This story is very old, but amazing. Leonardo da Vinci in 1841 planned to make an equestrian statue of Lodovico Sforza in Milan. And he made only a plaster statue of a horse, 7 meters high. It was necessary to cast the statue in bronze. But the war began. The metal, purchased with donations from the citizens of Milan, was used for cannons. The plaster horse was shot by the French who entered the city. And the brilliant idea of the great Leonardo remained unrealized. Numerous sketches and calculations have been preserved. And only in our days there were people who, based on the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, finally cast this beautiful and powerful sculpture... =
LEONARDO DA VINCI. AN IDEA REALIZED In 1997, a horse sculpture, which had long been awaited here, was delivered on a special flight from New York to Milan. The beauty of the sculpture, the meticulous elaboration of all the anatomical details of the horse’s figure, and, of course, its size (height without a pedestal is about 7.5 meters) immediately attracted and continues to attract people to it. special attention. But the main thing that fills the hearts of Milanese (and not only Milanese) with pride when looking at such a unique creation of architects is that the unusual sculpture is a restored creation of the great Italian and genius of world culture Leonardo da Vinci. Nowadays, Leonardo's horse has become one of the symbols of Milan, along with such masterpieces of architecture and fine arts like the Duomo, Sforzesco Castle and " Last Supper" in the former refectory of the monastery "Santa Maria della Grazie". About interesting, and sometimes dramatic story The creation of this sculpture is narrated in a real photo essay. *** In 1481, Leonardo da Vinci offered his services as a military engineer, architect, sculptor and artist to the new Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, a famous philanthropist and patron of the arts. The proposal was accepted, and from that time on the long and fruitful Milanese period of Leonardo’s life and work began. During these years, he painted the famous “Last Supper”, “Madonna of the Rocks”, “Lady with an Ermine”, and decorated the walls of the della Asta hall in the Sforza Castle with frescoes. Largely thanks to Leonardo and the architect Donato Bramante, the Sforza Castle during the reign of Lodovico became one of the most beautiful and rich ducal palaces in Italy. Among other works to improve the architecture and interiors of this castle, he began to implement another of his ideas - the creation of a majestic bronze equestrian sculpture with a rider, which would symbolize Lodovico's father, Duke Francesco Sforza, would serve as a monument to him and would be installed in the square in front of the castle Sforza, which at that time was already the ducal residence. Leonardo completed a huge number of sketches and sketches of the figure of the horse on which Francesco was supposed to sit, and finally made his choice. Here is one of the sketches that served as the basis for creating the sculpture. It took almost a decade to prepare and create a plaster model of the horse - Leonardo’s enormous demands on the subtlety of conveying anatomical and artistic details sculpture required constant clarification and changes. And its size was impressive - without a rider it reached a height of more than seven meters, and its subsequent casting in bronze required many tons of copper. The model was therefore completed and put on display only in 1493. It is believed that it was this event that made Leonardo da Vinci famous. Next, Leonardo was supposed to begin sculpting the horseman, but work on the Last Supper, which began in 1495, and the collection of donations for the purchase of copper delayed the sculpting of this figure, and subsequent unexpected circumstances interrupted it altogether. In 1499, the Milanese, dissatisfied with Lodovico's rule, rebelled, and in the absence of the Duke, they allowed the troops of the French king Louis XII, who laid claim to Milan, into their city. And although these troops did not stay here long, they destroyed the plaster model of a horse created by Leonardo, turning it into a target for their shooting exercises. All that was left of it was a pile of plaster debris. And the copper, allegedly prepared by this time, was spent by Lodovico on the manufacture of cannons, which, by the way, could not help him - he was soon handed over to the French and died in prison in 1508. The Milanese period of Leonardo's life and work ended here, and he returned to Florence. *** The idea to revive the lost equestrian statue arose