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Leonardo Da Vinci Accomplishments Essay

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Leonardo Da Vinci is likely one of the most well-known artists, even by today’s standards. Da Vinci amassed a following for good reason. His study of engineering, mathematics and science provided a substantial base line from which Leonardo would go on to create sculpture, architecture, paintings and engineering feats (Adams, p. 292;Heydenreich, 2016). According to Heydenreich, Leonardo was born out of wedlock to a peasant woman, Leonardo was taken in as legitimate by his biological father who spared no expense in providing Leonardo with an education. By the age fifteen he was an apprentice to Verrocchio. During his early years Da Vinci created many pen and pencil technical drawings, abandoned his first commission and hometown of Florence to …show more content…

Comparatively, Andrea del Castagno’s Last Supper is early Renaissance completed far in advance of Da Vinci’s rendition. As one of four works commissioned by the Medici family, this mural rests inside the refectory of a former convent Cenacolo de Sant’Apollonia (Kren & Marx, n.d.; Editors Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013). The stone wall assists in dividing the expressions of the disciples in two’s following the news of betrayal (Adams, p.126; Editors Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012). Castagno’s mural is complete with his own view of linear perspective, utilizing the architectural details for movement (Editors Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013; Kren & Marx, n.d). The viewer can see Masaccio’s influence of “pictorial illusion” in the composition in addition to the bright disk like halos seen in his other works (Editors Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013; Kren & Marx, n.d.). Each of the figures in this composition takes up its own space, with the exception of Christ who much like Da Vinci, uses him as the anchor completing the perspective. The space on either of Christ side makes for a dramatic effect, while the lines, tiles and artistic detail frame the scene. Each individual in the mural occupies its own space, unlike that of Da Vinci who incorporated the overlap of the figures gestures for dramatic effect and movement (Last Supper, 2017). The overall composition is balanced, Castagno’s placement of each individual on the opposite side of the table across from Christ completes the geometric triangle seen in early Renaissance works (Editors Encyclopedia Britannica,

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