Who was Leonardo da Vinci, the secrets of his paintings

The personality of this genius is stirring the minds of mankind for more than one century. And today people continue to wonder who Leonardo da Vinci was. Known for his picturesque works and the latest developments in engineering, he outstripped the time in which he lived. More than 500 years have passed since the death of the great creator, but his name always evokes a keen interest in our days. Scientists studying biography and the activities of the inventor, say that it is impossible to cover the scale of the Renaissance titanium. Becoming a legend in life, da Vinci remains an unattainable ideal in our world.

Biography of a genius

To begin with we will get acquainted with the ingenious master, who left behind many mysteries. To understand the nature of the hero of all time, we will get acquainted with the biography of Leonardo da Vinci. Briefly it will be described in this article.

This unique man was born in 1452. It is still unknown who his mother was, and the father, who recognized his son, did not take him to him for four years.

The boy had a good education, although, as Leonardo himself mentioned, it was unsystematic. Since childhood he has amazed everyone with his talent, and there is a well-known painting of a wooden shield on which the teenager portrayed the formidable Medusa Gorgon, which amazed those around him with realism. Now a copy of this work, made by Caravaggio, is kept in a museum in France. The father, who noticed the beautiful data of his son, decides that they need to be developed, and gives the child to study in Florence to his friend, the famous artist Verrocchio. From this moment begins a new stage in the life of Leonardo da Vinci, whose work has left a notable mark in art and science. I must say that the talent of the young man was appreciated, and after the teacher saw the image of the angel performed by the pupil, he no longer took a brush in his hands.

A new period in life

True, not all noticed the skillful creations of the young master, very upset because he was not invited to work in the Vatican as other artists. Thus ends the Florentine period and a new one begins.

The annoying da Vinci is moving to Milan, an industrial city, where not creative people lived, but artisans, standing firmly on their feet. The young man finds the business manager L. Sforza and asks for his patronage, mentioning first of all his engineering ideas, and not artistic merit. Ludovic does not deny a pleasant young man whose work at this time was proving that he was a genius constructor.

In the Milan period there appear surprising projects of aircraft, machines, locks, canals, mills, all of which are new, but nobody took them for their implementation. And even enlightened minds, genuinely admiring the undoubted talent of the painter, did not understand his inventions, which seemed absurd for that time.

The genius that influenced culture

At the end of the XV century, the master returns to Florence, where one of the most mysterious works, causing controversy of scientists, appears - the "La Gioconda". The main masterpiece, which for several centuries has left indifferent spectators and art historians, had a great influence on the world art culture. Da Vinci himself did not part with his creation, and the safety of this in eternity, we owe to King Francis I, who bought the picture from an aging and losing health master.

In 1519, the heart of the brilliant Italian, whose inventions overtook his time, stops (it happened in France), and all the works and manuscripts pass to one of his students.

Man or not?

The legacy of the greatest creator is carefully studied from all sides, and a historically significant figure with a huge scope of activity will long be considered an unattainable ideal.

During the lifetime of a lonely inventor, none of his ideas were realized, but if, as scientists believe, even one idea of a genius was implemented, then scientific and technological progress began much earlier. So who was Leonardo da Vinci? Having a magical gift of foresight of the Renaissance titan was called a sorcerer and was not very fond of his unique versatility. Mysterious master, who spent a lot of time on strange inventions, frightened the townsfolk, who considered him a sorcerer who made a deal with the devil himself.

He did incredible things, for which he was suspected of serving the black magic. It was believed that an ordinary person can not be so gifted, and Leonardo broke all the usual stereotypes and besides was incredibly strong physically. He showed no signs of externals, he kept a diary, where he addressed himself to you, and those who read the records, it seems that there were two persons in the genius, one of whom was leading the Italian.

Seer

The secrets of Leonardo da Vinci remained mysteries, because no one knows how a genius could invent a gas mixture with which a person could immerse himself in depth, because for this he would need knowledge of biochemistry, and such a science at that time did not exist.

Da Vinci foresaw the future and succeeded in this. His "Prophecies", made at the end of the XV century, tell of the events that are taking place in our days. It was he who told that the bombs leaving the funnels will be dropped on the ground, people will jump with a parachute and talk on the phone, and in the figure, which is called "The End of the World", the outline of the nuclear mushroom is clearly traced.

Supernatural abilities

The followers of the esoteric sciences consider him to be the envoy of Shambhala, who has developed occult abilities. The Florentine controlled his feelings so carefully that he always had an even mood. His contemporaries repeatedly asked about who Leonardo da Vinci was, because he did not impress ordinary people. The lonely genius had no friends and family, and communication with relatives ceased. There is also no evidence of love stories that could shed light on the character of the creator. For him there was no such thing as night, because he slept for 15 minutes every four hours, minimizing daily sleep.