almost half a millennium after the loss of this masterpiece, in 1977, by former American military pilot and amateur sculptor Charles Dent. He read an essay about "Leonardo's horse" in National Geographic magazine, and, as they write about it, was shocked by the barbarity of the French troops who destroyed this sculptural masterpiece. At the same time, he developed certain associations with the bombings to which Italy was subjected during the Second World War (US aircraft also participated in them), which led to the destruction of many historical monuments. Dent found authentic sketches of drawings of this horse made by Leonardo in the Madrid library, and decided, through donations, to implement the idea of its author - to cast a bronze sculpture the same as Leonardo da Vinci sculpted it from plaster. By the way, Dent’s ultimate goal was to return the sculpture to Milan, as a kind of repentance for the destruction of Italian cultural monuments during the bombing. A noble goal, isn't it? Charles Dent devoted the rest of his life (he died in 1994) to bringing his idea to life, but he never managed to finish this work, although he created a “natural” model of the horse (i.e. the same size as Leonardo's) However, this model, according to experts, required improvement, and after Dent’s death, sculptor Nina Akamo, a Japanese-American woman who was captivated by Dent’s idea, was brought in to work. Finally, in 1997, the final model was ready, and a bronze figure of a huge horse, resurrected from Leonardo’s sketches, was cast from it. This sculpture weighed 13 tons, its height was 7.5 meters. As already mentioned in the preface, she was sent from New York to Milan on a special flight of an Italian airline. Unfortunately, the bronze colossus could not be installed where Leonardo and Dent wanted to see it - on the square in front of the Sforza Castle. The Milan mayor and city council found another place for it, in a new park near the San Siro racecourse. This photograph, taken in Milan, has a small drawback - when looking at it, one does not get the impression of the full monumentality of this creation of the architects, since there is no figure or object on it, the size of which could be compared with the size of the sculpture.. Fortunately, this drawback another photograph is missing. But before demonstrating it, I want to tell you that copies of the sculpture installed in Milan are available in the USA in the Frederik Mejer Gardens and Sculpture Park, near Grand Rapids, Michigan (a plaster copy painted to look like bronze is installed here), and in Japan (fiberglass copy, gilded). Here's a magnificent photo of Leonardo's horse installed in Meyer Park near Grand Rapids, published on the Russian Photosite by Oleg Zhdanov (nickname oldet) from Detroit. This photo clearly shows the contrast between the grandeur of the sculpture, made according to the drawings of Leonardo and the memories of his contemporaries, and the figure of a child running at the feet of a horse. By the way, pay attention - this horse stands without a pedestal, directly on the park site! Having looked at this photograph, you can imagine how unique and even more majestic the Milanese monument in the form of Francesco Sforza sitting on this horse would have been if Leonardo had managed to fully realize his idea in his time. Well, what Charles Dent and Nina Acamo managed to do can be safely called the embodiment of the idea of the great Leonardo. A. Shurygin, 2010
This story is very old, but amazing. Leonardo da Vinci in 1841 planned to make an equestrian statue of Lodovico Sforza in Milan. And he made only a plaster one, 7 meters high. It was necessary to cast the statue in bronze. But the war began. The metal, purchased with donations from the citizens of Milan, was used for cannons. The plaster horse was shot by the French who entered the city. And the brilliant idea of the great Leonardo remained unrealized. Numerous sketches and calculations have been preserved. And only in our days there were people who, based on the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, finally cast this beautiful and powerful sculpture... =
