The Life of Leonardo da Vinci PDF

# The Life of Leonardo da Vinci, Florentine Painter and Sculptor (1452-1519) The greatest gifts often rain down upon human bodies through celestial influences as a natural process, and sometimes in a supernatural fashion a single body is lavishly supplied with such beauty, grace, and ability that w...

# The Life of Leonardo da Vinci, Florentine Painter and Sculptor (1452-1519) The greatest gifts often rain down upon human bodies through celestial influences as a natural process, and sometimes in a supernatural fashion a single body is lavishly supplied with such beauty, grace, and ability that wherever the individual turns, each of his actions is so divine that he leaves behind all other men and clearly makes himself known as a genius endowed by God. This was seen in Leonardo da Vinci, who displayed great physical beauty, infinite grace in every action, and an ability so fit and so vast that wherever his mind turned to difficult tasks, , he resolved them with ease. His great personal strength was joined to dexterity, and his spirit and courage were always regal and magnanimous. And the fame of his name spread so widely that not only was he held in high esteem in his own times, but his fame increased even more after his death. ## Leonardo’s Early Life - Leonardo was the son of Piero da Vinci. - He would have made great progress in his early studies of literature if he had not been so unpredictable and unstable. - He set about learning many things and, once begun, he would then abandon them. - He applied himself to arithmetic, Leonardo made such progress that he raised continuous doubts and difficulties for the master who taught him. - He turned to music for a while, and soon he decided to learn to play the lyre. - He sang divinely without any preparation. - He never gave up drawing and working in relief. ## Leonardo’s Apprenticeship - Ser Piero saw this and considered the level of his son's intelligence, he one day took some of Leonardo's drawings and brought them to Andrea del Verrocchio. - Andrea was amazed when he saw Leonardo's beginnings, and he urged Ser Piero to make Leonardo study this subject. - Piero arranged for Leonardo to go to Andrea's workshop, something Leonardo did very willingly. - Leonardo practised not only this profession but all those in which design played a role. ## Leonardo’s Genius - Leonardo had a divine and wondrous intelligence. - He was a very fine geometrician. - He created sculptures and architectural drawings. - He sculpted heads of women laughing and children in clay. - He discussed making the River Arno a canal from Pisa to Florence. - He drew plans for mills, fulling machines, and implements. ## Leonardo’s Painting - He carefully studied his craft by drawing from life, and sometimes by fashioning models or clay figures. - He used Rheims linen or linen, working in black and white, with the tip of his brush. - He drew so carefully and so well on paper that no one has ever matched the delicacy of his style. - His work was infused with divine grace and a harmonious combination of intellect and memory. - He expressed ideas through the designs of his hands. ## Leonardo’s Achievements and Personality - Leonardo was a gifted inventor and engineer, designing models showing how to excavate and bore through mountains and how to lift and pull heavy weights. - He designed pumps for removing water from great depths. - He designed knots in a cord that formed a beautiful, circular pattern. - He devised a plan to raise and place steps under the church of San Giovanni. ## Leonardo’s Character and Relationships - Leonardo was so pleasing in his conversation that he won everyone's heart. - He always kept servants and horses. - He took special pleasure in horses. - He treated all animals with great love and patience. - He set birds free from cages. - He demonstrated such divine inspiration that no one else was ever equal to him in the perfection, liveliness, vitality, excellence, and grace of his works. ## Leonardo’s Unfinished Works - Leonardo felt that his hand could not reach artistic perfection in the works he conceived. - He envisioned such subtle, marvelous, and difficult problems that his hands, while extremely skillful, were incapable of ever realizing them. - Leonardo had a special interest in natural phenomena. - He observed herbs and the movements of the heavens, the course of the moon, and the movements of the sun. ## Leonardo at the Shop of Andrea del Verrocchio - Ser Piero brought Leonardo to the shop of Andrea del Verrocchio, where he was completing a panel showing Saint John baptizing Christ. - Leonardo worked on an angel holding garments. - Leonardo's angel was much better than the figures by Andrea. ## Leonardo in Milan - Leonardo was commissioned to do a cartoon of Adam and Eve as they sinned in the Earthly Paradise. - He drew a lush meadow with a number of animals. - He was commissioned by the Duke of Milan to paint an altarpiece containing a Nativity. - He painted *The Last Supper* in Milan, which he considered his most beautiful work. ## Leonardo as a Musician - Leonardo went to Milan to play the lyre for the duke. - He brought with him an instrument he had made with his own hands in the form of a horse's head. - He was the best declaimer of improvised poetry in his day. ## Leonardo’s *Mona Lisa* - For Francesco del Giocondo, Leonardo undertook the portrait of *Mona Lisa*. - He left the work unfinished, and it may be found at Fontainebleau today in possession of King Francis. - The portrait is considered a masterpiece of realistic detail and subtle beauty. ## Leonardo’s Commission to Paint the Hall of the Council - Leonardo was commissioned by Piero Soderini, Gonfaloniere of Justice, to paint the Grand Hall of the Council. - He began work on a cartoon in the Hall of the Pope, treating the story of Niccolò Piccinino. - Leonardo’s work was so great that it caused the King of France to wish to take it back to his kingdom. - Leonardo painted the portrait of Lodovico Sforza with his sons Massimiliano and Francesco. ## Leonardo and Michelangelo - There was great animosity between Leonardo and Michelangelo. - Michelangelo left Florence to discuss the façade of San Lorenzo and then went to Rome. - Leonardo left Rome and went to France, where the king, who owned several of his works, was very fond of him and wanted Leonardo to paint *The Cartoon of Saint Anne*. ## Leonardo’s Later Years - Leonardo fell ill and asked to be informed about the Catholic faith, repenting of his sins. - He wished to receive the Holy Sacrament. - The king visited Leonardo and supported him as he died, at the age of 75. - Leonardo’s loss saddened many people, for no one ever lived who had brought such honour to painting. # The Life of Giorgione da Castelfranco, Venetian Painter (c.1478-1510) - Giorgione was born in Castelfranco in 1478. - He was a gentle and well-mannered man, and he enjoyed playing the lute and singing. - He studied design and was strongly influenced by nature. - He was inspired by the work of Leonardo. - He was recognized for his subtle shadows.