101 Things You Didn't Know About Da Vinci (11 page)

With the
Mona Lisa
, Leonardo made profound use of the techniques he had developed throughout the Renaissance. The soft transitions between colors (
sfumato
)
create a fully realistic three-dimensional figure with amazing modeling of the skin. Leonardo used the same techniques in the background—the sky and water complement each other perfectly. Similarly, the use of contrasting light for shade and shadow (
chiaroscuro
)
creates a connection between the curves of Lisa's face and hair, and the mountains behind her.

While it appears that the figure of Lisa is floating in front of the landscape, in the original painting she is actually standing in between two columns, probably on a porch or balcony. Because these elements were removed from the final version, viewers today cannot experience the painting as it was initially intended.

The expression on this Florentine woman's face is one of the painting's most exceptional features. Her simple, dark clothing makes her face the real focus. Her smile appears to be at once both innocent and enticing. One account describes how Leonardo had to hire musicians and mimes to amuse Lisa during the sitting—after all, three years is a long time to pose! The entertainment could provide one explanation for Lisa's slight smile. Also significant about Lisa's expression is that one eye is slightly higher than the other, increasing the sense of movement in the painting. If you've ever seen the
Mona Lisa
in person, you know that her eyes seem to follow you around the room. Leonardo probably created this effect on purpose. The corners of the mouth and eyes are the most expressive parts of the human face, and Leonardo did not overdefine these parts of the
Mona Lisa
. Instead, they are highly shadowed and almost vague, causing her expression to appear to change depending on the viewer's perspective.

Like Leonardo himself, the
Mona Lisa
did plenty of traveling. Leonardo carried it with him to France during his tenure under King François I. At the end of his life he either gave or sold it to the King, and it eventually ended up in the Louvre. Napoleon borrowed the painting for a period, and it was hidden during the Franco-Prussian War to ensure it wasn't stolen or damaged. In 1911, a Louvre employee named Vincenzo Peruggia stole the painting and then tried to sell it, but he was captured and the artwork was returned to the Louvre in 1913.

The
Mona Lisa
was hidden again during World Wars I and II. Then, it toured various countries (including the United States) during the 1960s and 1970s. Unfortunately, due to security concerns, it's unlikely that it will leave the Louvre again any time soon. At present, it resides in the museum behind bulletproof glass in a climate-controlled enclosure.

39
Oldies but goodies

While his early work is probably his most famous, Leonardo made many paintings later in life that would become popular in their own right. One of Leonardo's last works,
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
is one of his most celebrated. Leonardo first explored this somewhat obscure religious theme in a sketch done in 1498. The basic layout of the scene contained the Virgin Mary with her mother, Saint Anne, and the infant Christ. Although that early sketch has been lost, a later one, dubbed the “Burlington House Cartoon” (named after a former British owner's collection), shows a discarded concept for this work. In fact, this sketch is sometimes preferred over the finished painting!

During the Renaissance, a “cartoon” referred to a full-sized sketch that showed the planned layout of a painting, which the artist then transferred to the canvas or panel to be actually painted. The Burlington House Cartoon shows the infant Christ blessing a young St. John, accompanied by Mary and Anne. Leonardo abandoned this concept for unknown reasons and never actually painted it, but when the sketch was exhibited, it received major acclaim. This sketch is still celebrated as one of Leonardo's major works. The facial expressions and poses are considered much more natural than those in the completed painting.

The monks of the Florentine Santissima Annunziata commissioned the version of
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
that Leonardo actually did paint as an altarpiece for their high altar. Leonardo completed the work, which dates from 1507–1513, in his typical fashion: not on time. The monks, eager for their new work, had to commission another piece. In fact, they had given the original commission to Filippino Lippi, but he rejected the project, suggesting that the monks give the commission to Leonardo (whom he considered a superior artist). When Leonardo failed to complete the work on time, Lippi took on the project, but he died before finishing his work. The monks finally got their painting when Perugino completed Lippi's work.