LEONARDO DA VINCI. AN IDEA REALIZED In 1997, a horse sculpture, which had long been awaited here, was delivered on a special flight from New York to Milan. The beauty of the sculpture, the meticulous elaboration of all the anatomical details of the horse’s figure, and, of course, its size (height without the pedestal is about 7.5 meters) immediately attracted and continues to attract special attention to it. But the main thing that fills the hearts of Milanese (and not only Milanese) with pride when looking at such a unique creation of architects is that the unusual sculpture is a restored creation of the great Italian and genius of world culture Leonardo da Vinci. Nowadays, Leonardo's horse has become one of the symbols of Milan, along with such masterpieces of architecture and fine art as the Duomo Cathedral, the Sforzesco Castle and the Last Supper in the former refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie. This photo essay tells the interesting and sometimes dramatic story of the creation of this sculpture. *** In 1481, Leonardo da Vinci offered his services as a military engineer, architect, sculptor and artist to the new Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, a famous philanthropist and patron of the arts. The proposal was accepted, and from that time on the long and fruitful Milanese period of Leonardo’s life and work began. During these years, he painted the famous “Last Supper”, “Madonna of the Rocks”, “Lady with an Ermine”, and decorated the walls of the della Asta hall in the Sforza Castle with frescoes. Largely thanks to Leonardo and the architect Donato Bramante, the Sforza Castle during the reign of Lodovico became one of the most beautiful and rich ducal palaces in Italy. Among other works to improve the architecture and interiors of this castle, he began to implement another of his ideas - the creation of a majestic bronze equestrian sculpture with a rider, which would symbolize Lodovico's father, Duke Francesco Sforza, would serve as a monument to him and would be installed in the square in front of the castle Sforza, which at that time was already the ducal residence. Leonardo completed a huge number of sketches and sketches of the figure of the horse on which Francesco was supposed to sit, and finally made his choice. Here is one of the sketches that served as the basis for creating the sculpture. It took almost a decade to prepare and create a plaster model of the horse - Leonardo’s enormous demands on the subtlety of conveying the anatomical and artistic details of the sculpture required constant clarification and changes. And its size was impressive - without a rider it reached a height of more than seven meters, and its subsequent casting in bronze required many tons of copper. The model was therefore completed and put on display only in 1493. It is believed that it was this event that made Leonardo da Vinci famous. Next, Leonardo was supposed to begin sculpting the horseman, but work on the Last Supper, which began in 1495, and the collection of donations for the purchase of copper delayed the sculpting of this figure, and subsequent unexpected circumstances interrupted it altogether. In 1499, the Milanese, dissatisfied with Lodovico's rule, rebelled, and in the absence of the Duke, they allowed the troops of the French king Louis XII, who laid claim to Milan, into their city. And although these troops did not stay here long, they destroyed the plaster model of a horse created by Leonardo, turning it into a target for their shooting exercises. All that was left of it was a pile of plaster debris. And the copper, allegedly prepared by this time, was spent by Lodovico on the manufacture of cannons, which, by the way, could not help him - he was soon handed over to the French and died in prison in 1508. The Milanese period of Leonardo's life and work ended here, and he returned to Florence. *** The idea to revive the lost equestrian statue arose almost half a millennium after the loss of this masterpiece, in 1977, by former American military pilot and amateur sculptor Charles Dent. He read an essay about "Leonardo's horse" in National Geographic magazine, and, as they write about it, was shocked by the barbarity of the French troops who destroyed this sculptural masterpiece. At the same time, he developed certain associations with the bombings to which Italy was subjected during the Second World War (US aircraft also participated in them), which led to the destruction of many historical monuments. Dent found authentic sketches of drawings of this horse made by Leonardo in the Madrid library, and decided, through donations, to implement the idea of its author - to cast a bronze sculpture the same as Leonardo da Vinci sculpted it from plaster. By the way, Dent’s ultimate goal was to return the sculpture to Milan, as a kind of repentance for the destruction of Italian cultural monuments during the bombing. A noble goal, isn't it? Charles Dent devoted the rest of his life (he died in 1994) to bringing his idea to life, but he never had time to finish this work, although he created a model of a horse in “natural” (i.e. the same as Leonardo’s) size . However, this model, according to experts, required improvement, and after Dent’s death, sculptor Nina Akamo, a Japanese-American woman who was captivated by Dent’s idea, was brought in to work. Finally, in 1997, the final model was ready, and a bronze figure of a huge horse, resurrected from Leonardo’s sketches, was cast from it. This sculpture weighed 13 tons, its height was 7.5 meters. As already mentioned in the preface, she was sent from New York to Milan on a special flight of an Italian airline. Unfortunately, the bronze colossus could not be installed where Leonardo and Dent wanted to see it - on the square in front of the Sforza Castle. The Milan mayor and city council found another place for it, in a new park near the San Siro racecourse. This photograph, taken in Milan, has a small drawback - when looking at it, one does not get the impression of the full monumentality of this creation of the architects, since there is no figure or object on it, the size of which could be compared with the size of the sculpture.. Fortunately, this drawback another photograph is missing. But before demonstrating it, I want to tell you that copies of the sculpture installed in Milan are available in the USA in the Frederik Mejer Gardens and Sculpture Park, near Grand Rapids, Michigan (a plaster copy painted to look like bronze is installed here), and in Japan (fiberglass copy, gilded). Here's a magnificent photo of Leonardo's horse installed in Meyer Park near Grand Rapids, published on the Russian Photosite by Oleg Zhdanov (nickname oldet) from Detroit. This photo clearly shows the contrast between the grandeur of the sculpture, made according to the drawings of Leonardo and the memories of his contemporaries, and the figure of a child running at the feet of a horse. By the way, pay attention - this horse stands without a pedestal, directly on the park site! Having looked at this photograph, you can imagine how unique and even more majestic the Milanese monument in the form of Francesco Sforza sitting on this horse would have been if Leonardo had managed to fully realize his idea in his time. Well, what Charles Dent and Nina Acamo managed to do can be safely called the embodiment of the idea of the great Leonardo. A. Shurygin, 2010
In 1492, Ludovico Moro, ruler of Milan, commissions Leonardo to create the world's largest equestrian statue as a monument to his father Francesco Sforza, who was ruler/duke/prince of Milan from 1452 to 1466, and even pays him a generous advance.
Cavallo di Leonardo was part of the equestrian monument of Francesco Sforza conceived by Leonardo da Vinci in 1482-1493. It was supposed to be cast in bronze, but Leonardo only managed to make a clay model, which was later lost.
In 1977, the American pilot Charles Dent, a philanthropist and lover of sculpture, decides to fulfill Leonardo’s dream after 5 centuries and recreate the statue according to his sketches. They say that the pilot was haunted by a feeling of guilt for the bombing of Milan during the Second World War, when the city was turned into ruins .
Under the cut there are 3 photos and a 2-minute / bad and not mine / video
It took 15 years to find financing, and the estimate was $2.5 million. In 1994, Charles Dent dies... His project was continued by Frederik Meijer, the owner of a supermarket chain in Michigan, USA.
With great difficulty, the plan was realized; the sculptor Nina Akamu participated in the completion of the work. The height of the horse is 3 m, length 8 m.
The statue, cast in bronze in parts, 7 in total, was transported to Milan, the parts were connected, and Leonardo's Horse was installed on a pedestal of granite and marble in 1999 at the entrance to the Milan Hippodrome / Ippodromo del Galoppo - racing, next to the stadium Meazza/San Siro.
During his life in Milan, da Vinci was already a recognized sculptor. He created terracotta busts and reliefs, but they have not survived to this day in their original form. form. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, commissioned Leonardo to create a bronze equestrian statue of his father, Francesco Sforza. Da Vinci would work on this work for many years. For her, he also created numerous sketches of horses and designed them perfect proportions. According to Leonardo, the size of the statue should have been four times the actual size. The horse was supposed to be 7 meters in height. At that time it was an ambitious project, surpassing others in size and complexity. Few believed in its implementation. It took Leonardo years to researching and thinking about how the work can be done.
