Leonardo Da Vinci

2005-02-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

The main proportional lines come from the progression of squares, every second square is half the size of the original, and the measures thus obtained are the same as described by Vitruvius.

Distinguished is also the triangle with the size of a square and apex in the navel.

It seems that the drawing, or better the original design as explained by Vitruvius, contains many layers of geometry and symbolism that concord in one single image delineating the proportions of the human body. This idea of 'reason' governing 'form' was the fundamental theme of the Renaissance and is traceable in best architecture and art in general. It would not be odd if Leonardo had a close contact with scholars that spread the source of the Renaissance thought which didn't distinguish between art, science, and magick in terms of conflicting or opposing discourses as is the case today.

Notes:

1 - This and subsequent quotation are from F. Granger's translation, Loeb Classical Library, 1970

http://www.aiwaz.net

2005-02-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

Module 8 & 22/7

2005-02-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

"The predominating module of the composition of human body is eight and many lines on the drawing coincide with the lines of the modular plain. The figure in the form of the letter Thau embraces 22 squares of the composition, whereas on each half remains 21 or 3 x 7 squares. 22 and 7 are connected through the rational approximation of p = 22/7.
Number 22 also invokes the total number of Hebrew alefbeth, and numbers 3, 7, and 12 (= 22-3-7) are the numbers of divisions of Hebrew alefbeth into three groups described in Sepher Yetzirah - The Book of Formation, a fundamental kabbalistic treatise on the nature of letters and words, suspected to originate from 13th century. The 32 Paths of Wisdom described in Sepher Yetzirah comprise 10 Sephiroth and 22 Letters. 32 Paths are written in the circumference of the modular square 8x4 = 32. The figure is positioned in the shape of T(hau), the 22nd, last letter of alefbeth. The Tetraktys and the kabbalistic Tree of Life are comparable glyphs, both comprising the ten spheres.
Vitruvius is reporting that the navel is the exact center of the human body. The circle on Leonardo's drawing has it's center in the navel, but if the figure is 'squared' the center becomes the phallos which is, concerning this drawing from the compositional point of view, more important, since it is the center of the underlying geometry that outlines the basic features of the figure.
The most fundamental composition consists of a circle, a square, and a triangle, a sigillum known to magicians and alchemist, sometimes called the Universal Seal of Light or the Seal of Hermes. The compositional triangle on this drawing is concealed, even though that it outlines important segments. It is drawn in the circle within the square and it coincides with the progression of squares as depicted on the illustration."

in http://www.aiwaz.net

Table of comparative measures derived from square and circle

2005-02-12T13:48:00.000-08:00

"The two squares, the drawn and the projection square, form an octagram Pell's series are the progressions that approximate the geometry of proportions originating from the octagram The first of Pell's series is:
1 2 5 12 29 70 169 ...
Both main numbers 24 (2x12) and 29 are members of this series. Leonardo used this progression to rationalise irrational geometry of square root of 2 that rules the geometry of the octagram. As a proof, all other numbers are derived as a combination of the members of the series. The distance between the two centers, the navel and Phallos, is according to rationalized geometry 2,5 palms, and it seems that the position of palms touching the square in Thau formation of the figure equals 9,5 palms, again the measure derived from rational approximation of the geometry of the octagram by means of Pell series. Also the diagonal of the square is calculated from the series as 2x(5+12) = 34 palms. The composition founded in octagram is one of the most spread cannons of proportions in ancient and classical architecture clearly presented by enormous opus of research done by Prof. Tine Kurent of Ljubljana School of Architecture, Slovenia. Almost every important christian church has dome placed on an octagram, and gematric value of Greek spelling for Jesus, Ihsous = 888 associates the number 8 (octagram) with Jesus Christ.
Most importantly even Vitruvius mentions the value of the octagon, though in a bit obfuscating manner, while describing the winds:
4. Some have held that there are four winds: the Solanus from the equinoctial east, the Auster from the south, Favonius from the equinoctial west, and Septentrio from the north. But those who have inquired more diligently lay down that there are eight: especially indeed Andronicus of Cyrrha, who also, for an example, built at Athens an octagonal marble tower, and, on the several sides of the octagon, had representations of the winds carved opposite their several currents.

Book I. c. VI: 4

Further on he describes that even the town-planning has to be done according to the octagonal scheme of the winds. It seems that Leonardo incorporated, in multiple layers, the whole cannon suggested by Vitruvius. It is a strange coincidence that the area of a square with a side of 24 palms is 576 square palms, which is gematric equivalent of Greek word for the wind meaning also Spirit, Pneuma = 576.
The calculated area of the circle is 660 square palms, and the difference between the circle and the square is 660-576=84, which is invoking the gematric value of the master himself:

LEONARDO = 12+5+15+14+1+18+4+15 = 84.

