Drawing and painting for Leonardo da Vinci were not only forms of art but they were also means through which he perceived and understood the reality of the external world.
His complex and creative personality was expressed in many fields including science, mathematics, engineering, and music.
ACTIVITY 1 Pair work. In your workbook draw a T-chart and indicate which words can be attributed to each of the portraits below. Then write a short description of the portraits.
ACTIVITY 2.A Work in pairs and write three things you remember about this period in history.
What do I know about the Renaissance?
ACTIVITY 2.B Work in pairs and write three things you know about painting.
What do I know about painting?
ACTIVITY 2.C Work in pairs and write three things you want to know about Leonardo da Vinci’s style of painting.
What do I want to know about Leonardo da Vinci’s style of painting?
ACTIVITY 3.A Match the following words to their meanings.
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a. graphic representations of an idea or object
b. twisted to unite together c. western Christian who does not follow the Catholic religion d. the state of lacking the capacity or authority to act e. of the greatest importance f. scientist dealing with motion, energy, matter, or force g. the effects of air and gas motion on objects h. professional soldier hired for a foreign army i. scientist who deals with plant life j. artisan who makes objects out of precious metals k. having special talent or ability l. area of conflict m. constructed n. abilities to do things well o. scholar of religions p. person who is skilled and trained in the design, construction and use of machines |
ACTIVITY 3.B Listen to the recording in order to complete the timeline below.
Listening
ACTIVITY 3.C Listen to the recording in order to complete the sentences.
Listening
1. Leonardo was born in
2. Leonardo was trained to be
3. The ideal Renaissance man could be identified in Leonardo because
4. Leonardo thought that studying science
5. Leonardo studied anatomy through drawings because he
6. During the last part of his life Leonardo worked for
ACTIVITIES 4 Carefully read the following texts and complete the activities.
During the Renaissance period there were many advances in science, maths, and arts. One of the most important advances in art was the development of linear or central perspective.
Linear perspective uses the principles of mathematics to portray three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional plane.
Perspective is a linear system of spatial alignment which creates an illusion of depth on a two-dimensional flat surface. This system is based on how the human eye sees the world: distant objects appear small and objects that are close appear to be big. With the new technique all the elements of images, buildings, human figures and objects are observed from a unique point of view, that of the observer. Thanks to a checkerboard of intersecting lines that converge at a vanishing point on the horizon line, the painter can create a perspective illusion.
Brunelleschi was the first Renaissance artist to achieve perspective in art. He aroused great admiration from people by using optical instruments with which he succeeded in drawing buildings, like the Baptistery in Florence. Some years later, in 1435, in his book On Painting, Leon Battista Alberti gave a formal description of the experiments conducted by Brunelleschi.
Leonardo da Vinci understood that it was not sufficient to make distant objects small and create vanishing points and lines to obtain a realistic representation of the natural world. He sustained that our perception of objects in the distance is influenced by atmospheric conditions and air density. In many of his paintings we can admire the aerial perspective, also called the “atmospheric perspective”. This is a method of creating the illusion of depth by modulating light intensity and colours. Towards the horizon colours become indistinguishable as they tend to be a uniform grey-blue, creating an impression of space which is similar to what is seen in nature.
ACTIVITY 4.A Match the following words to their meanings.
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a. made someone have a particular feeling or attitude
b. tend to meet in a point c. two things which cannot be identified one from the other d. succeed in reaching a particular goal e. the point in the distance where parallel lines seem to meet f. show something in a picture g. affecting something so that it becomes more regular h. cutting or dividing something by passing through or across i. the art of creating depth to distance an image j. related to light and sight k. arrangement in a straight line l. design that resembles alternating squares |
ACTIVITY 4.B With the information from the previous text complete the sentences.
