Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci is a man of Renaissance art, sculptor, inventor, painter, philosopher, writer, scientist, polymath (universal person).
The future genius was born as a result of a love affair between the noble Piero da Vinci and the girl Katerina (Katarina). By social norms At that time, the marriage of these people was impossible due to the low origin of Leonardo’s mother. After the birth of her first child, she was married to a potter, with whom Katerina lived the rest of her life. It is known that she gave birth to four daughters and a son from her husband.
Portrait of Leonardo da Vinci
The first-born Piero da Vinci lived with his mother for three years. Leonardo's father, immediately after his birth, married a rich representative of a noble family, but his legal wife was never able to give him an heir. Three years after the marriage, Pierrot took his son to him and began raising him. Leonardo's stepmother died 10 years later while trying to give birth to an heir. Pierrot remarried, but quickly became a widower again. In total, Leonardo had four stepmothers, as well as 12 paternal half-siblings.
Creativity and inventions of da Vinci
The parent apprenticed Leonardo to the Tuscan master Andrea Verrocchio. During his studies with his mentor, son Pierrot learned not only the art of painting and sculpture. Young Leonardo studied the humanities and engineering, leather craftsmanship, and the basics of working with metal and chemicals. All this knowledge was useful to Da Vinci in life.
Leonardo received confirmation of his qualifications as a master at the age of twenty, after which he continued to work under the supervision of Verrocchio. The young artist was involved in minor work on his teacher’s paintings, for example, he painted background landscapes and clothes minor characters. Leonardo only got his own workshop in 1476.
Drawing "Vitruvian Man" by Leonardo da Vinci In 1482, da Vinci was sent by his patron Lorenzo de' Medici to Milan. During this period, the artist worked on two paintings, which were never completed. In Milan, Duke Lodovico Sforza enrolled Leonardo in the court staff as an engineer. The high-ranking person was interested in defensive devices and devices for entertaining the courtyard. Da Vinci had the opportunity to develop his talent as an architect and his abilities as a mechanic. His inventions turned out to be an order of magnitude better than those proposed by his contemporaries.
The engineer stayed in Milan under Duke Sforza for about seventeen years. During this time, Leonardo painted the paintings “Madonna in the Grotto” and “Lady with an Ermine”, created his most famous drawing “The Vitruvian Man”, made a clay model of the equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza, painted the wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery with the composition “ Last Supper", made a number of anatomical sketches and drawings of apparatus.
Leonardo's engineering talent also came in handy after his return to Florence in 1499. He entered the service of Duke Cesare Borgia, who relied on Da Vinci's ability to create military mechanisms. The engineer worked in Florence for about seven years, after which he returned to Milan. By that time, he had already completed work on his most famous painting, which is now kept in the Louvre Museum.
The master's second Milanese period lasted six years, after which he left for Rome. In 1516 Leonardo went to France, where he spent his recent years. On the journey, the master took with him Francesco Melzi, a student and main heir artistic style da Vinci.
Portrait of Francesco Melzi Despite the fact that Leonardo spent only four years in Rome, it is in this city that there is a museum named after him. In three halls of the institution you can get acquainted with devices built according to Leonardo’s drawings, examine copies of paintings, photos of diaries and manuscripts.
The Italian devoted most of his life to engineering and architectural projects. His inventions were both military and peaceful in nature. Leonardo is known as the developer of tank prototypes, aircraft, self-propelled carriage, searchlight, catapult, bicycle, parachute, mobile bridge, machine gun. Some of the inventor's drawings still remain a mystery to researchers.
Drawings and sketches of some of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions In 2009, the Discovery TV channel aired the series of films “Da Vinci Apparatus.” Each of the ten episodes of the documentary series was devoted to the construction and testing of mechanisms based on Leonardo's original drawings. The film's technicians tried to recreate the inventions of the Italian genius using materials from his era.
Personal life
The master's personal life was kept in the strictest confidence. Leonardo used a code for entries in his diaries, but even after deciphering, researchers received little reliable information. There is a version that the reason for secrecy was da Vinci’s unconventional orientation.
The basis of the theory that the artist loved men was the guesswork of researchers based on indirect facts. At a young age, the artist was involved in a case of sodomy, but it is not known for certain in what capacity. After this incident, the master became very secretive and stingy with comments about his personal life.
