Coral's Art History Blog: Masters of the Renaissance #6

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most well known artists of the Italian Renaissance who created famous masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. He grew up in Vinci Italy, which his name in fact translates to Leonardo from the town of Vinci. It was said that he never made any close relationships mainly because of his obsession of drawing and constant creation. Like most artists, he had a habit of starting new drawings and not finishing them because his imagination was constantly flowing with new ideas and he probably wanted to put them down on paper before they left his mind. Being exposed to scholarly texts is what helped him gain his vast knowledge of anatomy, mathematics, biology, architecture, and engineering. This knowledge is definitely what influenced his sketches and paintings. He wanted to capture the real beauty and emotions of reality. He painted an drew with very soft flowing lines, the lines seem curved and the shades almost seem to disappear into the background creating roundness, especially in his sketch of The Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John. By using the slow gradients of shading it makes the subjects seem soft and three-dimensional.

Michelangelo Buonarroti was another master of the Italian Renaissance who created the well-known David sculpture and for the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He grew up in Tuscan Italy. Michelangelo was usually very busy serving powerful figures but he did have a close relationship with a student of his named Vasari. Michelangelo was obsessed and had mastered in the human figure, especially the male figure. Michelangelo was sharp and specific in his line, especially when he drew the male figure with all the well-defined muscles. He tried to depict the unearthly power and strength of man by showing bulging muscles and dramatic twisting of the body.

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo are two of the most well knows artists in the 16^th Century Renaissance period, they maybe even the most well known artists in general. Though there are some similarities between the two artists there are definitely some differences. Michelangelo was most known for sculpting and painting, while Leonardo Da Vinci painted, sculpted, designed and had a great knowledge in science. Leonardo and Michelangelo had two very different painting techniques or styles. In Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings I noticed that his subjects have this glow to them that is very warm and there is a good use of light and darks, which creates a high contrast. Michelangelo was less into detail like Leonardo da Vinci was, and more into the male figure. Leonardo da Vinci was good at the painting and sketching the female figure unlike Michelangelo. Michelangelo’s women seemed to have more of a male body structure to them, since he used male models only. Regardless of their differences, there is no saying who was the better artist of the Renaissance because they were both masters of their own work. Between the two artists there is no way for me to say which I prefer more, because they are so different and they are rulers of the art world.