The encyclopedist Leonardo da Vinci made a significant contribution to the development of science, but first of all he was a talented artist who created real masterpieces of painting. It is difficult to choose the most significant among all the works of the master, but we will try, and in our small gallery the best paintings by Leonardo da Vinci.
1
Mona Lisa
Portraits occupied an important place in the work of the Italian painter, and the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is Leonardo's most famous work, and one of the most famous paintings in the world.
He wrote it for a long time and finished, according to biographers, just before his death in 1519. The painting depicts a woman sitting in an armchair, and wrapped half-turned to the viewer. The landscape in the picture made it possible to write not a portrait of a beautiful woman, but an integral universal image.
The most valuable work of Western European art is surrounded by a halo of mystery. Now the "Mona Lisa" is exhibited in the Louvre, and in 2005 a special room was allocated to the painting. In 2012, after much research, the landscape behind the girl was identified. Art historians said that this is the nature of Montefeltro, in the north-east of Italy.
By the way, on our website TheBiggest.ru there is an interesting article about da Vinci's best inventions, which are ahead of time.
2
Vitruvian Man
A pencil drawing was supposed to be an illustration of a book about the works of the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius. Found a drawing in one of the diaries of the master of painting.
On it is a figure of a naked man in two positions superimposed one on top of the other. One is inscribed in a circle, the other in a circle and in a square. Drawing has become the subject of much controversy, but everyone agrees that the Vitruvian man is a model of canonical proportion.
The figure proves that Leonardo was keen on studying the structure of the human body, and conducted full-scale studies in the field of proportions. Another feature of the figure is that it is simultaneously recognized as a masterpiece of painting and received the status of scientific work. It is stored in the museum of the city of Venice, where Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked.
3
Madonna Benoit
The wife of the court architect Maria Benoit in 1914 this picture of the Hermitage, and Madonna and flower became an adornment of the famous Russian art museum. It is always so with the names of the pictures when they get the nickname of the last owner.
A beautiful portrait of a mother with a baby is one of the early works of the Italian master, and it was supposedly painted between 1478 and 1480. Madonna with a baby in her arms was placed by the artist in a darkened room, but the play of chiaroscuro makes their images bright and bright.
An interesting story is the work. Her traces were lost in the XIX century, but before the First World War she appeared in Russia. They wanted to take the picture abroad, but Maria Alexandrovna agreed to leave it in the Russian Empire, selling it for 150 thousand to the Hermitage.
4
Self portrait
Thanks to this self-portrait, we know for sure what the illustrious Italian painter and scientist looked like. Biographers and art historians believe that Leonardo wrote it at the age of 60.
Drawing written by sanguine on paper, and today causes a lot of controversy. It was identified in the 19th century, but there are experts who believe that this is a later copy, and not the hand of Leonardo da Vinci himself.
Such bold hypotheses are even expressed that this is a sketch for the portrait of Mona Lisa. The masterpiece is kept in the Library of the city of Turin, which is why the work is often called the “Turin Self-Portrait”. Unfortunately, the picture is not exhibited due to fragility, and we can see it only in reproductions and photographs.
5
Madonna Litta
The painting, which has been preserved to our times in good quality, depicting the Madonna with a child in her arms, is exhibited in the State Hermitage Museum.
Traditionally, the work is attributed to the brush of Leonardo da Vinci, but some art historians have suggested that it was already completed by a student of the master Giovanni Boltfarrio. The artist managed to make a vivid contrast thanks to two arched windows.
As usual, the picture of the famous painter is filled with symbolic small details that complement the holistic image of the mother and her child. In 1865, the Hermitage acquired three paintings for 100 thousand francs, among which was Madonna Litta.
6
Annunciation
The master of the Italian Renaissance often turned to biblical subjects. One of Leonardo’s masterpieces captures the moment when Mary is informed of the news that she will give birth to Jesus.
This is an early work of the artist, which he wrote as a student in the workshop of Verrocchio. In the foreground are the figures of the archangel and the Virgin Mary. The horizontal arrangement of the painting allowed the master to place a voluminous landscape in the background.
Even then, the novice artist began to pay great attention to small details. So the picture is filled with multiple symbols of both the religious and secular world. In 1867, the Annunciation acquired the Uffizi Florentine Museum, where it is exhibited in one of the exhibition halls.
7
Madonna and Pomegranate
One of the earliest works of the painter, in which he portrayed the Madonna and Child. Art historians believe that the portrait was painted by Lorenzo di Credi. It is his name that stands under the painting in the Washington Art Gallery.
But after analyzing the composition, the images of the Virgin Mary and the baby, the writing technique, the scientists came to the conclusion that, at least, da Vinci co-authored this masterpiece of the European Renaissance. The turn of Madonna’s head, two windows in the background and many other details Leonardo used in his subsequent works.
There is some imbalance in the figure of the baby. Perhaps the artist did not have a sitter, or maybe the master, thus, emphasized the unearthly origin of the Son of God.
8
Lady with an ermine
The portrait is filled with numerous secret symbols that indicate the personality depicted in the picture of a beautiful woman. Art historians unequivocally recognize in her Cecilia Gallerani, who was the lover of Lodovico Sforza.
Many experts believe that this is one of the most beautiful works of Leonardo da Vinci. The artist used the traditional technique of painting portraits to the waist. This made it possible to depict the beautiful hands of a woman by placing a fluffy animal in them.
The painting was identified at the end of the 19th century, and now it is exhibited at the National Museum of the Polish city of Krakow. The portrait was brought to Poland at the end of the 18th century by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski.
9
Madonna in the rocks
The Leonardo collection has two works with this name, and with practically no difference in plot and composition. Virgin Mary among the rocks was written by order of the priests of the church of San Francesco Grande.
The artist did not give the order, and then, at the request of the clergy, he wrote the second version. Not only the figures of the Madonna and Jesus are inscribed in the composition, but also the images of John the Baptist and the archangel. The mountain landscape gave the name to the painting, and the composition itself is a pyramid, which was characteristic of the master’s works.
Two paintings are perfectly preserved, and put on display. One - in the art gallery of the English capital, the second was registered in the Louvre.
10
The Last Supper
The fresco on the biblical plot was painted by Leonardo on the wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery in Milan. The artist created the monumental painting for three years, from 1495 to 1498.
The last supper of Jesus with his apostles Leonardo put on a dry wall, and not on wet plaster. Due to the fact that when painting the wall, the drawing cannot be changed; da Vinci covered the wall with gypsum, resin, and then painted on them.
The fresco was restored several times, and the last large-scale restoration took 21 years and was completed in May 1999. Viewers saw a restored masterpiece, covered with a special solution that prevents further destruction. Not without criticism, when after restoration, experts noted that many paints lost their original original color.
Finally
The life of Leonardo da Vinci, like his work, is full of mysteries. In his youth, Leonardo studied painting in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio, but he far surpassed his teacher, creating his own special style and technique of painting. Time did not spare some of the work of the great master, but preserved, the most famous paintings are exhibited in the famous museums of the world. Among the paintings there are magnificent drawings in the diaries, full of secrets and mysteries, but over time, history will open up these riddles of the painter and scientist Leonardo da Vinci.
Article author: Valery Skiba