Leonardo's painting of
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
, completed well past the monks' deadline, shows Mary seated on her mother Anne's lap. Mary is leaning over to her infant son, who is holding a lamb. (The lamb represents a symbol of what Jesus would become: a sacrifice.) Anne's face is peaceful and serene, while Mary's suggests resignation, as if she realizes the fate for which her infant son is destined. She almost restrains Christ from embracing the lamb, and therefore his destiny, yet she also seems to have accepted his role.

The painting's composition is balanced and fluid, although some critics have remarked that the poses seem awkward. Leonardo positioned Mary and Jesus' arms like links on a chain, links that span multiple generations. The background of the painting includes a typically Leonardo-esque wilderness, complete with hazy, impassible mountain peaks, and meandering rivers. The tree in the near background is more earthly than the misty background, but rendered with Leonardo's signature botanical precision.

Like so many of Leonardo's paintings, Leonardo left
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
unfinished. Careful examination of the painting has suggested that Leonardo himself painted the background and the three figures, while it's likely that one of Leonardo's students completed the rest of the painting, including the lamb and the drapery covering the Virgin's legs. Unlike many of Leonardo's paintings, which he worked and reworked, the paint on this one is of variable thickness, and the sketch lines beneath the paint are visible in places.

Leonardo painted his final work,
St. John the Baptist
, during his last years in Rome, between approximately 1509 and 1516. It's quite an unusual treatment of the subject. Scripture portrays St. John the Baptist as a gaunt creature living in the wilderness. The way Leonardo painted him, however, St. John looks almost womanly. He has Leonardo's signature long, flowing, curly locks, a demurely bent arm, and an enigmatic smile quite similar to Mona Lisa's.

Unlike most of Leonardo's paintings, there is no mystical background behind St. John. Rather, the painting shows a mysterious darkness from which a glowing figure emerges. A different artist likely painted the cross that St. John holds and the animal skin he wears, and it's possible that the same unknown artist darkened the background as well.
St. John the Baptist
was widely copied by Leonardo's students, and a number of these copies exist with questionable attributions.

40
Building the Renaissance

Leonardo da Vinci was not a practicing architect, though he spent years studying mathematics, urban design, and civil engineering. He designed military structures, buildings, and other architectural objects. Even though none of his designs were constructed during his lifetime, he was amazingly prolific. Leonardo's voluminous drawings, sketches, writings, paintings, and other artwork reveal his architectural achievements.

Though not trained in architecture, Leonardo was familiar with architectural drawings.

In addition to learning the language of architects, Leonardo used the perspective techniques he developed in painting to represent his designs for palaces, churches, cityscapes, and other projects. Particularly with landscapes, Leonardo was fond of drawing “bird's-eye perspectives.” While typical eye-level perspectives were drawn as someone on the ground would see them, aerial views showed a project in its entirety, including the surrounding areas. Along with Michelangelo and Raphael, Leonardo was one of the first Renaissance architects to make use of this technique.

Fillippo Brunelleschi (1377–1446) provided an early architectural model, one that Leonardo continued into the Renaissance. Brunelleschi was one of the first architects to seize upon classical foundations in the creation of a modern architecture that could rival that of its ancestors. He designed churches such as San Lorenzo and San Spirito, which were based on Roman ideals of balance, harmony, and proportion. Leonardo took those ideas under advisement in many of his own architectural designs.

Genius doesn't simply appear out of thin air; even masters such as Leonardo had to build their experience (and reputation!) on the success of others. Leonardo's main sources of architectural inspiration were probably Alberti, Bramante, and Raphael. Leon Batista Alberti (1406–1472), an architect, artist, composer, and author, was responsible for writing the Renaissance's first treatise on architecture. He based his designs on classical architecture, and it is likely that Leonardo studied Alberti's designs during his apprenticeship to Verrocchio. Donato Bramante (1444–1514) was another primary Renaissance architect. As an official architect for Pope Julius II, he created masterpieces in the style of Greek and Roman classics, interpreting them in light of Renaissance Christian teachings. Raphael (1483–1520) followed in Bramante's footsteps by becoming the next papal architect. He was known for adhering to a fairly strict system of classical spatial organization. Raphael was also a distinguished artist. As you can see, there was clearly no lack of architectural talent during the Renaissance!