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Leonardo learned the basics of sculpture during his studies in Florence in Verrocchio's workshop. During his life in Milan, da Vinci was already a recognized sculptor. He created terracotta busts and reliefs, but they have not survived to this day in their original form. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, commissioned Leonardo to create a bronze equestrian statue of his father, Francesco Sforza. Da Vinci would work on this work for many years. For her, he also created numerous sketches of horses and developed their ideal proportions. According to Leonardo's plan, the size of the statue should have been four times its life size. The horse was supposed to be 7 meters in height. At that time it was an ambitious project, surpassing others in size and complexity. Few believed in its implementation. It took Leonardo years to research and understand how this work could be done. In November 1493, in the courtyard of a castle in Milan, Leonardo unveiled a full-scale clay model of a horse. Da Vinci's plans to cast this model in bronze were not destined to come true, since in 1494 the French invaded Italy and the Duke ordered that the metal intended for the statue be used to cast cannons. When French troops captured Milan in 1499, the soldiers used Leonardo's model as a target in their training and it was completely destroyed. In 1999, a sculpture of a seven-meter bronze horse was installed in Milan, recreated from da Vinci’s sketches and donated to the city by the United States. Another horse, cast from the same mold, is in a garden in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The story of how the figurine was kept, then found, and then created as a figurine sounds very exciting. In 1508 great artist sculpted a wax figurine of a Renaissance warrior sitting astride a rearing horse. The small sculpture, about 30.5 cm in height and the same length, was intended as a gift to da Vinci’s friend Charles d’Amboise. However, in 1519, da Vinci died without finishing his work, and the work of casting the sculpture passed to his student Francesco Mezi.
According to information provided by Yahoo News, the figurine was kept by Metzi's relatives and descendants until the 1930s, when the Second World War came to Italy. world war. To preserve the creation, Metsi's relatives transported it to Switzerland. Until the 1980s, almost nothing was known about the whereabouts of the figurine. A group of businessmen decided to search for her, traveling around the country.
After 25 years, Mr. Lewis commissioned the American Fine Arts Foundry to make the bronze figurine, which took three years. In addition to the first bronze copy of the figurine art gallery Las Vegas Art Encounter intends to produce a limited edition of her replicas for sale to private collectors. As the Las Vegas Sun newspaper reported, the price of the copy will be 25-30 thousand dollars. Mr. Lewis said $1 million in proceeds from sales will be donated to the Salvation Army to fund programs against alcohol and drug abuse.
After the original wax figure and its elaborate casting mold were shown to the public at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, they became part of an exhibit in Las Vegas called "The Genius of Da Vinci." After the exhibition closes in Las Vegas, the figurine will be exhibited in London and New York.
Leonardo da Vinci (Leonardo da Vinci), Italian painter, sculptor, architect, scientist and engineer. Founder artistic culture High Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci developed as a master, studying in Florence with Verrocchio. Working methods in Verrocchio's workshop, where artistic practice associated with technical experiments, as well as friendship with the astronomer P. Toscanelli contributed to the emergence of the scientific interests of the young da Vinci.
Leonardo was born in 1452 and was illegitimate son a certain Sir Pierrot, a notary from a small town near the city of Vinci, and a simple peasant woman. Therefore, later, when the artist became famous, he began to call himself Leonardo da Vinci. Since childhood, he showed equal interest in studying mechanics, astronomy, mathematics, and other natural sciences, which did not stop him from enthusiastically drawing and sculpting various figures. They say that from a young age he sculpted several heads of laughing women, who were so expressive that plaster casts of them are still made to imitate. Already being a famous artist, he did not give up his studies engineering sciences, perpetuating his new ideas in the drawing.
IN early works(head of an angel in Verrocchio’s Baptism of Christ, after 1470, Annunciation, around 1474, both in the Uffizi; in the first independent work"Madonna Benois", circa 1478, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg) artist, developing art traditions Early Renaissance, emphasized the smooth three-dimensionality of forms with soft chiaroscuro, sometimes enlivening faces with a subtle smile, using it to achieve the transfer of subtle emotional states. Baptism of Christ Annunciation Madonna Benoit
One day, Leonardo's teacher, Verrocchio, received an order for the painting "The Baptism of Christ" and instructed Leonardo to paint one of the two angels. This was a common practice in art workshops of that time: the teacher created a picture together with student assistants. The most talented and diligent were entrusted with the execution of an entire fragment. Two Angels, painted by Leonardo and Verrochio, clearly demonstrated the superiority of the student over the teacher. As Vasari writes, the amazed Verrochio abandoned his brush and never returned to painting.