The 'fundamental' measure of 24 palms comes directly from Vitruvius' definition of human height being 4 cubits or 24 palms. Number 4 is of great importance in the composition of the drawing, emphasized with a square. Number 24 is important because it is 1x2x3x4 = 24, comprising the multiplied members of the Tetraktys. Vitruvius postulates the smallest module the division of 10 which also resembles the Tetraktys along with the previously mentioned diagonal of the square, 34 palms long: (1x2x3x4)+(1+2+3+4) = 34 - the Tetraktys numbers multiplied and added up. Half way between 24 and 34 is the diameter of the circle, 29 palms: (24+34)/2 = 29."

in http://aiwaz.net

Ginevra de' Benc

2005-02-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

"The subject of Ginevra de' Benci has nothing of the Mona Lisa's inward amusement, and also nothing of Cecilia's gentle submissiveness. The young woman looks past us with a wonderful luminous sulkiness. Her mouth is set in an unforgiving line of sensitive disgruntlement, her proud and perfect head is taut above the unyielding column of her neck, and her eyes seem to narrow as she endures the painter and his art. Her ringlets, infinitely subtle, cascade down from the breadth of her gleaming forehead (the forehead, incidentally, of one of the most gifted intellectuals of her time). These delicate ripples are repeated in the spikes of the juniper bush.
The desolate waters, the mists, the dark treess, the reflected gleams of still waves, all these surround and illuminate the sitter. She is totally fleshly and totally impermeable to the artist. He observes, rapt by her perfection of form, and shows us the thin veil of her upper bodice and the delicate flushing of her throat. What she is truly like she conceals; what Leonardo reveals to us is precisely this concealment, a self-absorption that spares no outward glance."

in http://www.ibiblio.org

Vitruvian Man

2005-02-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

"The below passage, from Vitruvius' De Architectura, is a source of inspiration for Leonardo's drawing in his sketchbook, the famous Vitruvian Man. This passage is also providing the Key of the composition of the ancient architecture, firmly revived in the Renaissance. The emphasize is on rationalisation of geometry, by means of small whole numbers to build the composition - in this manner Vitruvius delineates the proportion of a male human body that Leonardo so faithfully reproduced. Rationalisation as the basic rule of composition and the simplicity of an ingenious design (proportioned by means of small whole numbers) are often ignored.
Both Leonardo and Vitruvius make no mention of the Phallos as the center of the square, but it plays an important role. The side of the square is 4 cubits or 24 palms as can also be measured on the ruler beneath the square, and deduced from the Vitruvius' text. The diagonal of such a square comes close to 34 palms (33.94... exactly). If we rotate the square around Phallos for 45 degrees we get the upper point of the circle, and from this we can calculate the diameter of the circle as 29 palms (the difference between the square and the circle is 5 palms)."

in aiwaz.net institute

Vitruvian Man

2005-02-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

Vitruvius, De Architectura: THE PLANNING OF TEMPLES

"1. The planning of temples depends upon symmetry: and the method of this architects must diligently apprehend. It arises from proportion (which in Greek is called analogia). Proportion consists in taking a fixed module, in each case, both for the parts of a building and for the whole, by which the method of symmetry is put to practice. For without symmetry and proportion no temple can have a regular plan; that is, it must have an exact proportion worked out after the fashion of the members of a finely-shaped human body.
2. For Nature has so planned the human body that the face from the chin to the top of the forehead and the roots of the hair is a tenth part; also the palm of the hand from the wrist to the top of the middle finger is as much; the head from the chin to the crown, an eighth part; from the top of the breast with the bottom of the neck to the roots of the hair, a sixth part; from the middle of the breast to the crown, a fourth part; a third part of the height of the face is from the bottom of the chin to the bottom of the nostrils; the nose from the bottom of the nostrils to the line between the brows, as much; from that line to the roots of the hair, the forehead is given as the third part. The foot is a sixth of the height of the body; the cubit a quarter, the breast also a quarter. The other limbs also have their own proportionate measurements. And by using these, ancient painters and famous sculptors have attained great and unbounded distinction.
3. In like fashion the members of temples ought to have dimensions of their several parts answering suitably to the general sum of their whole magnitude. Now the navel is naturally the exact centre of the body. For if a man lies on his back with hands and feet outspread, and the centre of a circle is placed on his navel, his figure and toes will be touched by the circumference. Also a square will be found described within the figure, in the same way as a round figure is produced. For if we measure from the sole of the foot to the top of the head, and apply the measure to the outstretched hands, the breadth will be found equal to the height, just like sites which are squared by rule.
4. Therefore if Nature has planned the human body so that the members correspond in their proportions to its complete configuration, the ancients seem to have had reason in determining that in the execution of their works they should observe an exact adjustment of the several members to the general pattern of the plan. Therefore, since in all their works they handed down orders, they did so especially in building temples, the excellences and the faults of which usually endure for ages."

