...Brittney Reed Professor Turner AR115 27 September 2014 The Mystery Surrounding Mona Lisa Mona Lisa is one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most poetic and famous pictures he painted. Painted in 1503-1505 with oil on a panel, the meaning of this most recognized painting in the world has left many wondering about the portrait’s meaning and why it has changed over time (Harris & Zucker, 2012). The evolution around the Mona Lisa painting has grown over the centuries after it was completed. This and many other of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting and writing has became ever so popular because of who the artist is and the detail and technique that he used in them. Another reason the it fascinates me and many others is when you are looking into her eyes they seem to follow you where ever you move. This gives an erie feeling that people in the recent decades thrive for in today’s decade. The painting is also very mysteries. Who is Mona Lisa? Who was she posing for? What is the little smirk on her face? As most of the portraits that were see in that era there are no smiling faces, a blank look if you will. Many say that Mona Lisa is the wife of a Florentine merchant and the painting was intended for her husband (Harris & Zucker, 2012). After Leonardo had finished the painting it was never given to the husband and Leonardo decided to keep it for himself as he went to work for the King of France, Francis I and why that is to this day remains a mystery (Harris & Zucker, 2012). Portraits...
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...heaven to be with the saints and angels. The picture radiates out from the center figure of Christ. Originally all the people were painted naked, but after quite a bit of controversy they were painted over with veils and loincloths. The Last Judgment is monochromatic and flesh tones and sky colors dominate the work. Yellow, orange, green and blue are scattered throughout the painting. Michelangelo focuses on the action of human creatures quite different than Leonardo’s emphasis on perspective such as birds in flight. His art enhances the naturalism and he had a great skill at portraying profound emotions that make this painting striking. The painting is sort of obscure and has many different meanings. (Michelangelo’s Last Judgment: The Response) The second work of art I chose is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. He started this masterpiece in 1503 and finished it in 1506. It was painted with oil paints and it was painted on wood. Leonardo was one of the most famous painters of all time. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most well-known...
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...| Leonardo Da Vinci | Renaissance Man | | Jenny Bevier | 8/20/2010 | | Very few that have ever lived have been acknowledged as a genius. Leonardo Da Vinci was a renaissance man who was a true pioneer of his time. Though he is best known as an artist, he was far more than that. Leonardo was also an engineer, inventor, and scientist. He had one of the best scientific minds of his time. He carried out research in fields ranging from architecture and civil engineering to astronomy, anatomy, geography, geology, and paleontology. Leonardo was a renaissance man whose works of art and studies of mechanics and science paved the way for many artists, engineers, and doctors today. Da Vinci was born in 1452 in the small town of Anchiano, Italy. He was an illegitimate child of a Florentine Notary, Piero Da Vinci, and a peasant woman named Catrina (The World Wide Art Gallery, 2010, para. 2). Until the age of five Leonardo lived in the Hamlet of Anchiano with his mother. From 1457 on he lived with his father, grandparents, and uncle Fracesco in the small town of Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci never received a formal education. However, he was informally taught Latin, geometry, and mathematics by his stepmother Alberia, and her mother in law Monna Lucia. Also, he learned from scholarly textbooks that were owned by various family members. When Leonardo was fifteen, he was apprenticed to the artist Andrea Di Cione, known as Verrocchio. During this time is when Leonardo was...
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...AUTOBIOGRAPHY Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was the epitome of a “Renaissance man.” Possessor of a curious mind and keen intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work as a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman. His ideas and body of work—which includes "Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa"—have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo was, and is, renowned primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time, with their fame approached only by Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, France, on May 2, 1519. François I had become a close friend. Vasari records that the King held Leonardo's head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, Ménageot and other French artists, may be legend rather than fact. Da Vinci has been called a genius and the archetypal Renaissance man. His talents inarguably extended far beyond his artistic works. Like many leaders of Renaissance humanism, he did not see a divide between science and art. STYLE OF PAINTING da Vinci’s Painting Technique Throughout his years (1452-1519), Leonardo da Vinci employed a variety of techniques...
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...getting man to the bottom of the sea, He invented flying machines 400 years before man took to the skies. Leonardo was born on April 15 1452, in Tuscan hill town just outside the village of Vinci in Italy. He was born illegitimate and this was to shape his life. Being a bastard he was barred from learning Greek and Latin, the languages all books where written in. This in turn gave him an advantage. Leonardo had no use for the Greeks and the romans this being as a result of him being poorly educated in their culture and philosophies. He said, “It is only by observation the we can find out the truth” which the Greeks and the romans didn’t agree to as they felt their formulation’s, which was sometimes wrong, was right. Due to Leonardo’s lack of formal...
