Why Is Leonardo Da Vinci Interested In The Natural World

“Comparison of the Arts” by Leonardo da Vinci compares several different art forms, mainly sculpture and writing, in a unique and intriguing way. It was very interesting that Da Vinci chose painting as his most prized art. In his time, he was an affluent producer of many types of invention, scientific research, writings and paintings. Yet, he has such passion for painting that every other kind of art that he was involved in seemed to pale in comparison to the emotion he felt and portrayed while painting. I personally felt persuaded to also love painting at a higher level than I had before. Leonardo da Vinci is one of my favorite historical figures mainly because of his scientific influence and inventions but after seeing his own passion I felt a renewed sense of wonder at the ability humans must have the ability to see the world around them and recreate it in their own light.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s unlimited desire for knowledge made him one of the most influential people to the development of the modern world. His prolific genius spanned virtually every field of study. Widely considered to be the best example of a polymath to have ever lived, he made significant contributions to warfare, astronomy, mathematics, engineering, transportation, medicine, botany, painting and sculpting. He made groundbreaking advancements in anatomy, geology, hydrodynamics, aeronautics, and optics. Da Vinci’s unique powers of observation and superior intellect embodied the spirit of scientific exploration and epitomized the Renaissance paradigm. His complexity and diversification cannot be overstated and the degree of which his many

As an Art History major, I researched Leonardo da Vinci and his contribution to the scientific world. I had the opportunity to see many of his works of art in person when I traveled to Europe in the spring. I can attest that he is a phenomenal artist. It is even more impressive that he made such an impact in history, beyond his art. Oil paint was a new and revolutionary invention. Although Leonardo was not the one to discover it, he certainly learned how to master it. Leonardo is known for his signature luring shadows and backgrounds. The mystic with this level of mastery is hard to photograph, meaning his art is much more powerful seen in person. I was blown away when I saw his “Virgin of the Rocks.” It is clear that Leonardo made observations,

You know the famous paintings like Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, these were both painted by the famous artist Leonardo Da Vinci. Besides being a great artist he was an inventor, architect and was connected with science and nature. Although people didn’t understand it at the time some of his ideas he drew led to inventions like the bicycle, the helicopter and an airplane like machine.

“His researches led him to inquire into the relationship between the senses and the intellect” (Richter 68). For Leonardo everything in the world was connected together and this is what he show us in his notebooks when he drew the studies of water flow and how by putting an object in the water, its current changed. His mathematical studies led him to the perfection of proportion and perspective in his drawings and paintings and developed techniques that are still used in today’s world. This great mind of the Renaissance period of time combined art with science with such a prolific connection that it allowed him to achieve a better comprehension of the subjects he

As an artist myself, I have always had a fascination with Leonardo da Vinci. He was not only an artist, but also a scientist, an engineer, a mathematician, and so on: a true renaissance man! According to Upgren, “One of his many contributions to the world is his prominent use of chiaroscuro. Chiaroscuro, the treatment of light and shade, is a technique used in art to produce the illusion of depth and for a dramatic effect. It no doubt arose from observations of nature, and certainly of the night sky.” Because of his interest in and observations of nature, he noted that light affected tone and shade of color, and to achieve a sense of realism in painting, one would need to portray that affect of light.

Leonardo da Vinci was the most influential artist of all time. He was truly fascinated with his environment and came up with ideas and inventions that were way beyond his era. He was such a strong influence on other artists that we’ve come to know, such as Michelangelo and Raphael. His innovative art, ideas, perspective, and anatomy became known as Renaissance art. Just like the Renaissance itself, Leonardo and his multiple talents began to flourish and give way to construct new perspectives that greatly inspire our world today. His impressive multiple talents and achievements paved the way for other artists and scholars. In fact, Leonardo’s influence was so great that he became the symbol of the Renaissance itself.

Every age in art had different styles dealing with light and shadow and perspective. Leonardo was a part of the Renaissance era, when the arts were being reborn. Leonardo was very meticulous with his artwork. He didn’t just pick up the brush and start painting. He studied the art of lines and how different lines would look. He also studied different parts of the body such as hands and feet and how the face

Leonardo Da Vinci’s art could be categorized as Renaissance Art, or art that embodies the Renaissance humanist ideal. His medium for his art stretched from his sketches in his notebooks to using oil on wood for his paintings. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Art did not stop at just sketches and paintings however, he was also a sculptor architect and engineer. Leonardo Da Vinci’s art scale was not or cannot be subjected to one group, but ranges from small sketches to his massive eight foot by eight foot paintings and his engineering designs. Leonardo’s ability to mix science and art in sketches such as the Vitruvian Man, with idea and knowledge of proportions and how the body is proportioned fascinates me and I am very impressed with his ability to bring

A painter, a sculptor, an architect and an engineer, Leonardo Da Vinci's various skills have earned him the title of ‘ the renaissance master’. His fascination with science and his study of human anatomy helped him in mastering the realistic art form. Some of Da Vinci’s works are the most influential works ever created. Many of his works

Leonardo Da Vinci’s work on shadows and art was motivated by the lack of explanation for the early of drawings on the walls. Pliny, a scientist before Da Vinci, theorized that the drawings were based off of the light that hit the bodies and the shadows that was cast because of the light and bodies. Leonardo Da Vinci, who was obsessed with shadows, theorized that the light that hits the human body or lack thereof was part of the whole picture. Some of Da Vinci’s first paintings used shadows and different tone of color, representing the way the sun hit the human body at different times of the day, to make beautiful paintings. Da Vinci asked questions like; how can we replicate the light that bounces off of our skin in a painting. Also what does the shadows look like on paintings.

I chose to investigate the discoveries made by Leonardo da Vinci on the aspects of creating an appealing painting, for example, perspective, light, shadow, and color. Da Vinci defined painting as a science, and backed up this claim with credible evidence. Light and shadow are two important aspects that da Vinci studied, and developed into the idea of "chiaroscuro", which is the contrast between light and dark. His treatment of light in his painting the Mona Lisa changed the way that artists perceived and used light. The careful usage of light and shadow is how "modelling" (the three-dimensional illusion) is created. Prior to da Vinci's studies, painting and artwork tended to look flat, or two-dimensional. Da Vinci made discoveries about how

Leonardo Da Vinci’s story starts in April 15,1452 in the town of Vinci, Republic of Florence. Leonardo was a scientist before he was a artist. At this time, he didn’t show any signs of being an artist in the inside. He was born to unmarried parents, which lead to him staying with his father. As he grew older he grew an interest in all different types of artwork. Da Vinci is well known for his passion for many different kinds of arts and sciences. Da Vinci was a true “renaissance man.”

I chose to research “The work of Leonardo da Vinci on perspective, light, shadows, and color in painting.” I have learned that Leonardo da Vinci was interested and intrigued by light, shadow, and color and wanted to show light, color, and shadow in his paintings to make a painting more accurate and realistic looking. I think this is significant because he was one of the first people to explore the concept of shadow and light in paintings which added to how realistic they looked. I think Leonardo was interested in how he could use light, color, and shadow in a painting and see if it would help with the realness of its appearance. Through his discovery of the use of these three aspects he was able to help other painters make their paintings more

Grasping the full understanding of science and perfection in creative art are the two ultimate goals that mankind had been striving for ever since these two aspects became an important part of society. Many had aimed for it but none succeeded. Most of those who attempted to obtain this Holy Grail failed but some were able to conquer many fields. Leonardo da Vinci is a perfect example of those “Universal Geniuses.” Leonardo was one of the few who achieved major success in both art and sciences including portrait painting, conceptual engineering, anatomy, and many more.