Riddles of a self-portrait

Leonardo da Vinci (a photo of his paintings confirms this) did not leave his signature on his masterpieces, but hardly a prominent sign-a bird that soars upward, symbolizing an enlightened humanity. Even Da Vinci's self-portrait causes a lot of controversy. Viewers observe an elderly person, whose appearance varies depending on the camera angle, this can be seen even in photographs taken from different angles, and videotaping in motion. But art experts are convinced that this is a sketch of the apostle's head from the "Last Supper".

Secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings

The master invented a special technique for writing paintings, in which the objects depicted do not look clear, but are blurry, without visible boundaries. The principle of sfumato (dispersion) allows the viewer to awaken the fantasy and notice how the canvas revives. The master himself fumigated his room with smoke and recommended to young talents that this way be practiced in painting.

The famous "Mona Lisa", the same "La Gioconda", Leonardo da Vinci was written in this technique, and the main feature of the picture lies in the woman's lively smile, when it seems to many that a mysterious stranger raises the corners of her lips, which changes the expression of her face.

Scientists who are interested in this issue conducted a computer study and found out that the smile of Mona Lisa expresses happiness, a feeling of disgust, fear and anger at the same time. Other researchers are convinced: the absence of eyebrows causes such an effect. There is another version, according to which the smile is elusive because of the fact that it is in the low-frequency range of light.

The person of the depicted lady on the canvas also worries the minds of scientists. Many are not inclined to think that the artist posed Francesco Giocondo, wife of a silk merchant from Florence. Among the original versions stand out a few: according to one, da Vinci painted himself in women's clothing, the other says that this is a portrait of a pupil with a master of 26 years old student.

Encrypted secret signs

Staged in Milan fresco "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci, even 500 years later, is of great interest to researchers who are trying to decipher the secret signs of genius. In the picture, which contains many messages to descendants, the sign language, which is studied by art critics, is beautifully embodied. The image put on the wall of the monastery conveys the very moment when Jesus tells that one of the sitting apostles will betray him.

Surprisingly, for the image of Christ and Judas, the same person posed, only at different times of his life. A young man who was inspired and singing in the choir so struck the artist that he immediately understood: the embodiment of good was found. A few years later da Vinci found a drunkard in the ditch, from which the image of Judas was written. As it turned out later, it was the same person, and this fact proves that good and evil in life are always near.

The thumb of Christ's right hand touches the tablecloth, while others are raised-a gesture of regret and sadness that other artists began to use in their work. Judas, clutching his purse with his right hand, throws the left over the salt shaker - a sign of trouble in Christianity. And Peter, who is rising up, overwhelms anger, and for good reason he squeezes a knife in his hand, which he wants to punish the future traitor.

An interesting hypothesis is the researchers who argue that da Vinci portrayed himself among the apostles: as it seems to many, he is Thaddeus, who is sitting with his back to Christ. Given the atheistic views of the artist, this version seems plausible.

It should be mentioned that during the Second World War a shell came into the church building, which destroyed everything except the wall with frescoes.

"Madonna" by Leonardo da Vinci

The most touching work of the Italian reflects the power of his talent, and the image of a spiritual woman and caring mother is one of the master's favorites. The painting, which has the full name "Madonna Litta," is now in the Hermitage, and anyone can enjoy the talent of a brilliant painter.

The main feature of the work, written not with oil, but with tempera, is bright saturated colors that evoke bright feelings. And the background, immersed in darkness, is needed to make the face of the Mother of God clearly appear to meet the viewer.

Mother, a nursing child, embodies the ideal of feminine beauty, and the eternal masterpiece has touched us for five centuries, which speaks of the incredible mastery of the author.

The closed composition opens the view of the infant of Christ, and this is another encrypted symbolism. God, who looks at people, promises them to always be near them. It is known that the creator often bought birds in the market and let them out into the sky, so it was not by chance that he painted a child clutching a sliver with one hand. The painter confirmed that it is not just the receipt of mother's milk, but spiritual feeding, and the soul of the bird copies the human soul.

Drawing - scientific work

No less famous is the figure of the Vitruvian man, in which the master emphasized natural ideality and mathematical proportionality. The work is not just an artwork, but also a whole scientific work.

Arrived from other worlds?

The personality of an extraordinary seer, ahead of time, today is just as mysteriously attractive as it was several centuries ago. However, we still can not say who Leonardo da Vinci really was. Amazed by the multifaceted nature of his talent, this Italian has had a huge impact on the development of our civilization, so the eternal debate over whether he is a man or a time traveler who has come from the future and shared important secrets with us will last for more than one century.