Leonardo Da Vinci Term Papers
Leonardo da Vinci’s studies in art were vastly connected to mathematics and science. Leonardo himself said, "Let no man who is not a Mathematician read the elements of my work (Da Vinci, L).” In his eyes, mathematics, science, and art were all one and the same fields, each equally dependent on the others for the most successful results.
It is no surprise, then, that Leonardo’s approach to color theory, light, shadows, and perspective, was a scientific and mathematical one. His early learning was heavily infused with the works of those such as Aristotle, with whom he shared an interest in optics, or the study of the eye. Optics would later play a large part in Leonardo’s study of light and shadows. He had also studied from men like Leon Battista Alberti, a quintessential Renaissance Man of the fifteenth century.
In Leonardo’s studies of light, color, and shadow, he attempted to find the …show more content…
He also found that the difference in brightness between the light shining on the person viewing the painting, and the brightness of the painting itself, makes a big difference in how the colors are viewed. A brighter light will make other areas seem more dim. Therefore, a simple window in a painting could be viewed as either illuminated or dark, depending on where the brightest light is coming from.
Leonardo’s discoveries contributed greatly to the works of other painters in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There is evidence of painters in those eras having read and applied his work to their own art. Our understanding of his terms has gradually changed over time, with art becoming more and more liberal. Many of our terms now have widely different meanings than what Leonardo originally defined them as. However, we still benefit from many of his artistic discoveries, especially those having to do with optics, color, light, and
It is no surprise, then, that Leonardo’s approach to color theory, light, shadows, and perspective, was a scientific and mathematical one. His early learning was heavily infused with the works of those such as Aristotle, with whom he shared an interest in optics, or the study of the eye. Optics would later play a large part in Leonardo’s study of light and shadows. He had also studied from men like Leon Battista Alberti, a quintessential Renaissance Man of the fifteenth century.
In Leonardo’s studies of light, color, and shadow, he attempted to find the …show more content…
He also found that the difference in brightness between the light shining on the person viewing the painting, and the brightness of the painting itself, makes a big difference in how the colors are viewed. A brighter light will make other areas seem more dim. Therefore, a simple window in a painting could be viewed as either illuminated or dark, depending on where the brightest light is coming from.
Leonardo’s discoveries contributed greatly to the works of other painters in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. There is evidence of painters in those eras having read and applied his work to their own art. Our understanding of his terms has gradually changed over time, with art becoming more and more liberal. Many of our terms now have widely different meanings than what Leonardo originally defined them as. However, we still benefit from many of his artistic discoveries, especially those having to do with optics, color, light, and