16th Century Superstar. Wendy Conklin

Transcription

1 16th Century Superstar Wendy Conkl

2 Table of Contents A Superstar Is Born A Superior Apprentice Seekg a Patron More Than a Pater Military Engeer and Architect An Infamous Portrait Fal Days Glossary Index Check It Out! Try It! About the Author

3 A Superstar Is Born Every now and then, a superstar comes along and the world takes notice. By defition, superstars stand out. This is certaly true of Leonardo da Vci. He was born Vci, Italy, Had his mother not been a peasant, thgs might have turned out differently for da Vci. He most likely would have attended the university Florence and studied to be a notary like his well-to-do father. Instead of patg and ventg ways to solve problems, his days would have been busy fillg out legal documents. But his parents never married. So the guild of the magistrates and notaries would not accept da Vci as an apprentice. Instead, his father had to look for another profession for him. As a young child, da Vci showed a talent for drawg. So his father sent him to Florence to become an apprentice to the famous artist, Andrea del Verrocchio. And that is where the road to superstardom began for da Vci. Da Vci was contually strivg to improve and perfect his work and the world around him. Along the path to becomg a superstar, da Vci came to contact with many different types of people. They played important roles his life as he developed not only as an artist but also as a scientist and ventor. 4

4 A Class System Durg the Renaissance, illegitimacy prohibited youths from havg noble professions, such as bankers or doctors. Florence, Italy Person Marryg Beneath a san t, while a pea Da Vci s mother, Catera, was respected a from e cam ro, Pie his father, Ser was a well-respected family. Piero s job as a notary Catera, wantg profession. He never married h money. stead to marry a woman wit 5

5 A Superior Apprentice From the very begng, da Vci stood out Andrea del Verrocchio s workshop. Even though he was an illegitimate child, he was one of the wealthiest apprentices at the workshop. He came from his father s respectable family. This was rare for Verrocchio s apprentices Most boys came from homes where the fathers were typical tradesmen. Verrocchio designed sets and costumes for pageants. The artists his workshop pated banners, carpets, and tapestries for festivals. Patrons often commissioned patgs. And, everyone worked together. As the master pater and sculptor, Verrocchio directed the work. Students were craftsmen. They learned by practicg their master s style of artistry. This made it all the more remarkable when da Vci began practicg his own patg techniques. Da Vci s skills are obvious the 1475 work Baptism of Christ. The monks of San Salvi near Florence commissioned this patg. Verrocchio asked da Vci to pat the angel on the far left. The result amazed everyone. Da Vci s style stands out as superior. Verrocchio realized that his student, at just 23 years old, had surpassed him. Not a Fisher da Vci s patgs and Throughout his life, many of re are different theories as projects went unfished. The eal that he had such varied to why. Some vestigations rev for him to complete one task terests that is was difficult Other historians believe he before movg on to the next. e he was a perfectionist. If his left works unfished becaus tion, he abandoned it. work could not achieve perfec 6

6 When asked, da Vci de scribed himself as omo sanza lett ere. This means that he was a man without an educatio n. The local priests taught him to read, write, and solve basic arithmetic, but that was the extent of his formal educa tion. A Man without Education Baptism of Christ 7

7 How to Pat like Leonardo Some artists today still follow da Vci s process. Here are the steps they take to create masterpieces and experience the rewards of creatg works of art. 1. Artists sketch and plan the composition that will become the patg. This can take months to complete. 2. They make the cartoon, which is the fished sketch of the patg. It will be as large as the patg, so they might connect several papers together to make it as large as it needs to be. 3. Next, they attach the cartoon to a wall or other spot where the fal patg will be located. 8

8 4. Followg the outles of the cartoon, artists poke small holes the paper. 5. Pressg chalk to the holes transfers the chalk onto the wall. When they remove the cartoon from the wall, it leaves the outle of the patg. 6. Artists then lay the underpatg by usg neutral earth tones. These tones create the shadows that give the patg a three dimensional look. 7. Fally, they add the color to the patg by applyg layers of oil pats until the patg is complete. 9

9 For teachers' spection ONL Reader s Guide 1. Why did Leonardo da Vci keep notebooks filled with ideas? 2. For what reasons did da Vci contually get work from some of the wealthiest and most famous patrons of his time? 3. Look back through da Vci s sketches and patgs. Which do you thk has had the most fluence on later societies? Defend your answer. 4. A Renaissance man is someone who is good at many thgs. Why is it fittg to call da Vci a Renaissance man?