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...AUTOBIOGRAPHY Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was the epitome of a “Renaissance man.” Possessor of a curious mind and keen intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work as a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman. His ideas and body of work—which includes "Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa"—have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo was, and is, renowned primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time, with their fame approached only by Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, France, on May 2, 1519. François I had become a close friend. Vasari records that the King held Leonardo's head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, Ménageot and other French artists, may be legend rather than fact. Da Vinci has been called a genius and the archetypal Renaissance man. His talents inarguably extended far beyond his artistic works. Like many leaders of Renaissance humanism, he did not see a divide between science and art. STYLE OF PAINTING da Vinci’s Painting Technique Throughout his years (1452-1519), Leonardo da Vinci employed a variety of techniques...
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...Paola G. Maceda BSIT 201 INTRO ARTS AUTOBIOGRAPHY Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci Born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo da Vinci was the epitome of a “Renaissance man.” Possessor of a curious mind and keen intellect, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work as a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman. His ideas and body of work—which includes "Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper" and "Mona Lisa"—have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo was, and is, renowned primarily as a painter. Among his works, the Mona Lisa is the most famous and most parodied portrait and The Last Supper the most reproduced religious painting of all time, with their fame approached only by Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam. Leonardo died at Clos Lucé, France, on May 2, 1519. François I had become a close friend. Vasari records that the King held Leonardo's head in his arms as he died, although this story, beloved by the French and portrayed in romantic paintings by Ingres, Ménageot and other French artists, may be legend rather than fact. Da Vinci has been called a genius and the archetypal Renaissance man. His talents inarguably extended far beyond his artistic works. Like many leaders of Renaissance humanism, he did not see a divide between science and art. STYLE OF PAINTING da Vinci’s Painting Technique Throughout his years (1452-1519),...
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...fifteenth century, a period when the people of Europe were becoming interested in art. This period of time was known as the Renaissance period. Leonardo Da Vinci was very talented. He was a great artist, but he became famous because he was able to do so many other things. He was an architect, a musician, inventor, sculptor, scientist, and mathematician. His artistic talent revealed its self early in his life. When he was about 15 years old Leonardo's father took him to Florence Italy, to train as a painter and sculptor in the studio of Andrea del Verroccho. He studied with this master until the age of twenty five. At this point, he set up his own business and was famous for being a painter and a man of science. As a scientist, he observed everything he could in nature. Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real. He drew and took many notes of what he observed. His notes were written backwards, probably because he didn't want people to read about his discoveries and observations. In order to read Leonardo's notes, one has to hold them up to a mirror. In 1472 he entered a painters' guild. His earliest extensive works date back to this time. In 1482 Da Vinci worked for Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan for 18 years. He fulfilled the position as court artist, but also worked as an engineer and architect. While in Milan Leonardo developed more theories about painting. Leonardo believed that knowledge should be based on observation. He believed that...
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...fifteenth century, a period when the people of Europe were becoming interested in art. This period of time was known as the Renaissance period. Leonardo Da Vinci was very talented. He was a great artist, but he became famous because he was able to do so many other things. He was an architect, a musician, inventor, sculptor, scientist, and mathematician. His artistic talent revealed its self early in his life. When he was about 15 years old Leonardo's father took him to Florence Italy, to train as a painter and sculptor in the studio of Andrea del Verroccho. He studied with this master until the age of twenty five. At this point, he set up his own business and was famous for being a painter and a man of science. As a scientist, he observed everything he could in nature. Leonardo used what he learned from nature and science to make his paintings look real. He drew and took many notes of what he observed. His notes were written backwards, probably because he didn't want people to read about his discoveries and observations. In order to read Leonardo's notes, one has to hold them up to a mirror. In 1472 he entered a painters' guild. His earliest extensive works date back to this time. In 1482 Da Vinci worked for Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan for 18 years. He fulfilled the position as court artist, but also worked as an engineer and architect. While in Milan Leonardo developed more theories about painting. Leonardo believed that knowledge should be based on observation. He believed that...
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...mathematician. His artistic talent revealed itself early in his life. When he turned 15 years old, Leonardo's father took him to Florence Italy, to train as a painter and sculptor in the studio of Andrea del Verroccho. He studied with this master until the...
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...Leonardo’s Presence in Modern-Day Society It is three o’clock in the afternoon and a young boy decides to take his usual route home from school. As he is walking down the street, one of his classmates speeds by on a brand new bicycle. Right after that, the young boy hears a loud noise above him and as he looks up, he sees a helicopter racing by. A few minutes later, his older sister pulls up in her new car and offers him a ride. When they get home and pull into the driveway, they notice an airplane in the distance, along with a few skydivers who had their parachutes drawn. To the boy, these things are normal to him and his suburban neighborhood. The existence of bicycles, cars, helicopters, airplanes, and parachutes are common in his everyday life, just as they are in most other parts of the world. However ordinary these items are, most people don’t know that one man, who lived hundreds of years ago, is responsible for designing them all. Could one man, who lived hundreds of years ago, possibly been smart enough to design all of these complicated machines? Most people would probably be doubtful that he did. But I think that’s only because they’ve never met anyone as genius as Leonardo da Vinci. According to Bülent Atalay, the author of Math and the Mona Lisa, during the last few years scientists in various fields of study decided to examine Leonardo’s work in the areas of science and technology and named him the first modern scientist. “Ultimately, it...