1. Air density and atmospheric conditions were used to give
2. Another name for atmospheric perspective is
3. In order to give a painting a sense of depth the painter must
4. You can find colours that are not clearly identifiable in
5. A sense of space like that which is found in nature is given by
Leonardo da Vinci realised few paintings but a great number of drawings. In them he analysed the structure of rocks, the behaviour of light, the movement of water, the growth of plants, the flight of birds, and the anatomy of insects, horses, and human beings.
Drawing was not only an outline which is useful to prepare a painting but it was also a means to perceive and understand natural reality. The drawings by Leonardo were studies of real life which came from the direct observation of man and natural events.
Leonardo also wrote his notes on the same pages that he drew on. Since he was left-handed he wrote his notes from right to left, which meant that to read them required not only a knowledge of 15th century handwriting but also a mirror. He explained what he was drawing in order to clarify how nature functioned, especially on human machines. It cannot be determined exactly when, but we know that Leonardo performed dissections on human bodies. It was documented that he did practical work in anatomy in Milan, and then in hospitals in Florence, Rome, and Pavia, where he collaborated with Marcantonio della Torre, a young professor of anatomy. It is believed that this was the way in which Leonardo was able to perform dissections on dead human remains, although at that time this practice was prohibited by the Catholic church. Between 1510 and 1511, Leonardo sketched more than 240 individual drawings. Leonardo’s anatomical studies dealt with the skeleton and muscles, along with internal organs, such as the heart, spine and liver.
He also did hundreds of drawings dedicated to machines and engines. Some of his projects were “impossible dreams”, some contained ideas that anticipated the times, while others were realised during that same period.
ACTIVITY 4.C Match the following words to their meanings.
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a. science dealing with the structure of bodies
b. style or manner of communicating using a pen and paper c. large organ in the upper abdomen that cleans the blood d. bones of the back of a person e. the way something reacts in a certain situation f. show or mark the outer edge of something g. acts of cutting things into parts to examine how they are related h. the way in which the parts of an object are connected together, arranged or organised |
ACTIVITY 4.D Match the following captions to the pictures.
a. Leonardo da Vinci, Anatomical studies of torso and legs, 1506-1508, pen and brown ink on ochre coloured paper, 20,4x15,2 cm. Milan, Ambrosiana Library.
b. Leonardo da Vinci, Feminine organs, 1507-1509, mixed technique on paper, 47x32,8 cm. London, Windsor Castle, Royal Library.
c. Leonardo da Vinci, Machine for building yard, 1490-1492, pen and ink, 31,5x20 cm. Milan, Ambrosiana Library.
ACTIVITY 4.E Answer the following questions.
1. What do you see in the three drawings on the previous page?
2. In your opinion why were these pictures drawn?
ACTIVITY 4.F Complete the text below by inserting the words given.
• reinvented • Child • mixing • expressions • recipe • represent • revise • masterpieces • Lisa
Oil painting had an ancient origin, but it was (1.) in Europe by the Flemish artist Jan van Eyck around 1410. He invented a new method of painting by (2.) pigments with linseed and nut oil. In Italy other artists, such as Antonello da Messina and Leonardo da Vinci improved the (3.) , and oil painting became the ideal medium used to (4.) the effects of light, texture of materials, intensity of human (5.) , colours, shadows, and depths. Furthermore oil could be easily removed and it allowed the artist to (6.) his work. Many (7.) by Leonardo, such as The Annunciation, The Baptism of Christ, The Adoration of the Magi, The Virgin of the Rocks, Virgin and (8.) with Saint Anne, and Mona (9.) , were realised with this oil on wood panel technique.
In 1499, when his patron Ludovico Sforza had to leave Milan escaping from the French army, Leonardo returned to Florence. Here, in 1501, he displayed a drawing, a large cartoon in charcoal and white chalk, that is presumed to be a full-size preparatory study for a painting. He probably realised different copies of the drawing, but today we can admire only one of them at the National Gallery in London. The painting was realised some years after, and that is why there are important differences between the two works. In the cartoon the Virgin Mary sits on the lap of Saint Anne, her mother, who is pointing to heaven with her finger. The Christ Child is blessing Saint John the Baptist.
