he made such progress that he frequently confounded his master by continually raising doubts and difficulties. He devoted some time to music Yet though he studied so many different things, he never neglected design and working in relief, those being the things which appealed to his fancy more than any other. Being very conscious of his sons talents, Ser Piero moved to Florence with Leonardo and his wife (not Leonardos mother, as he was illegitimate and never took his fathers name) to utilise them professionally. Being a friend of the artist and sculptor Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-88), Ser Piero convinced him to recruit Leonardo as an apprentice by the promise shown in his work. Verrocchio strongly encouraged da Vinci, and his admiration of his students talents convinced Verrocchio to allow Leonardo to participate in the creation of his own paintings and sculptures. According to Vasari, Leonardo was highly skilled in many fields of design, he prepared many architectural plans and elevations, and he was the first, though so young, to propose a navigable canal of the Arno River from Pisa to Florence. Vasari talks at length on the subject of Leonardos early drawing skills, delving with some depth into the aptitude of his draughtsmanship, often indicating that his works were executed like a master, which he became officially in 1478. Drawing may have been a craft in which he gleaned experience directly from Verrocchio, whos own biography by Vasari states: His drawings were) made with great patience and knowledge, among which are heads of women, with graceful manner and hair arrangements that, because of their exceeding beauty, Lionardo da Vinci always imitated. Although in 1472 he entered the San Luca guild of painters in Florence, which would indicate that he had attained a degree of professional independence, he remained with Andrea del Verrocchio until 1480. Of his earliest works, one that he painted as an assistant is the angel holding clothes, kneeling on the left of Verrocchios picture The Baptism of Christ (c. 1472-1475). Verrocchio, as indicated by Vasari, was so impressed by the implications of his pupils genius that would never afterwards touch colours, chagrined that a child should know more than he. Since Leonardos earliest large-scale work The Adoration of the Magi (begun 1481 unfinished), he had gained a reputation for leaving works incomplete, perhaps fittingly in the nature of this, his first commission an altarpiece for the chapel of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Florentine town hall, was never executed. Conveniently, Vasari attempts to provide an explanation for this force of habit: His knowledge of art, indeed, prevented him from finishing many things which he had begun, for he felt that his hand would be unable to realise the perfect creations of his imagination, as his mind formed such difficult, subtle and marvellous conceptions that his hands, skilful as they were, could never have expressed them. As to the truth of this statement, this is difficult to prove, but clarification could be seen in the great number and range of Leonardos studies and designs that never progressed further than the initial planning stages, due to his constant need to illustrate his new and innovative concepts. The Adoration of the Magi was an early illustration of Leonardos genius in technical innovation, even if it was unintentional. Despite the piece not being completed, the drawing and base painting serve to demonstrate the success of Leonardos technique of drawing straight onto the board without first having to demarcate outlines by using a collection of cartoons (preparatory sketches) as was the technique for painting in buon-fresco or in tempera. The cuban mile EssayThis provided an even greater sense of relief and a sculptural quality to paintings by using an exaggerated depiction of light and dark tones emphasising the shape of a form. I have chosen two works from this period, which by personal opinion, I consider to be the finest in his undertaking and most expressive of his paintings. The Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (Lady with an Ermine) was painted around 1490 midway through his employment to Ludovico; indeed it is sometimes believed that the Lady was his mistress. This painting uses chiaroscuro to a great effect with modelling used around the side of the head, neck and upper chest and around the arms, clearly illustrating the depth of the figure. Notice how obscured the background is, thus making the use of sfumato impossible on the figure, except for where the torso of the ermine is cast in shadow by the Ladys hand and arm. Her clothing and jewellery appear very sophisticated and luxuriant incorporating crisp details in the fabric. The ermine itself, which was prized for its valuable fur, also acts as a designation of wealth. Dominican monks of the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery commissioned possibly the most notable painting by Leonardo in Milan, The Last Supper painted using an experimentary use of media from 1495-8. A great work in its magnitude, the composition has become the epitome of Last Supper paintings, despite its well-known fragility it still remains following attempts at restoration since 1726. It is constantly falling apart since Leonardo attempted to work in oil and tempera on plaster. Vasari wrote of the work: Lionardo has seized the moment when the Apostles are anxious to discover who would betray their Master. All their faces are expressive of love, fear, wrath or grief at not being able to grasp the meaning of Christ, in contrast to the obstinacy, hatred and treason of Judas, while the whole work, down to the smallest details, displays incredible diligence, even the texture of the tablecloth being clearly visible so that actual cambric would not look more real. Vasari also professes to Leonardos diligence in working on this project, although according to an eyewitness report from one Matteo Bandello (narrated in Novella, 1497) the artist would at times paint in the refectory from sunrise to darkness, never laying down the brush to eat or drink. Then, days would lapse in which Leonardo would not touch a brush but would either contemplate what he had painted or labour at the Corte Vecchia on the monumental clay model for the Sforza equestrian monument, and then, when the fancy took him he would take a brush and give a few touches to one of the figures; and then suddenly he would leave and go elsewhere. The painting itself has little evidence of its former glory left, although the use of both chiaroscuro and sfumato are still visible in the scenery and between the figures, and this grants the vision a certain elegance of form and composition. The arrangement of the apostle figures in groups of three is often commented upon due to the number acting as a recurring theme in the painting; often the number three was used to designate the importance of the Holy Trinity. The robes are very much in the tradition of scholarly togas; there is still even a suggestion of lurid colour still left in the cloth. It was soon after he had completed this work that Leonardo withdrew from Milan as the Duke had done to escape the French who had overrun the state, French archers also destroyed the clay equestrian colossus that Leonardo had made by using it for target practice. Leonardo only returned to Milan in 1506 under the guardianship of the ruling French governor, Charles dAmboise, and still only visited whilst undertaking commissions. Leonardos lack of popularity (in his own time, as a named artist) is surprising. He was a victim of the cultural marginality of the Milanese court as well as of his own commitment to technical and scientific projects rather than to literature, and the scarcity of works circulating under his name. To some extent this is largely true, but obviously becoming famous was not a great ambition of Leonardos. As is mentioned, there was a lack of works (paintings) that would have had a circulation around important circles: By 1503, Leonardo had forged a reputation for jilting his patrons with unfinished projects. This would surely have been the case, but what cant truly be answered is, did this make Leonardo responsible for his own lack of popularity? It never seemed to be that way to Vasari anyhow, who wrote with a very sympathetic style about Leonardo, making eloquent excuses where Leonardo could be found blameworthy. It is probably true to say that Leonardo was highly respected as a founding father of the high period of the renaissance, and all in all lead a comfortable life worthy of his standing.