Leonardo's possible lovers include some of his students, the most famous of whom is Salai. The young man was endowed with an effeminate appearance and became a model for several paintings by da Vinci. John the Baptist is one of Leonardo's surviving works for which Szalai sat.
There is a version that the “Mona Lisa” was also painted from this sitter, dressed in a woman’s dress. It should be noted that there is some physical similarity between the people depicted in the paintings “Mona Lisa” and “John the Baptist”. The fact remains that da Vinci bequeathed his artistic masterpiece namely Salai.
Historians also include Francesco Melzi among Leonardo's possible lovers.
There is another version of the secret of the Italian’s personal life. It is believed that Leonardo had a romantic relationship with Cecilia Gallerani, who is supposedly depicted in the portrait “Lady with an Ermine”. This woman was the favorite of the Duke of Milan, the owner of a literary salon, and a patron of the arts. She entered young artist into the circle of Milanese bohemia.
Fragment of the painting “Lady with an Ermine” Among Da Vinci's notes was found a draft of a letter addressed to Cecilia, which began with the words: “My beloved goddess...”. Researchers suggest that the portrait “Lady with an Ermine” was painted with clear signs of unspent feelings for the woman depicted in it.
Some researchers believe that great Italian I didn’t know carnal love at all. He was not attracted to men or women in a physical sense. In the context of this theory, it is assumed that Leonardo led the life of a monk who did not give birth to descendants, but left a great legacy.
Death and grave
Modern researchers have concluded that probable cause death of the artist - stroke. Da Vinci died at the age of 67 in 1519. Thanks to the memoirs of his contemporaries, it is known that by that time the artist was already suffering from partial paralysis. Leonardo could not move his right hand, as researchers believe, due to a stroke suffered in 1517.
Despite the paralysis, the master continued to be active creative life, resorting to the help of student Francesco Melzi. Da Vinci's health deteriorated, and by the end of 1519 it was already difficult for him to walk without assistance. This evidence is consistent with the theoretical diagnosis. Scientists believe that a second attack of cerebrovascular accident in 1519 ended life path famous Italian.
Monument to Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, Italy At the time of his death, the master was in the castle of Clos-Lucé near the city of Amboise, where he lived for the last three years of his life. In accordance with Leonardo's will, his body was buried in the gallery of the Church of Saint-Florentin.
Unfortunately, the master's grave was destroyed during the Huguenot wars. The church in which the Italian was buried was looted, after which it fell into severe neglect and was demolished by the new owner of the Amboise castle, Roger Ducos, in 1807.
After the destruction of the Saint-Florentin chapel, remains from many burials different years were mixed and buried in the garden. Since the mid-nineteenth century, researchers have made several attempts to identify the bones of Leonardo da Vinci. Innovators in this matter focused on intravital description masters and selected the most suitable fragments from the found remains. They were studied for some time. The work was led by archaeologist Arsen Housse. He also found fragments of a tombstone, presumably from da Vinci’s grave, and a skeleton in which some fragments were missing. These bones were reburied in the reconstructed artist's tomb in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert on the grounds of the Castle of Amboise.
In 2010, a team of researchers led by Silvano Vinceti was going to exhume the remains of the Renaissance master. It was planned to identify the skeleton using genetic material taken from the burials of Leonardo's paternal relatives. Italian researchers were unable to obtain permission from the castle owners to carry out the necessary work.
On the site where the Church of Saint-Florentin used to be located, at the beginning of the last century a granite monument was erected, marking the four hundredth anniversary of the death of the famous Italian. The engineer's reconstructed grave and stone monument with his bust are among the most popular attractions in Amboise.
The secrets of da Vinci's paintings
Leonardo's work has occupied the minds of art critics, religious researchers, historians and ordinary people for more than four hundred years. The works of the Italian artist have become an inspiration for people of science and creativity. There are many theories that reveal the secrets of da Vinci's paintings. The most famous of them says that when writing his masterpieces, Leonardo used a special graphic code.