in www.aiwaz.net institute

Writings by Leonardo da Vinci on the brain

2005-02-01T16:10:00.000-08:00

"The concept that the ventricles of the brain are responsible for its major functions derives from Greek antiquity. The soul resides in the head, but since the soul is incorporeal its locus is in the cavities (i.e. fluid-filled ventricles) rather than in the surrounding brain tissue. Some Greek scientists, most notably Aristotle, argued that the heart and not the head is the seat of sensation and cognitive functions; one loses consciousness upon excessive bleeding, and many emotions are experienced viscerally (e.g. one has a "gut feeling" or an emotional "heart-ache"). However the majority of philosophers and scientists assigned mental functions to the brain. By Leonardo's time, the ventricular theories had become entrenched in philosophy. The brain was thought to contain an anterior ventricle (typically thought to contain the senso comune, and also phantasy and imagination); a second ventricle that mediated cognition; and a posterior ventricle that serves memory.

The Common Sense [senso comune], is that which judges of things offered up to it by the other senses. The ancient speculators have concluded that that part of man which constitutes his judgment is caused by a central organ to which the other five senses refer everything by means of impressibility [impressiva]; and to this centre they have given the name Common Sense. And they say that this Sense is situated in the centre of the head between Sensation and Memory. And this name of Common Sense is given to it solely because it is the common judge of all the other five senses i.e. Seeing, Hearing, Touch, Taste and Smell. This Common Sense is acted upon by means of Sensation which is placed as a medium between it and the senses. Sensation is acted upon by means of the images of things presented to it by the external instruments, that is to say the senses which are the medium between external things and Sensation. In the same way the senses are acted upon by objects. Surrounding things transmit their images to the senses and the senses transfer them to the Sensation. Sensation sends them to the Common Sense, and by it they are stamped upon the memory and are there more or less retained according to the importance or force of the impression. That sense is most rapid in its function which is nearest to the sensitive medium and the eye, being the highest is chief of the others. Of this then only we will speak, and the others we will leave in order not to make our matter too long. Experience tells us that the eye apprehends ten different natures of things, that is: Light and Darkness, one being the cause of the perception of the nine others, and the other its absence:--Colour and substance, form and place, distance and nearness, motion and stillness.

Leonardo da Vinci, quoted in Richter no. 838 (W. An. II. 202a [B]):

How the five senses are the ministers of the soul

The soul seems to reside in the judgment, and the judgment would seem to be seated in that part where all the senses meet; and this is called the Common Sense and it is not all-pervading throughout the body, as many have thought. Rather is it entirely in one part. Because, if it were all-pervading and the same in every part, there would have been no need to make the instruments of the senses meet in one centre and in one single spot; on the contrary it would have sufficed that the eye should fulfil the function of its sensation on its surface only, and not transmit the image of the things seen, to the sense, by means of the optic nerves, so that the soul-for the reason given above-may perceive it in the surface of the eye. In the same way as to the sense of hearing, it would have sufficed if the voice had merely sounded in the porous cavity of the indurated portion of the temporal bone which lies within the ear, without making any farther transit from this bone to the common sense, where the voice confers with and discourses to the common judgment. The sense of smell, again, is compelled by necessity to refer itself to that same judgment. Feeling passes through the perforated cords and is conveyed to this common sense. These cords diverge with infinite ramifications into the skin which encloses the members of the body and the viscera. The perforated cords convey volition and sensation to the subordinate limbs. These cords and the nerves direct the motions of the muscles and sinews, between which they are placed; these obey, and this obedience takes effect by reducing their thickness; for in swelling, their length is reduced, and the nerves shrink which are interwoven among the particles of the limbs; being extended to the tips of the fingers, they transmit to the sense the object which they touch. The nerves with their muscles obey the tendons as soldiers obey the officers, and the tendons obey the Common Sense as the officers obey the general. Thus the joint of the bones obeys the nerve, and the nerve the muscle, and the muscle the tendon and the tendon the Common Sense. And the Common Sense is the seat of the soul, and memory is its ammunition, and the impressibility [imprensiva] is its referendary since the sense waits on the soul and not the soul on the sense. And where the sense that ministers to the soul is not at the service of the soul, all the functions of that sense are also wanting in that man's life, as is seen in those born mute and blind.

in http://pevsnerlab.kennedykrieger.org

2005-01-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

Drawing of the human skull (c.1489)

Windsor Castle, RL 19058 recto, c.1489. Oblique view of the human skull. The text (translated by O'Malley and Saunders, cited below) reads:

