The praise of the eye in Leonardo da Vinci

Only the eye can perceive directly into the heart of things, according to the Beau. In this work, Leonardo da Vinci replaces the sense of sight as the noblest organ; it is through him that we have access to beauty and knowledge. Far from being a collection of sayings extolling the virtues of painting, it is a polemic that claims, 'Painting is silent poetry'. Even then, figurative art had an ambivalent image: on one side, orders were pouring in for sacred images en masse to spread the divine image and iconoclasm, while, on the other hand, decisions were taken to strip the Reformation temples, resuming the Platonic theory of the simulacrum regarding the degradation of reality through representation.

Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in a small Tuscan village that bears his name today. In 1460, his family moved to Florence where he was able to receive a solid education. Andrea Della, apprentice to Verrocchio, was his steadfast companion; there was also Botticelli, with whom he painted part of Baptism of Christ for his master.

In 1476, he painted his first painting ‘The Madonna with the Carnation’ , and joined Uccelo with whom he studied perspective. It is a period where he delved deep into the workings of hydraulics, architecture, anatomy, and attends meetings of mathematicians.

In 1481, he became the painter for Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, for whom he painted the ‘Lady with an Ermine’. Leonard's motto was "Art is a way of discovering the world and submitting the information to the experience."

He partook of acts which would have put his artistic reputation at stake; he dissected the body (he did 30 autopsies) by which he studied in detail the eyes, organs and blood circulation.

In addition it called into question the doctrines of the Church by focusing on the influence of the moon on the tides, geology and formation of continents,etc.

Tags: Leonardo da Vinci,Painting,Lady with an Ermine