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...“borrowed” then it may be brought up in a court case against the appropriation artist. Andy Warhol was taken to court by photographers due to artist work he had appropriated and silk screened. Patricia Caufield, one photographer had previously photographed flowers for a magazine in which Warhol had covered Leo Castelli’s New York gallery in 1964, using his silk screened re production. After seeing a poster of the work in a book store Claufield took ownership of the image whilst Warhol being the author settled in court by giving Claufield royalty for future use of images as well as paintings. Marcel Duchamp, pencil on print of Leonardo’s Mona 1503-1506 (appropriation year 1919 Marcel Duchamp appropriated the Leonardo’s painting “Mona Lisa” by adding facial hair onto the world renowned image. Marcel Duchamp appropriated the Leonardo’s painting “Mona Lisa” by adding facial hair onto the world renowned image....
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...and works of Leonardo Di Vinci. In his early years, Leonardo became an apprentice in one of a highly acclaimed studio in Italy. At 20 years old Leonardo was accepted into the painters' guild of Florence. Leonardo worked there until 1483, when moved to Milan. The first piece of artwork that Leonardo completed in Milan was the Madonna of the Rocks1. Di Vinci’s most Famous works are The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and Vitruvian Man: The Proportions of the Human Figure. The Mona Lisa is a piece of art that is most recognized among work of fine art. People recognize within an instant of seeing it. It is also one of the most talked about pieces of art because of the longtime tale of there being a mystery behind her smile. Leonardo began to work on the Mona Lisa in Florence, Italy in the year 15032. The Mona Lisa is said to depict Leonardo’s ideal of pure beauty but it false because in the Virgin of the Rocks piece show that his ideal of beauty was more tranquil and more regular 4. The Mona Lisa was actually a portrait of the wife of Francesco Giocondo.2 The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Salon Carre in the Louvre on August 21, 1911. Two years after it was stolen it was found. It has been rumored...
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...superstition. Leonardo’s parents were the Florentine notary and landlord Ser Pedro and Caterina, a young peasant woman who soon after Leonardo's birth married a local artesan. Although an illegitimate child, Leonardo was raised in his father's household, as Ser Pedro did not have other children until 1476, in his fourth marriage. Showing artistic promise, Leonardo became an apprentice to the artist Andrea del Verrocchio at the age of 15. Five years later he was accepted into the painter's guild of Florence but continued to work in Verrocchio's workshop for another five years. “Flying machines, parachutes, submarines, underwater rebreathing devices, self floatation/ocean rescue devices, swimming fins, pumping mechanisms, water turbines, dredging systems, steam calorimeters, water-well drill, swing bridges, canals, levelling/surveying instruments, cranes, pulley systems, street-lighting systems, convection roasting spit, mechanical saw, treadle-operated lathe, compasses, contact lenses, and military weapons. “These are all inventions that were created by Leonardo Da Vinci's genius creates inventions that are far ahead of their time. In addition to being a world-class inventor, he was a phenomenal painter, his most notable works include, the Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper, as well as The Baptism of Christ. He also worked to study human anatomy. He dissecting around 30 corpses to get an intimate look at the heart and brain, which he made wax moulds to study further. Leonardo's studies...
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...advocate that art falls under the category of Expressive Philosophy. Expressive Philosophy is the belief that the primary function of art is to communicate or express the artist’s ideas and feelings. It also states that good artwork is one where the viewer’s reaction matches the ideas or feelings that the artist intended to express. One artwork in particular, The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, portrays Expressive Philosophy. The Mona Lisa painting was created from 1503 to 1507 in Florence, Italy during the renaissance which was a famous historic era that brought a clash of cultures. It was a portrait of Madam Lisa Giocondo, the wife of a wealthy Florentine that became very popular over time. If you look at Da Vinci’s painting, you see a normal women with black hair and her arms crossed. This can be seen as a typical painting but what makes the Mona Lisa different and clever is the way she stares back at you. This catches your attention if you’re viewing the painting and that is what Da Vinci expects. He wants the viewers to recognize this so that their persuaded in what he feels, that this is what makes the Mona Lisa significant. In order for the viewers to be able to understand the painting, he must give them insight which is why he interprets this idea. Since her eyes are said to follow you no matter where you are placed in a room, this deliberates a sense of playfulness that connects it with the audience which follows back to the second part of the Expressive Philosophy. ...
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