"The confluence of all the senses has perpendicularly below it at a distance of 2 fingers the uvula, where one tastes the food, and lies straight above the wind-pipe and above the opening of the heart by the space of a foot. A half-head above it is the junction of the cranial bones [bregma], and a third of a head anterior to it in a horizontal line is the lacrimator [nasolacrimal duct] of the eye. 2/3 of a head posterior to it is the nape [of the neck], and at an equal distance and height to the side are the 2 pulses of the temples. The veins which are represented in the cranium in their ramifications make an imprint of a half of their width in the cranial bone, and the other half is hidden in the membranes which cover the brain. Where the bone is poorly provided with veins within, it is refreshed from without by the vein a m [middle meningeal vessels] which issues forth from the cranium, passes into the eye and then into the ..."

in http://pevsnerlab.kennedykrieger.org

The Melzi Portrait of Leonardo

2005-01-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

"In his notebooks, Leonardo expressed a desire to leave behind a drawing of himself 'for posterity'. He probably made many sketches of himself during his lifetime.It was common for Renaissance artists to include images of themselves in their paintings. There is a lone shepherd in the Adoration of the Magi which could well be a likeness of the young artist. It is also likely that the master used his own reflection as a basis for his studies of the proportions of the human face.As well as the self portraits, there are several likenesses of Leonardo by other artists. The most recognisable is a drawing (right) by Leonardo's pupil Melzi, of the master in his latter years. Leonardo also appears as Plato in Raphael's painting of Greek philosophers, and he may also have been the model for Verrocchio's sculpture of David.The Melzi portrait is now part of the Royal Collection, owned by The Queen."

in BBC

Parachute

2005-01-30T05:43:00.000-08:00

"Leonardo was fascinated by flight, and drew many designs for flying machines. Although he never completed any, he did spend time thinking what might happen if one would fail.
The drawing on the right is Leonardo's design for a parachute. Unlike modern versions, it contains rigid poles, which could have caused a nasty accident on landing.Although Leonardo never built a full-sized version, he probably tested smaller prototypes."

in BBC

Leonardo and the Moon

2005-01-30T05:41:00.000-08:00

"In Leonardo's time, most people believed that the Moon - like all celestial bodies - was a perfect, unblemished sphere which shone with its own light. However, Leonardo noticed that the Moon did not look uniform. He also realised that when it was low in the sky, you could sometimes see the whole of its round surface faintly, even when only a thin crescent was lit.Leonardo decided that the Moon itself did not shine with its own light, but reflected the light of the Sun. Although he was not the first person to suggest this, it is a perfect example of how he was willing to trust his own observations over conventional wisdom.Leonardo also realised that if you were standing on the surface of the Moon, then the Earth might appear as the Moon does to us. He also suggested that it might be covered with water, and that the markings seen from the Earth were caused by giant waves on the surface. Clearly this last idea was wrong. However, his understanding of the Solar System was one of the most advanced of the age."

in BBC

Giant Crossbow

2005-01-30T05:39:00.000-08:00

"We usually think of Leonardo as an artist. However, it was his skill as a military engineer that was largely responsible for securing his employment in 15th century Milan.Around 1486, Leonardo drew several designs for a giant crossbow. The figure atop the machine gives an indication of scale. The weapon was cranked with winding gears. It had two different firing mechanisms - the simplest of which involved releasing a holding pin by striking it with a mallet."

in BBC

Giant Catapult

2005-01-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

"By the 15th century, cannons had been used in battle for over a hundred years, and Leonardo himself drew designs for several. However, fifteenth century firearms were slow and cumbersome. This catapult was designed to be loaded quickly, and could be left armed in case of surprise attacks. Leonardo envisioned rows of catapults fired simultaneously by men striking firing pins with hammers.Leonardo also designed projectiles for his catapults. These had two tail fins for stability, and were filled with gunpowder, which would explode on landing."

in BBC

War Machines

2005-01-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

"When Leonardo offered his services to the Duke of Milan, one of his selling points was his ability to build machines of war. This page shows two of his most famous designs.His armoured car was designed to go into battle ahead of foot soldiers. Its shell was re-enforced with metal plates containing holes that the occupants could fire weapons through. The machine was powered by eight men, who moved cranks to turn the wheels. Leonardo also toyed with the idea of using horses to drive the machine, but decided they would panic in the enclosed space.One interesting feature of this design is that it contains a flaw. As Leonardo has drawn it, the wheels would have turned in opposite directions, making the tank undrivable. This could have been because Leonardo was a pacifist, and did not want to see his ideas put to use, or it could have been to stop other people stealing his idea. On the other hand, it could simply have been a mistake.The other sketch on this page shows one of Leonardo's designs for a scythed chariot. The blades were intended to slice the limbs from its victims.
Look at the dismembered corpses that surround Leonardo's chariot. It was typical of him to include such figures in his drawings of war machines."

