Download #1 - Leonardo da Vinci ~ Portrait of Mona Lisa ~ 1479

#1 - Leonardo da Vinci ~ Portrait of Mona Lisa ~ 1479
#1 - Biographical Sketch of Leonardo daVinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist,
painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. Born at Vinci in the region of Florence he
was the illegitimate son of a man named Piero da Vinci, and a peasant girl, named Caterina.
Little is known about Leonardo's early life. He spent his first five years in the hamlet of
Anchiano, then lived in the household of his father, grandparents and uncle, Francesco, in the small
town of Vinci. His father had married a sixteen-year-old girl named Albiera, who loved Leonardo
but died young. In later life, Leonardo only recorded two childhood incidents. One, which he
regarded as an omen, was when a kite dropped from the sky and hovered over his cradle, its tail
feathers brushing his face. The second occurred while exploring in the mountains. He discovered a
cave and was both terrified that some great monster might lurk there, and driven by curiosity to
find out what was inside.
Leonardo was educated in the art studio of a renowned Florentine painter. In 1466, at the age
of fourteen, Leonardo was apprenticed to one of the most successful artists of his day, Andrea di
Cione, known as Verrocchio. Verrocchio's workshop was at the centre of the intellectual currents of
Florence, assuring the young Leonardo of an education in the humanities. Leonardo would have
been exposed to a vast range of technical skills and had the opportunity to learn drafting, chemistry,
metallurgy, metal working, plaster casting, leather working, mechanics and carpentry as well as the
artistic skills of drawing, painting, sculpting and modeling. He also worked in Rome, Bologna and
Venice, spending his final years in France at a home given him by King François I who admired his
talent.
Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the "Renaissance man" or universal
genius, a man whose seemingly infinite curiosity was equalled only by his powers of invention. He
is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most diversely
talented person ever to have lived. It is primarily as a painter that Leonardo was and is renowned.
Two of his works, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, occupy unique positions as the most
famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time
The subject of the Mona Lisa is a young Florentine woman, Monna (or Mona) Lisa, who in
1495 married the well-known figure, Francesco del Giocondo, and thus came to be known as ``La
Gioconda''. Leonardo himself loved the portrait, so much so that he always carried it with him until
eventually in France it was sold to François I, either by Leonardo or by Melzi.
From the beginning it was greatly admired and much copied, and it came to be considered
the prototype of the Renaissance portrait. It became even more famous in 1911, when it was stolen
from the Salon Carré in the Louvre, being rediscovered in a hotel in Florence two years later.
In the essay ``On the perfect beauty of a woman'', by the 16th-century writer Firenzuola, we
learn that the slight opening of the lips at the corners of the mouth was considered in that period a
sign of elegance. Thus Mona Lisa has that slight smile which enters into the gentle, delicate
atmosphere pervading the whole painting. To achieve this effect, Leonardo uses the sfumato
technique, a gradual dissolving of the forms themselves, continuous interaction between light and
shade and an uncertain sense of the time of day.
#1 - Additional Works by Leonardo daVinci
Self-Portrait. 1512. Red chalk on paper. Biblioteka Reale, Turin, Italy.
The Virgin of the Rocks. 1506-1508. Oil on wood. National Gallery, London, UK
John the Baptist with the Attributes of Bacchus. c. 1513-1516. Oil on canvas, transferred from panel. Louvre, Paris, France.
The Neck and Shoulder of a Man. c.1509-1510. Pen and ink on paper. Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK
Portrait of Ginevra de'Benci. c.1478-1480. Oil and tempera on wood. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA.
#1 – Questions about Leonardo da Vinci
1) What is the meaning of sfumato ?
a) a gradual dissolving of the forms themselves
b) a type of drawing pencil
c) the artist's hometown
d) the title of the artist's sculpture
2) Why do you think Leonardo da Vinci gave the Mona Lisa her certain smile?
a) he wanted to make people feel happy when they saw the painting
b) she was an unhappy model, but Leonardo could make her laugh
c) it was considered in that period a sign of elegance
d) she had crooked teeth and was embarrassed to show them
3) Which statement best describes Renaissance man?
a) someone who can do math equations in their head
b) someone considered a universal genius
c) a woman dressed as a man
d) any man alive during the Renaissance
4) Based on Leonardo spending his final years in France at the home given him by King
François I, which of these conclusions is accurate?
a) King François I distrusted Leonardo and wanted to sabotage his work
b) Leonardo's talent made King François I jealous
c) King François I admired Leonardo's talent and wanted to help him
d) Leonardo was the illegitimate son of King François I
5) Which of the following is a reason for people referring to Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci as
Leonardo da Vinci?
a) He was from London, the capital of England where Vinci is a common name
b) His favorite book was The Da Vinci Code
c) He was given the nickname Vinci as a young boy
d) He was from Vinci in the region of Florence