Using a device of several mirrors, researchers were able to find out that the secret of the looks of the heroes from the paintings “Mona Lisa” and “John the Baptist” lies in the fact that they are looking at a creature in a mask, reminiscent of an alien. The secret code in Leonardo's notes was also deciphered using an ordinary mirror.
Hoaxes surrounding the work of the Italian genius have led to the emergence of a number of works of art, authored by the writer. His novels became bestsellers. In 2006, the film “The Da Vinci Code” was released, based on work of the same name Brown. The film was met with a wave of criticism from religious organizations, but set box office records in its first month of release.
Lost and unfinished works
Not all of the master’s works have survived to this day. The works that have not survived include: a shield with a painting in the form of the head of Medusa, a sculpture of a horse for the Duke of Milan, a portrait of the Madonna with a spindle, the painting “Leda and the Swan” and the fresco “The Battle of Anghiari”.
Modern researchers know about some of the master’s paintings thanks to surviving copies and memoirs of da Vinci’s contemporaries. For example, the fate of the original work “Leda and the Swan” is still unknown. Historians believe that the painting may have been destroyed in the mid-seventeenth century on the orders of the Marquise de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV. Sketches made by Leonardo's hand and several copies of the canvas made by Leonardo have survived to this day. by different artists.
The painting showed a young naked woman in the arms of a swan, with babies hatched from huge eggs playing at her feet. When creating this masterpiece, the artist was inspired by a famous mythical plot. It is interesting that the painting based on the story of Leda’s copulation with Zeus, who took the form of a swan, was painted not only by da Vinci.
Leonardo's lifetime rival also painted a painting dedicated to this ancient myth. Buonarotti's painting suffered the same fate as da Vinci's work. Paintings by Leonardo and Michelangelo simultaneously disappeared from the collection of the French royal house.
Among the unfinished works brilliant Italian The painting “Adoration of the Magi” stands out. The canvas was commissioned by the Augustinian monks in 1841, but remained unfinished due to the master’s departure to Milan. The customers found another artist, and Leonardo saw no point in continuing to work on the painting.
Fragment of the painting “Adoration of the Magi” Researchers believe that the composition of the canvas has no analogues in Italian painting. The painting depicts Mary with the newborn Jesus and the Magi, and behind the pilgrims are riders on horses and the ruins of a pagan temple. There is an assumption that Leonardo depicted himself at the age of 29 among the men who came to the son of God.
- In 2009, researcher of religious mysteries Lynn Picknett published the book “Leonardo da Vinci and the Brotherhood of Zion,” naming the famous Italian one of the masters of a secret religious order.
- It is believed that da Vinci was a vegetarian. He wore clothes made of linen, neglecting outfits made of leather and natural silk.
- A group of researchers plans to isolate Leonardo's DNA from the master's surviving personal belongings. Historians also claim to be close to finding da Vinci's maternal relatives.
- The Renaissance was a time when noble women in Italy were addressed with the words “my lady”, in Italian - “ma donna”. IN colloquial speech the expression was shortened to "monna". This means that the title of the painting “Mona Lisa” can be literally translated as “Lady Lisa”.
- Rafael Santi called da Vinci his teacher. He visited Leonardo's studio in Florence and tried to adopt some features of his artistic style. Raphael Santi also called Michelangelo Buonarroti his teacher. The three artists mentioned are considered the main geniuses of the Renaissance.
- Australian enthusiasts have created the largest traveling exhibition inventions of the great architect. The exhibition was developed with the participation of the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Italy. The exhibition has already visited six continents. During its operation, five million visitors were able to see and touch the works of the most famous engineer of the Renaissance.
Today everyone knows, even schoolchildren, who the legendary Leonardo da Vinci is. He became famous thanks to many interesting inventions and projects, but most of all, he is known as best artist Renaissance.
Who is Da Vinci?
Each of his works evokes admiration and a lot of discussion, because each of his pictures is full of mysteries that his contemporaries are still puzzling over.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that he was born on April 15, 1452, and died on May 2, 1519, and in such a short time, he managed to create many masterpieces that are worth looking at at least once in his life.
Let's see the best works of this legendary person?
"Mona Lisa" (La Gioconda)
It's hard to imagine a person not familiar with the image famous Mona Lisa.
To date, the painting "Mona Lisa" is considered the most famous work art in the world.
