491: Leonardo da Vinci: The Artist In 2019 the world is celebrating the 500th birthday of one of the greatest geniuses of all time: Leonardo da Vinci. This seminar will look behind the myth in order to gain a better understanding of his art (his scientific projects will be discussed as well, but mostly in relation to his art). In order to study his innovative (as well as his conventional) aspects, we will situate Leonardo in his historical context, investigate his art theoretical writings, contribution to the history of portraiture and, in particular, his revolutionary approach to the depiction of women. We will also discuss his rivalry with Michelangelo, his architectural projects and the meaning of his highly innovative painting technique (sfumato). There will be a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we will look at drawings by Leonardo.
Requirements will include several short oral reports on specified readings and the object of the student’s research, as well as a written research paper.
N.B. This Syllabus is a draft only and as such subject to change
Textbooks: Leonardo on Painting, ed. Martin Kemp (New Haven, 1989). Leon Battista Alberti, On Painting, trans. Cecil Grayson (London, 1991) Martin Kemp, Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man, rev. ed. (Oxford, 2006).
1. Sept. 9 Introduction
2. Sept. 16 Early Leonardo: The Formation in Verrocchio’s studio (The Annunciation, Baptism of Christ) Kemp, 43-65; Lawrence Kantor, “Leonardo da Vinci, Pupil of Andrea del Verrocchio,” in Leonardo: Discoveries from Verrocchio’s Studio, Early Paintings and New Attributions (New Haven, 2018), 9-103 (with lots of illustrations).
3. Sept. 23 Adoration of the Magi and the Invention of the Narrative Altarpiece Kemp, 66-78; Frank Zöllner, Leonardo da Vinci. The Complete Paintings and Drawings, vol. 1 (Cologne, 2015), 22-60 (contains many illustrations).
4. Sept. 30 Leonardo’s sfumato: Madonna of the Rocks and Saint Anne Cartoon Kemp, 91-99, 218-27; Alexander Nagel, “Leonardo and Sfumato,“ in Res. Anthropology and Aesthetics 24 (1993), 7-20; John Shearman, “Leonardo's Colour and Chiaroscuro,” in Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte 25 (1962), 13-47.
5. Oct. 7 Portraits of Women I: Ginevra de Benci and Cecilia Gallerani (n.b. the reading is also for week 6) Leonardo on Painting, 47–88; Alberti, On Painting, 60–96 (Book 2 and 3); Mary D. Garrard, “Leonardo da Vinci: Female Portraits, Female Nature,” in The Expanding Discourse (New York, 1992), 58–85; Patricia Rubin, “Understanding Renaissance Portraiture,” in The Renaissance Portrait from Donatello to Bellini, eds. K. Christiansen and S. Weppelmann (New Haven, 2011), 2–25; John Shearman, “Portraits and Poets,” in Only Connect…Art and the Spectator in the Italian Renaissance (Princeton, 1992), 108-48.
6. Oct. 14 Portraits of Women II: Mona Lisa (same reading as in week 5)
7. Oct. 21 Last Supper: Expression & Balance Kemp, 189-99, Leo Steinberg, Leonardo’s Incessant ‘Last Supper’, Cambridge, MA, 2001 (pages/sections to be determined).
8. Oct. 28 Architecture: Leonardo, Bramante, and the Universal Man Kemp, 107-20; Ludwig Heydenreich, “Leonardo and Bramante. Genius in Architecture,” in Charles O’Malley (ed.), Leonardo’s Legacy. An International Symposium (Berkeley, 1969), 124-48.
9. Nov. 4 Rivalry with Michelangelo: Battle of Anghiari Kemp, 234-47; Claire J. Farago, “Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari: A Study in the Exchange between Theory and Artistic Practice,” in Art Bulletin 76 (1994), 301–30.
10. Nov. 11 Mysterious Late Style: Saint John the Baptist Kemp, 337-49; Paul Barolsky, “The Mysterious Meaning of Leonardo’s Saint John the Baptist,” in Source. Notes in the History of Art 8,3 (1989), 11-15.
11. Nov. 18 no class in compensation for field trip
12. Thanksgiving break
13. Dec. 2 Student Presentations
14. Dec. 9 Student Presentations