in BBC

Skull Sketch

2005-01-30T04:37:00.000-08:00

"This drawing dates from around 1510, although Leonardo had first started looking at human skulls in 1499, when he got access to human cadavers from the hospital of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. He used innovative techniques, such as injecting molten wax, to locate and draw the cavities around the brain in the bones of the cranium.
In common with many people at the time, he was keen to find the seat of the human soul. The spine was thought to be the most likely location. Leonardo showed that the brain and spine were connected but never identified where the human soul lies. He disputed the belief - then widely held - that sperm were produced in the marrow of the spinal column.
The sketch is one of the Windsor Folios, part of the Royal Collection, held at Windsor."

in BBC

Heart Sketches

2005-01-30T04:35:00.000-08:00

"Leonardo's investigations of the heart and circulation began in the 1490s; this anatomical depiction was produced around 1510 while he was based in Milan. Many of da Vinci's heart drawings were made from studies of the organs of oxen and pigs. It was only later in his life that he had access to human organs.
Leonardo made a number of advances in the understanding of blood flow:

showed the heart is indeed a muscle and that it does not warm the blood

found it has four chambers and connected the pulse in the wrist with contraction of the left ventricle

deduced that eddy currents in the blood flow - created by structures in the main aorta artery - help heart valves to close

suggested that arteries fur up over a lifetime, creating a health risk

He didn't understand that the blood was in a circulation system. He went along with the belief (commonly held at the time) that blood was made in the liver, cooled in the lungs, pumped by the heart and consumed in the muscles.
The sketch is one of the Windsor Folios, part of the Royal Collection, held at Windsor."

in BBC

Leg Sketch

2005-01-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

"This red chalk on paper drawing dates from around 1506, a period when Leonardo had relatively easy access to human bodies that he could study and dissect.
He believed that, "motion is the cause of everyday life" and always applied his engineer's eye to investigating the way joints and limbs operate. Aware of the idea of opposed forces, he worked hard to establish the groupings of muscles that enable us to perform movements like walking.
The original of this sketch belongs to the British Museum in London and can be viewed online.
Although the sketch includes the abdomen, genitals, leg and feet, it's clear that this sketch is a study of the muscle groups in the upper and lower leg."

in BBC

Bearded Man

2005-01-29T15:59:00.000-08:00

"This drawing by Leonardo da Vinci was rediscovered in the 19th century and was immediately assumed to be a self-portrait. This is no longer thought to be true.
This sketch dates from the 1490s, when Leonardo would only have been in his forties. No one is even sure that Leonardo had a beard until his later years.
Leonardo was certainly interested in the features of old people. He drew them many times during his career. This was unusual at a time when most artists were solely interested in painting beauty.
The original work is held by the Biblioteca Reale in Turin."

in BBC

Vitruvian man

2005-01-29T15:54:00.000-08:00

"This sketch, and the notes that go with it, show how Leonardo understood the proportions of the
human body. Each separate part was a simple fraction of the whole. For example, the head measured from the forehead to the chin was exactly one tenth of the total height, and the outstretched arms were always as wide as the body was tall.These ideas were not Leonardo's, but were taken from the writings of the Roman architect Vitruvius. Both men believed that the same principles should be used when designing buildings. However, Leonardo tried to take these ideas further, and spent much of his life searching for connections between the structure of the human body, and other patterns in nature. Elsewhere in his notes, he proclaimed that "Man is the model of the world."Vitruvian man may also give us an insight into another problem that occupied Leonardo for much of his life; that of 'squaring the circle'. This involves drawing a circle and square that have the same area without measuring. Some argue that this diagram shows that Leonardo had a sophisticated understanding of the problem, which other mathematicians would not develop until much later.
Leonardo has marked the bottom of the image with fractions to measure the proportions of the body."

in BBC

Virgin of the Rocks

2005-01-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

"Virgin of the Rocks was the first painting executed by Leonardo after he arrived in Milan. Critics argue over exactly what the painting depicts; some claim it shows the immaculate conception, while others think it recalls the moment when the infant Christ met St John the Baptist.When Leonardo was commissioned to paint this piece, he was given a year to complete it. True to form, he over-ran, and a lengthy law suit followed. Leonardo also fell out with his sponsors over how much he should be paid for the work. Perhaps this is why he began a second version of the painting to give to the commissioners, selling the first on elsewhere.See the National Gallery version of this painting. There is some debate as to whether both artworks are entirely by Leonardo. In particular, the version that hangs in the National Gallery may have been a collaboration between Leonardo and a second artist, or may have been a project which he simply oversaw.
The painting is set in a cave. Was he giving himself an opportunity to paint nature - or was he implying that nature was his church?Leonardo has painted light to give this picture structure and form. Before Leonardo, artists had only used light crudely in their work."

