Category: Leonardo da Vinci

Two of the greatest artists of all time, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo are very much noted as the masters of the two greatest qualities of craft (concerning the composition of the artwork) and communication (the uniqueness of the artist’s message and vision). The significant factor that strikes a person when appreciating the works of these celebrated artists in comparative analysis is that they were masters in craft and communication in their own specific ways. A comparative account of the specific techniques such as composition, color, perspective, chiaroscuro, idealism, gesture, size, symbolism, allegory, etc of these artists would illustrate this point very evidently. In this paper, such an endeavor is carried out by comparing and contrasting The Entombment by Michelangelo and The Last Supper by Da Vinci.

As the first step, let us consider the work of the entombment by Michelangelo. The work shows the characteristic features of Michelangelo paintings and there are no disputes over its authenticity. The work is oil on wood – 161.7 x 149.9 cm. The composition of the work reconciled two formats, the Man of Sorrows and the Meleager narrative. The painting provides a very picturesque view of Christ’s body being carried to his tomb. Male nudity and muscular tension have been portrayed by Angelo as he considered it as the foremost subject in art. He provided multiple layers of meaning to his works as his works dealt with mythology, religion, and other subjects.

Many of his works are left unfinished but the alluring charm of his works is incomparable. The Last Supper by Do Vinci has a huge size of 460×880 c.m and uses tempera and mixed media on plaster. The painting depicts the moment after Jesus told his disciples that one of them would betray him. Leonardo groups the apostles into four groups of three, with Jesus in the middle, capturing the central attention of the viewer. The painting is done on a dry surface, rather than on wet plaster.

There is a considerable amount of difference in the material, subject matter, use of color, and thematic representation between the two. Leonardo Do Vinci employed more dark colors in his paintings whereas Michelangelo preferred light colors for his art. Most of the paintings of Do Vinci are made on dry plaster; for Michael oil painting on wood was more of a fascination. Both Angelo’s and Leonardo’s paintings assume three-dimensional appreciations: Leonardo made use of light and shadow (chiaroscuro) to bring out this three-dimensional effect which made his paintings soft as well as life-like. A recurrent theme with Michael Angelo’s paintings is life and death.

Angelo very often makes use of devotional images in his paintings and tried to link the renaissance techniques with the archaic ones: “On the one hand, Michelangelo sought to restore the devotional image, strengthening its hold on a new cut of the viewer; on the other, he aimed to sanctify the modern aesthetic, linking Renaissance techniques hack into archaic types.” (Cole, 2003). Unlike Angelo, Leonardo had a more universal and realistic approach: “Leonardo nevertheless sought a universal language in painting. With perspective and other realistic elements, Leonardo tried to create faithful renditions of life. Leonardo’s desire to paint things realistically was bold and fresh.” (Museum of Science, n.d.).

The realistic works of Leonardo are the results of his study on nature and anatomy. However, he never painted ludicrously muscular bodies as Michelangelo. Thus, a comparative and contrastive study on the paintings of these two great artists convinces one that both of them displayed great insight, originality, and creativity in their works that researchers and art lovers all over the world seek the mystery behind their works even today.

Reference

Cole, Michael. (2003). Michelangelo and the Reform of Art & Painting in Renaissance Florence, 1500-1550. HighBeam encyclopedia. Web.

Museum of Science. (n.d.). Renaissance Man. Scientist Inventor Artist. Web.

The phenomenon of art comes from the human skill of creativity and innovation. It is an ancient technique that has existed for a long time. Art is more of a talent than a skill and typically, it applies visual forms such as the painting of sculptures and drawing of images based on real-life objects. The paper discusses the relationship between art and science for two great men named Leonardo Da Vinci and Galileo Galilei.

Art inspired Leonardo’s science because of his illustrations made of moving water which was an observation he had made over time. He depicted the flow in time and space and also the conceptualization of how liquids move (Broomhall et al., 2019). Leonardo’s illustration was in the form of a single diagram. From the art, Leonardo described the wakes’ tricky nature and the vertical up-welling of water in the paths.

