Addie's Art Blog: #6 Leonardo v.s. Michelangelo

Leonardo v.s. Michelangelo

Leonardo da Vinci can easily be referred to as the renaissance man; he was regarded as more or less, the most skilled painter in renaissance times, and a highly accomplished scientist. Among other things, Leonardo was well schooled and grew up as an apprentice under other great artists. He mastered music by playing the lute and filled notebook after notebook with ideas theories, and fascinating concepts of the world around him. Though Leonardo was also an artful sculptor, he regarded painting as the highest form of art, and he did so for many reasons. As a scientist, Leonardo could not be idealistic, he looked at the world as it was, and found reason in how it worked and how things appeared, such as depth and perspective. He used these observations to depict realism in his art, and he used his imagination and skill to make his paintings as real and lifelike as humanly possible. With sculpture Leonardo believed there were limits, with painting, he had endless possibilities, and with these endless possibilities at his fingertips he could add certain symbols, and characteristics.

Michelangelo on the other hand, much preferred sculpting over painting, his belief was that sculpture was the highest form of art. For Michelangelo, sculpture was much more gratifying, and he loved getting his hands dirty and laboring in his works. He could apply his beliefs of neoplatonism to sculpting simply by creating something amazing and great, out of what began as a meaningless piece of marble. Two of his greatest sculptures are his David, and Pieta. Both of these sculptures are awesome in their own right, and for many reasons, like Michelangelo’s use of idealism. You can see this in his portrayal of David; when David triumphed over Goliath, he was merely a boy, though Michelangelo depicted him as the strong but steady king he would become. Michelangelo also fused Pagan and Christian beliefs by portraying the biblical David as being entirely nude. Though Michelangelo preferred sculpture he also painted when commissioned to, and his idealism, neo-platonic ideas, and fusion of Pagan and Christian beliefs showed here as well. All of these ideas can be seen on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in nude figures, and the overall way some of the pieces are painted. Because of the vaulted ceiling Michelangelo had to paint so that at ground level looking up, the paintings would appear to the eye, to be flat. Though Michelangelo’s style and approach to art was much different than Leonardo’s, his love for sculpting, and supreme abilities in both sculpting and painting proved him to be one of the top artists of his time.

The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci is an oil and tempera on plaster, and depicts Jesus and his twelve disciples sitting at a table, at the moment where Jesus announces that one of them will betray him. Jesus and his disciples are all shown on one side of the table facing the viewer, with Jesus seated in the middle and two groups of six disciples at each of his sides. The way the disciples are grouped shows perfect mathematical division, as well as the four tapestries on each side that lead to the back of the room. The shape of Christ’s body is in the geometric shape of a triangle, depicting the holy trinity, and the three windows behind him show the same thing. The windows were painted with a shading technique called sfumato, making them look as though they are at a distance, which once again conveys the feeling of depth and realism in the painting. Leonardo also showed a great deal of individualism and humanism, by giving each disciple their own facial features, and distinct facial expressions. If Michelangelo would have painted the Last Supper, it would with no doubt, have a different look and feel. There would be little or no depth to the painting, and without the use of linear perspective, which Michelangelo did not use, it would appear to be flat. The way the painting is divided mathematically would be completely different. Instead of having equal division, there would probably be some amount of flawed mathematics, with the painting somehow still looking correct to the eye. The disciples would all look much more masculine, but would not have any individual traits, and the image of Jesus would be idealized, to look bigger or higher than his disciples.

Even though Leonardo and Michelangelo had different styles and approaches to art, they both were amazing artists for their time. They had their rivalries, but in the end they both created amazing works of art in their own way, and revolutionized painting and sculpture. Their works of art can hardly be matched, even in modern times.