in BBC

St John Baptist

2005-01-29T15:48:00.000-08:00

"This image of St John the Baptist was the last painting that Leonardo produced, and it was in his possession when he died. It is one of only a few that we can be absolutely certain the master painted.Leonardo's version is strikingly different to other paintings of the Saint, who is normally portrayed as gaunt, and scraping a living in the desert on locusts and honey. It captures four recurring themes of Leonardo's figures; an enigmatic smile, flowing curly hair, and a finger pointing to heaven, all defined by dense shadows.Many copies of this painting have been made, particularly by Leonardo's pupils.Look For - The figure is wearing animal skins, and holding a reed cross. Experts believe these were added by a later painter."

in BBC

The Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)

2005-01-29T12:54:00.000-08:00

"The Mona Lisa was one of Leonardo's favourite paintings, and he carried it with him until he died. Today, it is regarded as the most famous painting in the world, and is visited by many thousands of people every year.Who is this familiar figure? Many suggestions have been made, but the most likely candidate is Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk merchant. Another more unlikely - but popular - theory is that the painting was a self portrait. There are certainly similarities between the facial features of the Mona Lisa and of the artist's self portrait painted many years later. Could this be why Leonardo gave the subject such an enigmatic smile?Today, the Mona Lisa looks rather sombre, in dull shades of brown and yellow. This is due to a layer of varnish covering the paint, which has yellowed over the years. It is possible that the painting was once brighter and more colourful than it is now.The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, by a former employee who believed the painting belonged in Italy. The thief walked out of the gallery with the picture underneath his painter's smock. He was apprehended by police two years later, and the painting was safely returned.
Leonardo has used a technique known as Sfumato - the blurring of sharp edges by blending colours - to leave the corners of the eyes and the mouth in shadow. It is this technique that makes the Mona Lisa's expression ambiguous. The background of the painting has been made to look more hazy, with fewer distinct outlines than the foreground. This technique is known as aerial perspective, and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use it to give his paintings more depth."

in BBC

The Last Supper

2005-01-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

"The Last Supper was painted onto the walls of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie near Milan. Leonardo spent three years painting the work, and much of that time was spent searching the streets of Milan for models of Christ and Judas. It is said that only Leonardo's threats to paint the Prior of the convent as Judas bought him the time he needed to finish.Although it was common to paint directly onto the walls of building, Leonardo was not trained in this 'fresco' technique, and made a poor choice of materials. This, along with the humid conditions in the convent, meant that the painting began deteriorating while Leonardo was still alive. The refectory has also been flooded and used as a stable - but the painting's luckiest escape came during the Second World War, when the refectory was hit by a bomb. Only some carefully placed sandbags saved this masterpiece from destruction. There have been many attempts to restore The Last Supper, most of which have done more harm than good. A full restoration was recently completed. It took twenty years - five times longer than Leonardo took to complete the original. However, virtually none of the original paint remains, and critics claim we can no longer regard this as a Leonardo painting.
The perspective focuses on the figure of Christ in the centre. The window behind his head looks like a halo. Judas is the only figure in the painting who is leaning away from Christ, and the only figure who is in shadow. In traditional paintings, Judas's halo was black.Leonardo also played tricks with the perspective in this painting. We can see the table top, even though we shouldn't be able to from where we stand. And why are so many people crowded round a table when there wouldn't be room for them all to sit?"

in BBC

Lady with the Ermine

2005-01-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

"Like many paintings thought to be by Leonardo, controversy surrounds this picture. Some question whether it was painted by Leonardo at all. Art historians also disagree over who the subject of the portrait was. One theory suggests it shows a young lady named Cecilia Gallerani, who would have been just seventeen when when this picture was painted. Cecilia was the mistress of Ludovico Sforza - the Duke of Milan - until Ludovico settled down and married another woman. If the model was Cecilia, then the Ermine in the picture may have had a special meaning. The Greek for Ermine is Galee - a pun on the model's name. Parts of this picture have been painted over at some point in its history. The background has been darkened, and X-rays show a door has been removed. The original painting showed a woman wearing a transparent veil, but this has been retouched to look like hair. The bottom two fingers have also been altered, and look less realistic than the other two.
This painting is based on curved lines, which lead the eye. From the model's face, the gaze is drawn down the sleeve, across the back of the Ermine, and then up the other arm.The head of the Ermine in this picture is particularly lifelike. Leonardo placed emphasis on natural accuracy, and may have studied the anatomy of the creature before beginning the painting."