Instead in the painting, the Virgin Mary, who is sitting on the lap of Saint Anne, is leaning out to hold up the Child while He is embracing a sacrificial lamb, the symbol of his passion. The three figures are linked together by a pyramidal composition, and by an emotional relationship, which can be understood through their smiles and glances.
In the background the details of the landscape are realised with the sfumato technique. The outline of the mountains vanishes in a light blue fog. This is what is called “atmospheric perspective”, which is different from geometrical perspective.
ACTIVITY 4.G Match the following words to their meanings.
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a. making the sign of the cross
b. having real-life dimensions c. inclining towards another person d. quick looks e. put in the air to offer to someone f. person who commissions an artist g. sufferings of Christ h. dark coloured natural mineral used for drawing i. the body from the waist to the knees when sitting j. white coloured mineral used for drawing |
ACTIVITY 4.H Combine parts 1-6 to parts a-f to make complete sentences.
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a. they have a special relationship.
b. in the painting the Child is holding a sacrificial lamb. c. as an atmospheric perspective. d. he wanted to escape the French army. e. in the National Gallery in London. f. Leonardo made a preparatory cartoon. |
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper was commissioned by Duke Ludovico Sforza for the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and can be described as a Renaissance masterpiece.
In this painting Leonardo created the optical illusion that the room in which Christ and the apostles are seated was an extension of the refectory. There are three windows in the background which seem to be real openings to the outside. The vanishing point is in the centre of the composition, six metres from the floor, and coincides with the figure of Christ.
Christ is pointing to the bread and wine, an allusion to the institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist, and he is saying: “One of you will betray me”. These words cause various reactions in the apostles. Each character differs from the others in age, garments, colours, features, and personality. Their reactions were also carefully rendered. The apostles are in groups of three, with six figures to each side. To the immediate right of Christ there is the apostle John and beside him Peter. Judas is not isolated. He is on the right of Peter and can be recognised by the bag of coins which was the payment for having sold Jesus to his persecutors. Thomas can be recognised because he is pointing towards the sky.
Leonardo was uncertain about the technique he needed to use for this work. He decided not to use fresco painting, executed on fresh plaster, because it demanded quick painting. So he experimented the use of tempera paints applied over a double layer of dried plaster. A few years later the work was already ruined, and inappropriate restorations contributed to its deterioration. The last restoration started in 1978 and lasted over 20 years.
ACTIVITY 4.I Match the following words to their meanings.
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a. be disloyal
b. one strata placed on top of another c. place where meals are consumed in a convent d. material used on walls to create frescoes e. religious rite f. processes to make something old new again g. dedicated followers of Christ h. people who accuse others of doing something wrong |
ACTIVITY 4.J Using the information from the previous text find the items from the legend in the picture and number them 1-8.
1. Three windows
2. Christ
3. Peter
4. John
5. Vanishing point
6. Symbol of the Eucharist
7. Judas
8. Thomas
ACTIVITY 5 General revision.
1. Describe Leonardo da Vinci’s personality.
2. Describe the difference between “perspective” and “atmospheric perspective”?
3. Why did Leonardo produce a great number of drawings?
4. Explain Jan van Eyck’s oil painting method.
5. Which technique did Leonardo use in the Last Supper and what were the consequences?
CASE STUDY Pair work.
Imagine you are Leonardo da Vinci. You are writing a letter to the king of France offering your services as an artist or as an engineer. In your letter introduce yourself by explaining why you have the reputation of being a genius. Give an account of the fields of studies that you have focused on and describe your best creations. Choose one of your masterpieces and describe the technique that you used to create it. In the end explain to the king why he should choose to become your patron. (150-200 words)
Contesti d’arte - volume 2
Dal Gotico internazionale al Rococò