The renown of the Florentine painter Leonardo throughout the history of art is paralleled only by that of Michelangelo and Raphael. He is thought of as the type of the Renaissance man, active and distinguished in several branches of art and science. He was possessed by the kind of curiosity about the physical world that ushered in the modern era of empirical enquiry and that led him to a knowledge of the structure of living things and the forces of nature unsurpassed by any man of his time. He was a painter, sculptor and musician, an engineer and inventor, a mathematical theorist, and a draftsman of the highest order. His style of painting was based on this fund of knowledge and on his keen powers of observation.
He applied his genius to music, engineering, decorating, planning of pageants and festivals,
and probably writing his Treatise on Painting.
1) While living in Milan, he did paint the celebrated Madonna of the Rocks (Louvre)
2) Even more celebrated is the mural painting of the Last Supper (1495-98) in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. The Last Supper in Milan, in very poor condition owing to Leonardo's technical experimentation, is nevertheless impressive testimony to his mastery of anatomy and perspective and his concern with the psychological and iconographical content of religious art. This work miraculously survived the almost
complete destruction of the refectory during World War II.
3) During this Florentine sojourn he painted the portrait of the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, or "Mona Lisa" (1503-7, Louvre). The Mona Lisa, also in poor condition, was renowned in Leonardo's time for its realism, and later for the suggestion of mysterious femininity it seems to express. It affords a good example of aerial perspective in the panoramic landscape background, achieved by diminution of color and value contrasts toward the far distance.
Time and time again, the age old question arises, is it even possible to achieve this level of impeccable genius? Fortunately for us, a very credible source has done extensive research, to provide us with a very possible answer....
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