in BBC

Baptism of Christ

2005-01-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

"This painting was not by Leonardo, but by his tutor Verrocchio. However, it was common at the time for a master to leave details of a painting to his apprentices.We believe that the angel on the left, and much of the background above it, were painted by a young Leonardo. Most of the painting is done in egg tempera, but Leonardo's angel is painted with oil paints, which were just being introduced to Italy. X-rays show that this part of the painting differs significantly from Verrocchio's original sketches.It is said that Verrocchio was so impressed by Leonardo's work in this picture, that he vowed never to paint again. The more subtle use of colour in Leonardo's figure. His angel also has flowing curly hair, a characteristic which Leonardo used in many of his later paintings."

in BBC

The Annunciation

2005-01-28T15:04:00.000-08:00

"The Annunciation depicts the moment when the angel Gabriel appears before Mary. The enclosed garden symbolises her virginity.Two versions of this painting exist. The one in the Uffizi gallery is more likely to be Leonardo's own. A second version, which hangs in the Louvre could well be the work of Lorenzo di Credi, who, like Leonardo was also an apprentice of Verrocchio. However, the Louvre version also contains elements - such as realistic wings on the angel - which we associate with Leonardo's style.
This painting contains technical flaws which we would not expect from a Leonardo work. However, it was painted when Leonardo was still young. These errors may be because he was still learning his craft."

in BBC

Adoration of the Magi

2005-01-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

"The Adoration of the Magi was commissioned for the altar of the monastery of San Donato a Scopeto, near Florence. Leonardo agreed to paint it within two-and-a-half years, on the understanding that he would receive nothing if the work was delivered late.However, he abandoned the project in 1482, tempted away by the Duke of Milan and the promise of a regular income. Although the painting is unfinished, it is considered one of Leonardo's most important early works.The subject of the painting - the worship of the infant Christ by the three wise men (or Magi)- was a popular one in the early Renaissance. The ruins and the sparring knights in the background signify the decline of pagan culture in the face of a new Christian era. In the bottom right of the drawing, facing away from the crowd, is a young shepherd boy. It is believed this may have been a self portrait.The Madonna and Child are arranged in a pyramid shape, and the gaze of the central characters is focussed on the pyramid's side. Leonardo used this composition technique in many of his later paintings."

in BBC

Second Florentine Period

2005-01-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

"Around the year 1500, Leonardo decided to leave Milan and head back to Florence where his good reputation had him readily received by the city. By 1502 Da Vinci had entered the service of Cesare Borgia, the much-feared son of Pope Alexander the VI, as senior military architect and general engineer. This position had him travelling and surveying the surrounding lands, at which time Leonardo had sketched some city plans and early maps.
Leonardo Da Vinci returned to Florence once more in 1503, at which time he was commissioned to paint a mural in the council hall in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio. The wall across was commissioned to Leonardo's rival, Michelangelo, who never completed his piece. Leonardo's work, entitled The Battle of Anghiari, which was never completed either, would have measured 23 x 56 feet, double the size of The Last Supper. While working on this piece, the French governor of Milan hired Leonardo, and once again Da Vinci abandoned his project to begin employment elsewhere.
Before leaving, Leonardo accepted a commission from a wealthy Florentine merchant who wanted a portrait of his wife, Mona Lisa. From 1503-1506 Leonardo Da Vinci completed one of the most renowned works of all time, The Mona Lisa. Many scholars doubt the story of the merchant and the commission, and there are several conflicting stories about who the woman in the painting really may have been. However, the mystery behind the painting is shadowed by the genius of the work that is now seen by thousands of tourists each day at the Louvre in Paris. The painting is available today as a popular Da Vinci poster and has also been transformed into numerous novelty items.
Second Milanese PeriodIn 1506 Leonardo traveled back to Milan to work for the French governor of Milan, Charles d'Amboise. During his time there, Leonardo Da Vinci created few paintings, and acted mainly as an architect. Some of his sketches from this period have survived and are sold alongside the many other Da Vinci posters.
Besides his work for the governor, during this time Da Vinci underwent extensive research on the human anatomy.
Final YearsIn 1513 the French were expelled from Milan, forcing Leonardo to seek work outside the city. Da Vinci headed to Rome where his friend, Giuliano de'Medici, the brother of the Pope Leo X, offered him living space in his residence in the Vatican.
For about three years, Leonardo stayed in Rome, and did not receive any commissions, while his rivals, Michelangelo and Raphael, where hard at work.
By 1516 the king of France, Francis I, requested that Leonardo join his service. At this time, Leonardo chose to leave Italy, his native country, where he would never return again. He bore the title of "First painter, architect, and engineer to the King," and he lived in the small town of Cloux, near the king's palace.
At the age of 67, in 1519, while living in France, Leonardo Da Vinci died and was buried in the church of Saint-Florentin. The church was ruined during the French Revolution, and completely torn down during the 19th Century. Today, there are no markings to identify Leonardo's gravesite. The Renaissance Master, as he is often referred to, continues to live on through his surviving paintings, his many notebooks and through the extensive selection of Da Vinci posters and prints that have been produced over the years."