The full title of the painting is “Portrait of Mrs. Lisa Giocondo.” Da Vinci worked on the order of the silk merchant from Florence Francesco del Giocondo for 4 years and it remained unfinished. The artist did not hand over the painting to the customer and carried it with him until the end of his life.
The Mona Lisa gained incredible popularity due to its theft in 1911.
Last Supper
The Last Supper fresco is slowly but rapidly being destroyed due to Da Vinci's experiments with materials. Monumental painting depicts the scene of Christ's last meal with his disciples.
Created in the Dominican monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan.
Vitruvian Man
This is a drawing created as an illustration for a book about the works of Vitruvius (Roman encyclopedist). This drawing clearly shows the image of a man in two positions, one on top of the other.
What's special about this drawing? It is called the canonical proportion.
"Vitruvian Man" received the status of a work of art and scientific work.
Self-portrait
The most reliable source of our knowledge about what it looked like great artist- This is his Turin self-portrait.
It was made with sanguine on paper, but over time it was quite damaged, and at the moment not exhibited.
There are a lot of speculations around the drawing: in particular, some studies have found that it is a sketch for the painting “Mona Lisa”!
Madonna Litta
The Littas are a Milanese family that kept the Madonna together with other paintings in their collection throughout the 19th century. Today the canvas belongs State Hermitage Museum. It was painted in 1490-1491 and depicts a woman feeding a baby.
The girl’s gaze, thoughtful and full of tenderness, is fixed on the child. The baby looks at the viewer, holding his mother’s chest with one hand and holding the goldfinch in the other.
Annunciation
One of early paintings Leonardo da Vinci. There is no perspective in it yet (it was simply not used before Leonardo), but carefully drawn folds on the clothes and the expressive hands of the Virgin Mary are already visible.
By the way, the wings of the Archangel Gabriel were initially more proportional, but later some unknown artist I finished drawing them, and the wings turned out to be somewhat bulky.
Madonna with pomegranate
The earliest, most touching and spontaneous of all Leonardo da Vinci's Madonnas. All the works he created later (including the aforementioned Litta) are close to it in style and composition. The image of a young mother conveys gentleness and tranquility.
Some researchers explain a certain disproportion of the child’s body by the absence of a baby sitter for the artist, and yet it is strange to suspect the great master of drawing “at random”! Most likely, he wanted to emphasize the unearthly origin of this child.
Woman's head
This is just a sketch made with pencil and chalk, but it also amazes art connoisseurs with the careful depiction of details (for example, curls of hair) and the accurate transmission of emotions manifested in the eyes of a young woman, the curve of her lips...
Lady with an ermine
The painting was painted towards the end of the 15th century. The girl in the picture is presumably Cecilia Galleroni, the favorite of Duke Ludovico Sforzi, because at the time the picture was painted, da Vinci was in the service of this nobleman.
But this painting is not at all like a standard portrait of a beautiful grande dame. The figure is depicted in three-quarter view, and the gaze is directed to the side (da Vinci's innovation).
By the way, the girl herself is not such an “air nymph” at all: despite her attractiveness, the hard fold of her lips betrays her imperious character. Just like the hand that holds the animal - supposedly carefully, but at the same time tenaciously (and da Vinci’s hands always turned out to be very expressive).
Well, in order to become the favorite of such a noble man, an iron character was indeed required...
John the Baptist
A figure often depicted in painting, but how was the Baptist usually depicted? A middle-aged man, with a beard and a stern look... But not a sweet smiling young man, as Leonardo portrayed him!
The picture belongs to late period artist's creativity. It's surprising that there's nothing familiar in the background picturesque landscape: John’s light body stands out against the gloomy monotonous background.
The figure of John the Baptist is equipped with traditional symbols:
- thin reed cross;
- woolen clothes;
- long hair.
The raised finger of the right hand is also a traditional gesture that often appears in Da Vinci's paintings. Perhaps in this way the artist wanted to convey something important.
The image of John is gentle, he has a soft smile and an amazing look, as if penetrating the viewer’s soul.
Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, on April 15th. He died in 1519, on May 2. This person can certainly be considered one of the unique talents of our planet. He is known not only as one of the greatest sculptors and artists in Italy, but also as a poet, musician, philosopher, botanist, anatomist, chemist, engineer, explorer, and scientist. His discoveries and creations were ahead of their time by more than one era. We will describe the main paintings by Leonardo da Vinci with titles in this article.
"Portrait of Ginevra de Benci"
Done this work approximately from 1474 to 1478. This early work depicts a Florentine poetess who lived in the 15th century. From there we will begin to present you with paintings by Leonardo da Vinci with names and descriptions.
Probably this work can be considered the first psychological portrait in the history of painting. It clearly expresses a mood of sadness, possibly associated with the breakdown of this girl’s relationship with Bernardo Bembo, the Venetian ambassador, her lover. Ginevra's pale face with narrow eyes and wide cheekbones stands out in contrast against the background of nature - the evening landscape. In the picture we see a juniper bush called jinepro. This is a subtle hint to the girl's name. The canvas demonstrates the artist's undoubted technical skill. With the help of sfumato, black and white modeling, the contours of the figure are softened. At the same time, the author violated the Renaissance tradition in the depiction of portraits that existed at that time. The model is turned to the right, not to the left, and the light source is positioned accordingly.
The emblem is on the back of this piece - a juniper branch placed inside a wreath of palm and laurel branches. “Beauty is the adornment of virtue,” says the Latin inscription on the ribbon entwining them.
"Saint Jerome"
We continue to describe Leonardo da Vinci's paintings with names. The following work was completed by the artist in 1482. It is kept in Unfortunately, some of the paintings of this great artist, thinker, and scientist of the Renaissance were not completed. The canvas that interests us also belongs to them. However, it is a work in which the entire author’s intention is already visible. The painting "Saint Jerome" was done at the underpainting level.
Description of the painting
It depicts Saint Jerome - translator of the Bible into Latin, religious thinker, ascetic and ascetic, who retired to the desert, where he spent several years. This man is depicted as repentant. His eyes are full of prayer. He pushes aside his cloak over his shoulder with one hand and swings the other back, swinging to hit himself in the chest with a stone. Muscles of the ascetic, thin face, arms and shoulders tense, feet firmly planted big stone. Jerome is a continuous cry for forgiveness. In the foreground we see a lion, which, according to legend, has accompanied this saint since he met him in the desert and cured the beast. This wild animal submitted to the goodness and love with which God filled Jerome’s soul.
"Madonna and Child with Saint Anne"
This work, kept today in the Louvre, was completed around 1510 on a popular subject. It depicts the infant Christ with the Holy Virgin and Anna, her mother. The arrangement of the figures in this group differs from earlier compositions, which were static. Leonardo da Vinci spent the first years of the 16th century working on various options of this plot. For example, a drawing has been preserved that shows a slightly different interpretation, including John the Baptist in his infancy.
Although St. Anna in her usual place, that is, behind the Holy Virgin, all three figures are very realistic and alive. Leonardo da Vinci, moving away from the then-existing tradition of depicting Anna as an elderly matron, painted her as unexpectedly attractive and young. She can hardly contain her glee at the sight of the baby. An allusion to the future role of the innocent victim, the lamb of God for the atonement of sins, is the lamb in the arms of Christ.
"Madonna and Child"
This painting is exhibited in the Hermitage. The years of its creation are 1490-1491. It also has a second name - “Madonna Lita”, named after one of the owners of this painting, Leonardo da Vinci. The title of the painting “Madonna and Child” tells us the plot. Every person who looks at the canvas has a feeling of sublime peace, contemplative spiritual silence. In the image of the Madonna, da Vinci combined the earthly, sensual, spiritual and sublime into one unshakable harmonious image of beauty. Her face is serene, and, despite the fact that there is no smile on her lips, her posture and tilt of her head express endless tenderness towards the child. Madonna breastfeeds her baby. He looks absentmindedly at the viewer, holding his mother's chest with his right hand. On the left is the goldfinch bird, which is a symbol of the Christian soul.
"Madonna Benois" ("Madonna and Child")
There are two paintings by Leonardo da Vinci with titles (a photo of one of them was presented above) that are similar to each other. - this and " Madonna Benoit", and "Madonna Lita". We have already met the latter. Let's tell you about the first. This work is also kept in the Hermitage. It was completed by the artist in 1478.
