Leonardo da Vinci(1452 - 1519)

•Early Life and letter to the Duke of Milan•A Madonna of Humility

Virgin of the Rocks, c. 1483-86, oil on panel, Louvre, Paris & c. 1495-1508, oil on panel, National Gallery, London•Playing with perspective

Annunciation, 1472-75, oil and tempera on panel, Uffizi Gallery, Florence•Multiple moments in one eternity

Last Supper, 1498. tempera and oil on plaster, Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan•The most famous painting in the world?

Mona Lisa c. 1503-05, oil on panel, Musée du Louvre, Paris

Who was he? A short history of his lifehttp://www.biography.com/people/leonardo-da-vinci-40396 3.14

A: By age 14, Da Vinci was an apprentice in whose workshop?

B: What is sfumato and what does it produce?

C: What happened at age 20? And in 1482?

D: Which major work of art did he begin in the 1500s?

E: What important work did he carry out for cities?

http://youtu.be/URcpchlTNBY In his letter to the Duke of Milan, what do we find unusual about his list of skills?http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-notebooks.html

Leonardo da Vinci Virgin of the Rocks 1483-86, Oil on panel (transferred to canvas), Paris

Leonardo da Vinci Virgin of the Rocks 1495-1508, Oil on panel, National Gallery, London

Leonardo da Vinci Virgin of the Rocks 1483-86, Oil on panel, Louvre, Paris

Leonardo da Vinci Virgin of the Rocks 1495-1508, Oil on panel, National Gallery, London

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Look at the hands and

gazes of the subjects.

Where do they make you

look?

Would you say the

composition is triangular or

pyramidal. Why?

Overview: the Virgin of the Rocks http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-virgin-of-the-rocks.html

http://youtu.be/94xKRkCHlv0(5.38) 2nd version in London

EXTRAhttp://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/feb/09/wrong-leonardo/ In-depth article about the debate on why two versions of the same painting exist.

QUESTION: In ‘Virgin of the Rocks’, Mary is shown seated on the ground (‘Madonna of Humility’).

What does this tell us about the attitude towards nature & the natural world?

http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/madonna-with-child-and-two-angels-by-filippo-lippi/

Filippo Lippi, Madonna with child and two angels, c. 1465, Uffizi Gallery, Florence

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Compare Lippi’s subjects with

Da Vinci’s. Look at Da Vinci’s

ideal beauty & mystical

grace in ‘The Virgin of the

Rocks’. Lippi’s painting, in

comparison, almost seems to

be a family photo. Do you

agree?

Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation 1472-75, Tempera on wood, 98 x 217 cm, Uffizi Gallery.PLAYING WITH PERSPECTIVE The marble table in front of the Virgin is believed to be a reference to the tomb of Piero and Giovanni de' Medici in the Basilica of San Lorenzo (Florence) that Verrocchio, Da Vinci’s teacher, sculpted in the same period. The angel holds a lily – symbol of Mary’s purity and of Florence. Look at the hands: through gesture, the angel communicates with the figure of Mary. Also notice the foreground and background: what is the difference?What do you notice about the right and the left areas of the work?

Leonardo da Vinci, Annunciation 1472-75, Tempera on wood, 98 x 217 cm, Uffizi Gallery.

http://youtu.be/DFL_2L634Zw

PLAYING WITH PERSPECTIVEListen and explain what is special about this painting from a perspectival point of view. Look at the room you are currently in. Find a similar position for the painting so that it is seen correctly.

Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, 1498, tempera and oil on plaster, Santa Maria della Grazie, Milanhttp://youtu.be/iV6_wTrkd70http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html

Work in pairs.QUESTION:. A: Explain the deeper significance of Christ’s hand reaching out towards the wine.B: What are the ‘multiple moments’ referred to in this work?C: Describe Christ as the centre. How is this different to the rest of the composition?

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, c. 1503-05, oil on panel, Musée du Louvre, Paris http://youtu.be/3kQ_p2EZX4Q

http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-mona-lisa.html

ACTIVITY: Listen actively and take notes. Think of one question (for which you have the answer) that you can ask your classmates.

Sources:Gardner’s ‘Art through the Ages’SmartHistory by Khan Academy‘The Renaissance’ by Rosa Maria Letts‘Art’ by Andrew Graham-Dixonwww.uffizi.org http://www.wga.hu/index1.html Web Gallery of Art

Extra and optional:http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/dec/25/leonardo-da-vinci-angels-flying-machine Art and Science: How Leonardo da Vinci's angels pointed the way to the future

http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/supper.html A history of the refectory

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/a-second-helping-of-leonardos-last-supper-6267542.html Technology aiding the restoration (2011)

https://medium.com/history-and-politics/443d30976fb2 Art and Cinema: The Monuments Men