While synthesis of form and structure can be a goal for many architects, it is not a given. As both an artist and a student of mathematics, however, Leonardo had the distinct advantage of being able to conceptualize a project in its entirety. He was interested in appearance, as well as structure and construction. Leonardo's talent for encompassing both areas in his studies set him apart from many of his predecessors and paved the way for more modern ways of thinking about architectural design.

41
The Milan dome

During his major period in Milan (1482–1499), Leonardo was busy with assignments from his patron Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. His major artistic accomplishments during this time include
The Virgin of the Rocks
and
The Last Supper
, paintings that earned an esteemed place in history for their beauty, innovation, and highly skilled production. This was also a time of major experimentation for Leonardo—he produced paintings, sketches of military equipment, sculptures, machinery prototypes, and architectural designs.

One of Leonardo's most significant ventures in architecture occurred in 1488, when he created a preliminary design for the dome and tambour of the Milan Gothic Cathedral. This massive cathedral was a huge undertaking, not just for Milan but for much of Italy. Built over a 500-year period, the cathedral brought the High Gothic style to Milan at quite a price. It is the central focus of town, with most streets ending at its doors. Work on the cathedral began in 1387. As political and religious power continued to change hands over the years, new designers and master masons were invited to work on the cathedral, which would be a living tribute to the creativity of Italian artists. Political and financial messes slowed down the project, though, and the great spire wasn't constructed until the mid-eighteenth century; additional spires and stair towers were built during the nineteenth century. By this point, some of the original work was already crumbling! Restoration was necessary, and that task occupied much of the early twentieth century.

During the end of the fifteenth century, the Sforza and Solari families exerted strong Tuscan influence over the cathedral's design (see number 21 for more on the Sforzas). The Solari family, based in Milan, included many artists and architects whose designs were prominent all over Italy. Giovanni Amadeo was slated to design the drum of the Milan cathedral, and despite the burgeoning presence of Renaissance architecture, he was determined to keep a strong tie to the site's Gothic roots.

Around this time, Leonardo da Vinci was consulted regarding several aspects of the cathedral. As usual, he wanted to involve himself in as many projects as possible, so he submitted drawings for the dome. Even though it was never built, Leonardo's design for the dome was an important marker in his career since, at this point, he was starting to incorporate studies of mathematics (particularly geometry) into his designs.

This project also brings to light Leonardo's famed multitasking. For example, Leonardo produced designs for several types of construction equipment, and his ideas for cranes were particularly useful for this dome project.

42
Order in the Church!

The history of church design is a long and rich one. Religious structures are typically more permanent (and more respected) than any other type of building. Despite political and social turmoil, ecclesiastical architecture tends to survive. Ancient Athenians devoted their entire lives to constructing the Acropolis; the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and other Greek temples were models of religious fervor coupled with civic pride. The Romans built arches and monuments for their emperors who, many Romans believed, had ties to the gods themselves. Medieval French architecture, as demonstrated by Chartres Cathedral and others, celebrated Catholicism with amazing feats of Gothic engineering. Across time, culture, and geography, churches and other religious edifices have provided opportunity for social consciousness and pride; they've also fascinated designers. Church designs were of particularly high importance because of their enduring influence. Is it any surprise that they interested Leonardo?

During the Renaissance, the principles of architecture were crystallized into treatises. Leonardo most likely read and studied these works, and the strict series of rules they presented probably influenced his rigorous church designs. Leon Battista Alberti's
On the Art of Building in Ten Books
(first published in 1485) is worthy of particular note here. This manifesto defined both symbols and usage, and was central to changing the perception of architecture from a craft into a true profession. Leonardo must have studied this work, because his sketches of religious architecture embody many of its principles.