in http://www.davincilife.com

Leonardo's Childhood

2005-01-28T10:47:00.000-08:00

"Leonardo Da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the small Tucson town of Anchiano, near Florence. His parents, Ser Piero, a notary, and Caterina, a peasant woman, were unmarried, and the illegitimate Leonardo was raised by his father. Some experts claim that due to his illegitimacy Leonardo was unworthy of a proper education, and that this is the reason that he did not follow in his father's footsteps to become a notary, or why he did not study to become a doctor. Meanwhile, other Da Vinci sources claim that the young Leonardo was treated as a legitimate child, and was offered the same education as other children of that day.
Apprenticeship and First Florentine PeriodAt the age of 15 Leonardo had already mastered skills in the fine arts and the young man was sent to Florence to work as an apprentice in the renowned workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio.
Leonardo worked with del Verrocchio until 1477, during which time del Verrocchio had been commissioned for a painting that would be The Baptism of Christ, and the painter had Leonardo aid him with the work by having his pupil paint the kneeling angel in the painting. Leonardo's angel was so outstanding that it shadowed del Verrocchio's portion of the work, and Leonardo is quoted to have later stated that "poor is a pupil that does not surpass his master." It is also said that Andrea del Verrocchio gave up his career as a painter, having suffered such humiliation by being out-painted by his own student.
In 1472, while still working with del Verrocchio, Leonardo Da Vinci was honored as he was accepted into the painter's guild of Florence.
After leaving Verrocchio's studio, Leonardo remained in Florence where he worked independently until 1481. In his final years in Florence, Leonardo Da Vinci received two substantial commissions. The first was for the painting The Adoration of the Magi for the monastery of San Donato a Scopeto; and the second was for a painting that was to be completed in the Altar of St. Bernard Chapel in the Palazzo della Signoria. The first painting was never completed and the second, Leonardo never even began, abandoning the projects to move to Milan.
While Leonardo's career seemed to be taking flight, his reputation was damaged in 1481 when he was charged with sodomy. Though the charges were later dropped, the public humiliation may have played a role in Da Vinci's abandonment of these commissions. His humiliation was even more so accentuated when Leonardo was not chosen amongst those commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel.
First Milanese Period In 1482, Leonardo Da Vinci moved to Milan where he had been hired by the city's duke, Duke Ludovico Sforza, and had been given the title of "painter and engineer of the duke." He worked as a painter, sculptor, served as an architect, and he aided in the design of fortifications and military conceptions. Da Vinci would remain in Milan for 17 years, leaving his position with the falling out of power of the Duke with the entry of the French into Milan.
During this first Milanese period Leonardo completed at least six works. Among these works are, from 1483-1486, The Virgin of the Rocks, (which now has a home in the Louvre in Paris) and the monumental The Last Supper between 1495-1498. The extremely difficult to visit painting remains on the walls at the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie, and is one of the most widely sold Da Vinci Posters of all time. "

in http://www.davincilife.com

Da Vinci - The Artist

2005-01-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

"A painter, a sculptor, an architect and an engineer, Leonardo Da Vinci's numerous skills have earned him the title of renaissance master. Da Vinci's fascination with science and his in-depth study of human anatomy aided him in mastering the realist art form. While Leonardo's counterparts were known to create static figures in their works, Leonardo always tried to incorporate movement and expression into his own paintings. All the personages in his works are painted with great accuracy and detail that it is sometimes said that Da Vinci painted from the bones outward.
Having lived until the age of 67, Leonardo experienced a very long career that was filled with times during which the painter was celebrated, but at times he was also humiliated and cast away. His life experiences all influenced his works and often, his paintings never left the sketchpad, or were only partially completed, as Leonardo often abandoned his commissions in order to flee from social situations.
Today, there are records of only few Da Vinci paintings, and 20 notebooks. Thankfully, these works have been preserved over the hundreds of years since Leonardo's time, and while his works are scattered in different areas of the globe, everyone can enjoy Da Vinci through the numerous books detailing his life, or through any of the many Da Vinci posters that have been printed.
A well known master in the history of art, Leonard Da Vinci is renown by people all over the map, and those of us who cannot travel to view the true works that the genius created can at least bring home a piece of him when we buy Da Vinci posters or prints. His most famous paintings, and the most popular Da Vinci posters around, are those of The Last Supper, The Mona Lisa and Vitruvian Man: The Proportions of the Human Figure. These works, displayed in Milan and Paris respectively, are among the most influential works ever created."

in http://www.davincilife.com/

Leonardo's Life & Work

2005-01-27T16:17:00.000-08:00

I hope this blog can storadge all the amount of information that I intend to post about Leonardo's Da Vinci Life & Work.