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Leonardo da Vinci
A peasant girl named Caterina gave birth to Leonardo da Vinci, an illegitimate child, on
April 15, 1452. Leonardo’s father, Ser Piero took him in shortly after his birth while his mother
moved away to another town. At the age of 15 Leonardo’s artistic talents were already being
recognized. He moved to Florence and worked as apprentice
for Andrea del Verrocchio. While an apprentice for
Verrocchio, Leonardo helped paint The Baptism of Christ.
Some say that Verrocchio quit painting in response to
Leonardo’s painting skill surpassing his. Leonardo later left
Verrochio’s studio and began working independently.
Leonardo da Vinci incorporated many Renaissance painting
techniques into his artwork, including linear perspective,
aerial perspective, chiaroscuro, and sfumato. Leonardo started painting many pieces during his
lifetime, but only finished a relatively small number of them. Of the paintings he did finish, the
Annunciation, The Last Supper, and the Mona Lisa really stand out to me.
Leonardo da Vinci started painting Annunciation in 1472 and finished it in 1475.
Annunciation shows Leonardo’s interpretation of the moment that an angel tells Mary she will
conceive a child who will be the Son of God. In the painting an angel, with bird-like wings,
kneels in front of Mary. I notice a lack of emotion on the faces of the angel and Mary. No real
connection between the two is present in the painting. The colors present in the painting reflect
the serious nature of the painting.
The background consists of dark
tress and mountains off in the
distance. Due to the lack of
distinct emotions in the painting,
Annunciation
this artwork does not leave me
1472-75
feeling any emotions. However, I
am drawn to this painting because of Leonardo’s attention to detail. From the folds and wrinkles
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in the clothing to the decoration of the marble table, I find myself intrigued by all the fine details
present in the painting. The Annunciation reflects Leonardo’s early work and almost seems
amateurish due to the many errors present in painting. For example, in the painting Mary places
her hand on a table which appears closer to the viewer than she does.
Leonardo da Vinci started painting The Last Supper in 1495 and finished it in 1498. The
Last Supper shows Leonardo’s interpretation of the last supper. The painting specifically
portrays the moment when Jesus tells his twelve disciples that one of them will betray him. The
painting shows the disciples reacting in groups of threes. When looking at the painting, my
attention goes straight to Jesus in the center. The lighting in the paintings illuminates the area in
which Jesus sits. Also, Leonardo uses
linear perspective to create the illusion
of depth and all lines in the painting
converge at the vanishing point located
behind Jesus’ head. The colors of the
walls in the painting appear very dull,
unlike the colors of the people’s
The Last Supper
1498
clothing. The contrast in color draws my attention to the Jesus and his disciples. The colors in the
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painting do not make me feel any specific emotions. However, when looking at the painting as a
whole, I tend to wonder what exactly each of the disciples is thinking at that moment. Leonardo
also incorporated the Renaissance painting techniques of aerial perspective and chiaroscuro into
the painting. The blue horizon in the background shows the technique of aerial perspective.
Leonardo’s use of light and dark shadows to create a three dimensional effect reflects the
Renaissance technique known as chiaroscuro.
Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503. The Mona Lisa portrays
an emotionless woman sitting before a vast, mountainous landscape. The woman’s mysterious
smile leaves the viewer wondering what exactly the painting means. The sky appears overcast
with dark gray clouds and the woman’s clothing appears very dark in color. The painting lacks
any bright, happy colors, so when viewing it I tend to feel
somewhat depressed. Experts who analyzed the painting report
the original colors in the painting were much brighter than
they appear today. Over time, the colors were darkened due to
layers of varnish applied to conserve the painting. Therefore, if
I viewed the painting in its original state I probably would
perceive it much differently. When painting the Mona Lisa,
Leonardo applied the Renaissance painting techniques of aerial
Mona Lisa
c. 1503-5
perspective, chiaroscuro, sfumato. The gray tones he used to
create the horizon reflect the painting technique of aerial
perspective. Leonardo uses chiaroscuro because he uses light and dark shadows to create three
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dimensional affect. The outlines of objects being blended, creating a smoky affect, reflects the
Renaissance technique of sfumato. The Mona Lisa sparks a lot of controversy and many people
have different theories about who posed for the painting.
I am drawn to Leonardo da Vinci’s artwork not because it makes me feel emotional, but
because I enjoy how realistic it appears and the fine details in the artwork. I can see a
progression in Leonardo’s paintings over time. His earlier paintings were good, but not nearly as
great as his later ones. An untrained eye can even spot mistakes in his earlier paintings. His later
paintings, however, appear to be perfect. The progression in his paintings makes me think about
how I approach my own life. No matter how good I am at something, there will always be room
for improvement and I should never settle for less than greatness.
Work Cited
"The Last Supper." Souls of Distortion. 2006. 19 Jul 2009
<http://www.soulsofdistortion.nl/images/last_supper.jpg>.
"Leonardo da Vinci." Web Gallery of Art. 1997. 19 Jul 2009
<http://www.wga.hu/framese.html?/html/l/leonardo/index.html>.
"The Last Supper (Leonardo)." Wikipedia. 13 July 2009. 19 Jul 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Supper_(Leonardo)>.
"Annunciation (Leonardo)." Wikipedia. 18 June 2009. 19 Jul 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annunciation_(Leonardo)>.
"Mona Lisa." Wikipedia. 16 July 2009. 19 Jul 2009
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa>.
"Renaissance Man." Museum of Science. 1996. 19 Jul 2009
<http://www.mos.org/leonardo/bio.html>.