Leonardo da Vinci And His Art

[Music] a self-portrait of Leonardo D Vinci the strong and sensitive face of one of the greatest figures of the Renaissance to understand the things that passed before his eyes and the way he interpreted them we must first know of the Renaissance Leonardo lived during the 15th century when the Renaissance centered in Italy in cities such as Florence this was a glorious period an era dominated by the ideas and accomplishments of men men were enjoying a newfound Freedom the freedom of EXP expression in Renaissance Europe man might use his Ingenuity to create to build or he might use this same Ingenuity to destroy with instruments like this Giant Cannon sketched here by Leonardo this genius saw his world as one in which evil Fierce and unyielding stood side by side with unmatched Beauty charm and Grace in his art leonado mirrored the accomplishments of the Renaissance in the fields of the Sciences such as geometry and the Arts such as architecture and painting this was the art of Leonardo but a century before an artist had painted this Madonna and child the figures are stiff with little freedom of expression they are symbols not human beings but with the coming of the art of Leonardo da Vinci the Madonna and child all people become living breathing persons at any moment we expect them to move perhaps to speak for this art reflects the vibrant Awakening of the Renaissance this is the product of a skilled hand and a great mind the hand the mind the genius of Leonardo da Vinci though we can't be sure we believe this farmhouse in Italy is where Leonardo was born in 1452 The Farmhouse overlooks the small Italian Village of Vinci from which Leonardo took his name around the village are miles of beautiful landscape with which the boy became acquainted early in life Leonardo did more than just see the scenery he observed it and what he observed he drew Leonardo had always wanted to be an artist and at the age of 13 he left the village of his Youth and traveled to the city of great artists Florence here he was Apprentice to the sculptor and painter ver IO under this master young Leonardo learned his craft quickly together with vero's other students he painted madonas and gained a fine reputation but after leaving the workshop his Restless mind turned to other interests besides painting he was curious about many things botony Anatomy everything intrigued him he drew and sketched constantly he was not only an artist but a military engineer thousands of Leonardo's ideas are preserved in the notes and sketches of his remarkable notebooks what kind of man was this artist an early biographer said Leonardo set himself to learn many things and then abandoned them after he had begun them Leonardo's thirst for knowledge was never satisfied among the many things that challenged him were the intricacies of the human body its vital organs such as the heart its complex network of muscles and nerves and the mystery and meaning of the creation of life itself although he left thousands of drawings and sketches Leonardo left only a few examples of his finished painting in the uiti museum in Florence is this baptism of Christ by the master Verio it is famous because one of the figures was painted by his Young Apprentice Leonardo the figures of Christ and St John are stiff and stacked statue like the work of veroo who is best known for his sculpture the two angels are far more lifik each was painted by a student of Verio the angel on the right seems simply wide eyed Angelic but this Angel reflects thought and quiet inward emotion his face tells us his State of Mind as he watches the great drama taking place yes the angel on the left is the work of a budding genius the work of Leonardo also hanging in the uiti museum is another of verchio's paintings the anunciation one figure is by Leonardo the angel annunciate is the work of the great artist see the natural Grace of the hands how the angel's wings are copied exactly from the wings of birds that Leonardo observed the Angel's Hair shows fine texture and highlights notice the fullness and natural drape of the Angel's robes the entire figure has been caught in a moment of suspense even at this early time in his career Leonardo is following his own observations on painting a painter has two subjects of primary importance man and the state of man's mind the latter is difficult since it must be conveyed by the means of gestures and movements of various parts of the body gestures and movements play important roles in this painting Leonardo's unfinished Masterpiece the Adoration of the Magi here and adoring crowd has gathered to Feast its eyes on the young Savior and his mother although the artist did not complete the figure the Madonna's face reflects tenderness love and affection for her child in the background of the same painting we see Leonardo's skill in showing perspective this was the result of Leonardo's careful planning this sketch for the Adoration shows how the artist placed his figures in a design of depth depth gives all his paintings a three-dimensional quality depth and perspective of background are very much a part of this famous painting by Leonardo it is called the Madonna of the Rocks the painting is made even more three-dimensional through the expert use of light and Shadow this modeling of objects with light and dark is another technique brought to new Perfection by Leonardo here again we find a beautiful Leonardo Madonna not an austere religious symbol but a living mother full of affection for her child she moves as if to guard her own child and the kneeling infant St John from the troubles and dangers of the world while St John kneels his hands joined in supplication and the Infant Jesus raises his hand in benediction and Angel points to John as one of the first to recognize the Divinity of Jesus so hands in this painting as in many of Leonardo's Works do much to point up the expressiveness and drama of the scene graceful expressive hands add to the beauty of one of the world's most famous paintings the monaa by Leonardo in this haunting portrait in the collection of the Lou Museum in Paris Leonardo seems to have captured the lady's very personality is she beginning to smile or is she recalling to herself a past moment of beauty and tenderness we we shall never be certain but this is more than a portrait if we block out the face we see that Leonardo has painted a landscape a view of the Beautiful World of Nature he loved though the colors have grown darker through the years we still experience an almost unreal feeling of character and intelligence through Leonardo's expert use of light and Shadow the monola is often called the world's most famous portrait do you agree to some the Last Supper is supreme among Leonardo's paintings centuries have passed since it was painted on the walls in the dining hall of a monastery in Milan and it is badly damaged yet this Fresco is truly one of the great art masterpieces of all time to get some idea of it former glory we must look at a reconstructed copy of the last supper again we find an amazing depth and perspective in the scene so characteristic of Leonardo there is the same masterful handling of light and shade the same intelligent arrangement of the figures the plan of the painting is beautiful and effective there is a central figure this figure is balanced by two groups on either side each group is made up of three disciples Jesus is in the center of the painting alone he utters to his disciples the terrible words verily I say unto you that one of you shall betray me never before in the history of painting has an artist portrayed such a variety of human expression and gesture here was man filled with horror dread Terror anguish anger and despair and yet in the midst of this violent scene of men troubled by their own thoughts and deeds Leonardo man of the Renaissance renews his faith in humanity with the calm Serene incredibly beautiful figure of Christ The Last Supper is indeed the work of creative genius a genius who sought to portray man and the state of man's mind in doing so the Curious sensitive and inventive mind the accurate hand and the observant eyes of Leonardo da Vinci open the way for men to see the world world and interpreted differently than they had ever done before [Music]