Recording the results of countless observations in sketches, sketches and full-scale studies performed in various techniques(Italian and silver pencils, sanguine, pen, etc.), Leonardo da Vinci, sometimes resorting to almost caricatured grotesque, achieved acuteness in conveying facial expressions, and brought the physical features and movement of the human body into perfect harmony with the spiritual atmosphere of the composition. In 1481 or 1482 Leonardo da Vinci entered the service of the ruler of Milan, Lodovico Moro, and served as a military engineer, hydraulic engineer, and organizer of court holidays.
In the Milanese period, Leonardo da Vinci created “Madonna of the Rocks” (Louvre, Paris; 2nd version - about, National Gallery, London), where the characters are presented surrounded by a bizarre rocky landscape, and the finest chiaroscuro plays the role of a spiritual principle, emphasizing warmth human relations. Madonna of the Rocks
Madonna of the Rocks, Louvre, Paris.
In the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, he completed the wall painting “The Last Supper” (due to the peculiarities of the technique used by Leonardo da Vinci - oil with tempera - it was preserved in a badly damaged form; it was restored in the 20th century), marking one of the peaks European painting; its high ethical and spiritual content is expressed in the mathematical regularity of the composition, which logically continues the real architectural space, in a clear, strictly developed system of gestures and facial expressions of the characters, in the harmonious balance of forms. The Last Supper
After the fall of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci's life was spent in constant travel (Florence; Mantua and Venice; 1506, Milan; Rome; France).
The strength of the artist’s convictions was such that even the most fantastic things he imagined seemed quite real to his contemporaries. Giorgio Vasari reports that when Leonardo was still living in Florence, he made a drawing, with the help of which he repeatedly proved to many enterprising citizens who ruled the city at that time that he could raise the temple of San Giovanni and bring stairs under it without destroying it . “And he persuaded with such convincing arguments that it seemed possible, although everyone after his departure in the depths of their souls was aware of the entire impossibility of such an undertaking.” Temple of San Giovanni
Unfortunately, his penchant for a wide variety of thoughts and scientific experiments did not give Leonardo the opportunity to concentrate on one thing. He started a lot, didn’t finish a lot, so that an opinion began to form about him as a person incapable of bringing anything to the end. Therefore, when he was offered to paint the refectory of the new Dominican monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan, he, without hesitating for a minute, agreed, hoping by the execution of this fresco to prove the opposite to all the idle gossips of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie
Leonardo began working on “The Last Supper” for the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie in 1495. He had to complete the fresco as soon as possible. But, as always, he wanted to be independent and original in everything that required careful and hard work. And although the idea for “The Last Supper” was born to Leonardo long before receiving this order, before he began painting on the wall, he made many drawings and sketches, accompanying them verbal descriptions, similar to the following: “The first one who drank and put the glass in its place turns his head towards the speaker; the other joins the fingers of both hands and looks at his comrade with frowning brows; the other, opening his hands, shows their palms, raises his shoulders to his ears and makes a face of amazement with his mouth,” and so on for each character. “The Last Supper”
Last Supper, refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie.