This painting is one of the iconic ones in his work. The center of the composition is a flower in the hands of Mary, to which Jesus is drawn. The master places the Madonna, dressed in the Florentine fashion that existed in the 15th century, and the baby in a room lit only by a window located in the back of the room. But a soft, different light pours from above. He brings the canvas to life with the play of chiaroscuro. This gives volume to the figures and reveals the modeling of the form. The picture has a slightly muted, dim color.
"Mona Lisa"
We continue to describe the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci with names and year. The next work that interests us is now in the Louvre. It was written between 1503 and 1505. There is not a single mention of this work in the artist’s own notes. We are talking, perhaps, about the most famous painting Leonardo da Vinci - painting "Mona Lisa".
Who is depicted in this picture?
There are many versions of who is actually depicted in the painting. It has been suggested that this is a self-portrait of the artist himself or his student, an image of his mother, or simply a collective female image. According to official opinion, the picture shows the wife of a Florentine merchant. The famous smile that gives her face charm and mystery is frozen on this woman’s lips. It seems that it is not the viewer who is looking at her, but she is watching him with an understanding, deep gaze.
The painting is made in unusually thin, almost transparent layers. It seems that she is alive, and not painted. The strokes are so small that neither X-rays nor a microscope detect traces of the artist’s work and cannot determine the number of layers in the painting. “La Gioconda” is unusually airy. The space of the picture is filled with a light haze. It allows diffused light to pass through.
"Annunciation"
The main paintings by Leonardo da Vinci with the titles that we presented in this article conclude with a description of the next painting. You can admire this work in It was written in 1472.
The master worked on the canvas while he was still in Verrocchio’s workshop. The artist had to complete this painting, begun by other students, and also correct their mistakes. Leonardo completed several sketches that depicted Mary's cloak, as well as the robes of the Archangel Gabriel. He rewrote the draperies based on these drawings. As a result, they lay in voluminous folds. After this, the master painted Gabriel’s head again, tilting it slightly, but did not have time to make changes to the image of Mary. Her pose does not look entirely natural. Probably, the one who worked on the canvas before Leonardo did not know the laws of perspective very well. However, in an unexpected way, all these mistakes show how difficult it was to master realistic painting.
These are the main paintings of Leonardo da Vinci with names and descriptions. We tried to briefly talk about them. Of course, the title of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings is English sounds different, just like in Italian, the artist’s own language. However, every person, regardless of nationality, is able to be imbued with these great works. Many English people, for example, do not necessarily need to see the titles of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings in English. They already know what kind of work this is. The works of the great artist are so popular that they often do not need introduction.
At the age of 14 he began studying artistic arts in Verrocchio's workshop, and after just five years he himself was already called a real master. Recognized genius of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci was not only talented artist. He perfectly mastered playing the lyre, and many said that the young man also learned painting from himself.
Leonardo da Vinci had a gift for which the name “divination” fits perfectly. He left his descendants mysterious and brilliant ideas, made discoveries in many existing sciences, and da Vinci’s sketches and paintings became a kind of proof of the artist’s unique genius. The scope of his talents was truly limitless: arch bridge designs, wetland drainage systems, weaving looms, textile machines, and even powerful cranes, the creation of which no one could have previously imagined.
Not only unique inventions, but also Da Vinci’s paintings, which still amaze the most sophisticated art lovers, cause great resonance.
Painting greatest master seems incredible, and da Vinci’s painting “Portrait of Himself in Old Age” is considered one of the artist’s “unearthly” works. According to experts, Leonardo da Vinci created this painting around 1512, when he was 60 years old. To see the masterpiece with your own eyes, you will have to visit the Royal Library of Turin.
The peculiarity of the mysterious work is that the viewer looks at the same person, whose expression and facial features change depending on the angle of observation. The hero of the self-portrait looks like a determined old man, an arrogant and arrogant old man, or a frightened, decrepit and weak old man.
Gained worldwide fame mysterious picture da Vinci, aka “Mona Lisa”, aka “La Gioconda”. The sly smile and omnipresent gaze of the girl in the portrait haunted various researchers for several centuries. Just as the model’s personality did not leave her alone. But the classic version says that Leonardo da Vinci portrayed the wife of a silk merchant from Florence, Lisa Ghirardini.
