Lecture 20: The High Renaissance—Leonardo da Vinci

The High Renaissance—Leonardo da Vinci ...................................

Lecture 20

Leonardo’s art is dif¿ cult and frustrating, for a variety of reasons.

First, he was a genius—not merely a great painter, but a genius whose

mind ranged over everything. There was nothing that did not interest

him, nothing that he did not ponder, explore, question, and confront.

A

lthough Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) explored many subjects and

techniques during his lifetime, we will consider only one drawing

and three paintings. We will examine how Leonardo used various

media in his art and discuss his inÀ uential innovations in the Madonna of the

Rocks, the Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper.

Our ¿ rst example is a pen-and-ink landscape drawing dated August 5, 1473

(Uf¿ zi). This depiction of the Arno River valley, drawn when Leonardo was

21 years old, is a vivid introduction to the artist’s interests and abilities. We

have seen the beginnings of Naturalistic painting of landscape motifs in

northern European painting and its gradual introduction into Italian art, but

Leonardo discovered the natural world for himself. His drawing reveals a

new and rare quality in the depiction of landscape. He conveys the sense of

a landscape in process, with movement and growth, as well as an underlying

geological structure.

Leonardo suggests the source of the living natural world with a line that

vibrates or by applying rapidly drawn lines laid down side by side. His trees,

drawn with parallel lines or with stacks of repeated arcs, are growing and

moving in the wind. He understands and ¿ nds a linear equivalent for the

movements of water. His pen line is alive, and his command of space is

convincing. This is a drawing that suggests both observation and rapidity of

execution. He knew both this landscape and his medium completely.

In 1481 or 1482, Leonardo left Florence for Milan. He worked there for

nearly 20 years for the duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, as well as other

patrons. Soon after his arrival in Milan, he received a commission—shared

with two Milanese artists—for the altarpiece for a new chapel in the Church