The abbot of the monastery constantly hurried Leonardo to complete the work. One day, irritated by the artist’s slowness, he complained about him to the Duke. The artist, who often discussed art with the Duke, managed to convince him that “exalted talents sometimes work less, but achieve more when they think about their plans and create those perfect ideas that only then express with their hands.” Leonardo handed over his work in the winter of 1497, however, without having time to complete the head of Jesus Christ. The success of the fresco exceeded all expectations. All of Italy was amazed by the boldness of the composition, the power of expression, the movement combined with calm, which still surprise everyone who enters the refectory. The variety of visible forms of mental life is amazing. The head of Jesus Christ
Compositional solution of traditional gospel story, chosen by Leonardo to paint the refectory, was already unusual. The room where the fresco is located is elongated in shape, and the tables were located in it in the shape of the letter “P”. To create the illusion of the reality of what was happening, the table at which Jesus Christ sat with his disciples was drawn the same as those that stood in the refectory, closing them into a single rectangle. The originality of the plan also lay in the fact that the abbot of the monastery found himself directly opposite Christ, sitting in front of his figure during the daily meal. The walls and ceiling of the real room also seamlessly blend into the walls and ceiling depicted in the fresco. When all the monks gathered at the table, it seemed that Christ and the apostles were participating in sharing a meal. The desire to convey the impression of the reality of what is happening, which occupied the artist from early youth, was realized in this work with complete authenticity and persuasiveness. Premises
Leonardo da Vinci's fresco "The Last Supper"
At the table in the upper room, where the last meal of the Teacher and his disciples takes place, Christ sits in the center. On both sides of him were the apostles, united in groups of three. The entire composition of The Last Supper depicts the moment when Jesus utters his famous words: “One of you will betray me.” The reigning calm last supper, conveyed by a strictly verified composition, is disrupted by the resulting noise and a wave of human emotions: “Isn’t it me, rabbi?” Judas, who traditionally always sits on the other side of the table, is this time in the group of the apostles. He is also indignant, he also tries to be surprised, but right hand, nervously clutching a wallet with thirty pieces of silver, gives him away and makes him recognizable. The visually balanced composition is disturbed by the resulting noise. Replies seem to be transferred from one end of the table to the other, mixing separate groups of apostles into one restless mass. Christ cannot help but hear and notice what is happening, but his figure remains unperturbed. He responds to the excitement that gripped all the apostles with ritual calm, immobility, and silence. Judas
The fate of the Last Supper fresco turned out to be tragic. One day, coming one evening to the refectory of the monastery to admire his the most famous work, Leonardo noticed that some mistake had been made when working with primer and paints and his work, on which so much effort and time had been spent, may not last. He constantly monitored the changes taking place and did everything possible to extend the life of his creation.
From Milan Leonardo again came to Florence. In the same city, Leonardo painted a portrait of Mona Lisa (Gioconda). From a small canvas, graceful hands folded crosswise with thin aristocratic fingers, he looks at the viewer beautiful woman. Her gaze is serious, and her lips are slightly touched by a smile, which is often called mysterious. Instead of a background, behind La Gioconda’s back lies an ideal landscape typical of the Renaissance. Mona Lisa (La Gioconda)
Portrait of Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) Tree. 77 x 53. Louvre, Paris.
Fragment. Portrait of Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) Tree. 77 x 53. Louvre, Paris.
Recent years Leonardo spent his life wandering. First he returned to Milan, from there he went to Rome. There for their own scientific experiments he was accused of heresy. Fleeing persecution from the church, Leonardo accepted the invitation of the French king. He hardly worked in France, but was always surrounded by respectful admiration. Leonardo's life ended in 1519 in the small town of Amboise at the castle of Cloux. Vasari noted that “although he did much more in words than in deeds, all these branches of his activity, in which he showed himself so divinely, will never allow either his name or glory to fade.” Clue
Among the works of Leonardo da Vinci are paintings, frescoes, drawings, anatomical drawings, which laid the foundation for the emergence of scientific illustration, works of architecture, projects of technical structures, notebooks and manuscripts (about 7 thousand sheets), “Treatise on Painting” (Leonardo began writing the treatise in Milan at the request of Sforza, who wanted to know which art was more noble - sculpture or painting; final version was compiled after the death of Leonardo da Vinci by his student F. Melzi). anatomical drawings of the architecture of technical structures
Chambord Castle was built for King Francis I and still amazes not only with its size - 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces, but also with the innovation of its architecture. It is no coincidence that it is considered a masterpiece of engineering and it is assumed that the first project was developed by Leonardo da Vinci himself.