The case of Galileo is similar to that of Leonardo in terms of influence as art-informed science. The reason is that Galileo was trained in art, and Edgerton argues that Galileo was a master of perfect drawings (as cited in Cooke, 1999). The influence of science on art is seen when Galileo responds to Cigoli’s letter. The response was scientifically justified because Galileo expressed that the eye’s abilities can only see objects.

Criminal justice is connected to science because, for instance, forensic science is useful in investigating and detecting criminals. The techniques used are scientifically relevant and satisfy the theory that the discipline is connected to science. From the readings, both Leonardo and Galilei got their art to inform science. For instance, Leonardo used his drawings to measure water flow and compared it with the human nature of air.

References

Broomhall, S., Ivey, G., & Jones, N. (2019). How Leonardo da Vinci, ‘Master of Water,’ explored its flow’s power and beauty. The Conversation. Web.

Cooke, D. (1999). Galileo, Cigoli, and the Moon. Princeton. Web.

Abstract

Leonardo da Vinci’s “Ginevra de’ Benci” portrays powerful styles and principles of design. The artwork also presents different themes such as beauty, chastity, dignity, and modesty. This essay gives a detailed analysis of this masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. The essay explores the strengths, elements, and styles of the artwork.

Work of Art and Thesis

The masterpiece “Ginevra de’ Benci” was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The artist painted it between 1474 and 1476. The painter “used oil on a wooden panel” (Koestler-Grack, 2005, p. 73). The country of origin is Italy. It is currently found in the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Thesis statement

Leonardo da Vinci uses the best elements of art and principles of design to give the painting “Ginevra de’ Benci” powerful themes such as beauty, chastity, dignity, and modesty.

Media, Technique, and Style of the Work

This work of art presents two unique techniques. The first technique is known as sfumato. This “style uses glazes in different tones of color in order to create a transition from light to dark” (Jiminez, 2013, p. 18). The other “technique is chiaroscuro” (Jiminez, 2013, p. 18). Leonardo combines “landscape and portrait to produce this masterpiece” (Hand, 2004, p. 67). He uses oil on wood to produce the painting. The artwork portrays the historical and cultural aspects of Italy during the 15^th century.

The aristocrats occupied a unique position in the society. The painting was aimed at commemorating Ginevra’s marriage. The Latin motto “VIRTUTEM FORMA DECORAT” symbolizes Ginevra de’ Benci’s virtues. Some virtues such as beauty and austerity were meaningful during the time. Marriage was also taken seriously in Florence (Brand & Korsmeyer, 2011).

Description of the Painting

This artwork presents the portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci. She appears beautiful and brilliant. There is “no smile on her face” (Brand & Korsmeyer, 2011, p. 54). Leonardo’s combination of landscape and portrait is noticeable on this painting. The painter uses wood and oil in a professional manner. This approach gives the painting an even tone. The size of the painting makes it emotional.

Elements of Art

The painter uses “curves and lines in order to create distances between different points” (Hand, 2004, p. 66). The painter uses various marks to separate different objects. Such lines have given the portrait a 3D effect. Leonardo da Vinci uses different natural shapes. Learn ado da Vinci “has textured and patterned different shapes in order to give the painting a powerful meaning” (Hand, 2004, p. 67). The painter uses different properties of color. Leonardo uses hue and intensity effectively. He also uses intensity to create a 3D effect. The painter “creates value by adding black and white to different colors” (Hand, 2004, p. 67). The use of space is noticeable in Leonardo’s “Ginevra de’ Benci”. The painting has three grounds: foreground, middle ground, and background. This element is achieved through the use of a landscape approach. The painter has also used texture. This masterpiece has different textures. For example, the woman’s face appears smooth.

Principles of Design

Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings are characterized by powerful principles of design. The artist has also used the concept of unity. The parts of the painting are combined to form one unique image. Leonardo da Vinci uses different objects in order to create variety. Balance is achieved through the artistic integration of different components (Hand, 2004). The mountains and trees correspond to each other. The painter has arranged the above parts in a regular manner. The painting has a unique focal point or emphasis. The viewer is compelled to focus on Ginevra de Benci’s face. The woman’s image makes this masterpiece meaningful to the viewer.