Da Vinci’s paintings such as “Madonna with a Flower” and “Madonna with a Flower”, which the artist dedicated to one of the main events of the “New Testament,” became no less popular. But Leonardo da Vinci has works that are familiar only to a few of the most devoted fans of his work.
In Windsor there is a canvas on which the master depicted a mysterious creature of unearthly origin. This painting by da Vinci has suffered significantly over time, but the widely spaced, huge eyes of the creature depicted on it remain visible. They make a literally paralyzing impression on all viewers, but the opinions of experts about who is depicted on the canvas do not coincide. Some of them believe that Leonardo da Vinci depicted the image of Beatrice, so dearly loved by Dante. At the same time, others are firmly convinced: an earthly woman anatomically cannot have such facial features.
There was a certain period in the artist’s life when he temporarily abandoned art, giving preference to science. Fra Novellara, Leonardo da Vinci's closest friend, noted that mathematics studies alienated the master from painting so much that just the sight of a brush could drive him into a rage.
But this did not last long, and Leonardo da Vinci created several more world-famous famous paintings and painted the Florentine hall of the great Council in the Palazzo Vecchio. Unfortunately, this painting began to collapse even while the artist was still working on it. And to this day, only a few sketches and sketches remain of it, on which the legendary da Vinci worked.
ABOUT genius artist It was often said that he was a messenger from the future or an “alien” who came to us from a more advanced extraterrestrial civilization. AND legendary paintings Leonardo da Vinci makes you believe it, doesn't it?
10 best work himself famous artist of all times. Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) Italian artist, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, anatomist, geologist, botanist and writer of the Renaissance.
10. Portrait of Ginevra de Benci (1474-1476)
The portrait of Ginevra de Benci now belongs to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and is currently the only painting by Leonardo in the United States. Unlike Leonardo's other portraits of women, this lady looks cold and arrogant. This is emphasized by the direction of the gaze: one eye seems to glide over the viewer, and the other looks intently.
9. Lady with an ermine (1489-1490)
Presumably, the painting depicts Ludovico Sforza's favorite, Cecilia Gallerani.
Cecilia Gallerani is depicted in a three-quarter turn. Such a portrait was one of Leonardo's inventions.
The girl has an ermine in her arms. One version interprets that the ermine symbolizes the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, whom his mistress held in her arms for a long time.
The woman’s forehead is covered with a thin braid, she has a transparent cap on her head, secured under her chin, and her hairstyle is in the Spanish fashion of that time.
8. Saint Anne with Madonna and Child Christ (1510)
The Virgin and Child of Saint Anne was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1510. This work is made in oil on wood, measuring 168 x 130 cm. Currently located in the Louvre, Paris.
7. John the Baptist (1513-1516)
6. Madonna of the Carnation (1478-1480)
"Madonna of the Carnation" is one of early works Leonardo da Vinci.
The painting was found in 1889 at the sale of the property of a widow from the town of Günzburg on the Danube. The painting was bought for only 22 marks; a few months later the businessman resold it to the museum for 800 marks as a work by Verrocchio. It was immediately announced that the museum had received a work by Leonardo da Vinci with a real value of 8,000 marks.
Oil on wood 42 × 67 cm. Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
5. Madonna of the Rocks
“Madonna of the Rocks” is the name of two almost identical paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. One is in the Louvre, Paris, the other is in the London National Gallery.
Both paintings depict the Madonna and Christ Child with the Child John the Baptist and an angel, in a rock setting. Significant compositional differences in view and right hand angel.
4. Baptism of Christ (1472)
The painting “The Baptism of Christ” was painted by Andrea Verrocchio together with his student Leonardo da Vinci. Legend has it that the teacher was so shocked by his student’s skill that he stopped painting.
Wood, oil. 177 × 151 cm. Located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
3. Adoration of the Magi (1481)
Leonardo was commissioned to carry out work for the high altar of the monastery of San Donato Scopeto in 1480, near Florence. He was supposed to complete it within thirty months, but it is still not finished. Leonardo went to Milan a year after work began. Board, oil. 246 × 243 cm. Uffizi, Florence.