The parts portrayed on the painting are proportional to each other. The concept of perspective is employed to produce this work of art. The painter has also used the concept of scale. He has achieved this goal by adjusting the parts in a proportional manner. Movement is achieved through the use of tone and contrast. The patterned repetition of objects such as trees adds rhythm and movement to the painting (Brand & Korsmeyer, 2011). The artist uses value, hue, and color to create motion.

Meaning of the Work

This painting identifies most of the issues embraced by many people throughout the Renaissance Period. Many portraits depicted the lives of women from wealthy families. The painting shows that “Ginevra de’ Benci comported herself with dignity and modesty” (Hand, 2004, p. 87). Dignity was something precious during the time. Ginevra’s beauty is a sign of greatness. The juniper tree also presents Ginevra’s name. The tree is also a sign of chastity (Jiminez, 2013).

Personal Response

I have appreciated the above painting by Leonardo da Vinci. I have also understood the major achievements of Leonardo da Vinci. The painting also portrays some of the values embraced by many people during the Renaissance Period. The painting shows clearly that Leonardo was a great artist. The painter has used different elements of art (Brand & Korsmeyer, 2011). Leonardo da Vinci used different principles of design to strengthen the meaning of the portrait. I am therefore planning to analyze more artworks by Leonardo da Vinci.

Reference List

Brand, P., & Korsmeyer, C. (2011). Feminism and Tradition in Aesthetics. Philadelphia, PA: Penn State Press. Web.

Hand, J. (2004). National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. New York, NY: National Gallery of Art, Washington. Web.

Jiminez, J. (2013). Dictionary of Artists’ Models. New York, NY: Oxford Press. Web.

Koestler-Grack, R. (2005). Leonardo Da Vinci: Artist, Inventor, and Renaissance Man. New York, NY: Longman. Web.

Leonardo da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper”, portrays Jesus having dinner with his disciples. Da Vinci has so beautifully displayed even the minutest of details. Be it the way the disciples or Jesus is sitting, talking and even pointing to something or someone has been exotically put onto the canvass. The light, though dim; defines each character properly and is dark where required. The background is shown lighter than the front picture.

When looking at the picture, the variation of colors is such that one can easily identify the background. The colors used are all simple and not so bright that they hide the true emotions and expressions of the characters. The spacing is precisely done. Da Vinci has given the painting a real look of a dinner room as it is in reality. “The Last Supper” is undoubtedly an impeccable piece of art.

Titian’s “Assumption”, on the other hand, uses more light effects, a shade darker. The choice of colors is just superb. The detailing has been done with utmost care. The line and space have been justifiably used. The different shade of colors filled into the flowers, is just striking. The complete painting is a dream realized. The best part of Titian’s ‘Assumption’ is the light effect. A single color blue has given the painting the effect of a real one. Different shades of blue have been used.

Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” uses darker shades of blue and a lot of black. The city view has been painted beautifully. The painting depicts the view outside his sanitarium room window at night, although it was painted from memory during the day. The painter had had memories of the day when he painted the painting at night. The line and space has also been done full justice to. The horizon is painted on almost the correct position. The city view is painted very well.Priority has been given to the start studded sky also showing the moon inscribed in the sun. The ambiguity of the painting is very amusing. This proves that Van Gogh had had memories from the day and had painted at night.

Jasper John’s “Numbers in Color” is a very colorful painting with red having the prominence in various parts. The painting shows simply numbers from 0 to 9 continuously, with a few shades of colors randomly spaced. According to Jasper, he likes to mix a different medium with an image and to see how they react to each other. The line and spacing is not much of a point here since the painting has a single pattern.

Andrea Mantegna’s “The Dead Christ” is a masterpiece in itself. The lamenting over the Christ has been given a very realistic touch. The expressions of the characters in the painting are almost real. The light effect is very dull since the demise of Lord Jesus is being shown. Even the colors are not much. The painter has used only two or three colors and still depicted the scene with utmost reality and verity. The mourners, though, have not been shown completely. More space has been given to the bed on which Jesus is lying. The spacing has not been done properly as compared to other paintings described in the paper. Otherwise, the painting is almost next to reality.