Leonardo da Vinci’s Works Speak Volumes

Leonardo Da Vinci's Masterpiece
Image by Storm Crypt via Flickr

In recent times, a popular novel, and subsequent movies, have drawn attention to Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. While this fictitious entertainment is entertaining, it holds some truth about who Leonardo was and what he contributed to the Renaissance, and the future world. Before the Renaissance, art was limited to religious saints and stories and had little depth or realism. When the Renaissance occurred, artists began highlighting God’s creation through the human form and other natural wonders. A genuine Renaissance man, Leonardo dove into learning as much as humanly possible about his surroundings and his fellow man.

Leonardo wasn’t just an artist, but a student of architecture, math, warfare, hydraulics, geology, botany, mechanics, medicine, and anatomy. His studies of anatomy influenced his future portrayals of the human form and caused him to develop sharpened skills when painting the human form. Often times, Leonardo would dissect cadavers to gain knowledge of what lay beneath the surface, so he could accurately paint figures. This was highly illegal at the time and carried a death sentence, but Leonardo persisted, documenting his studies of human musculature in detailed sketches. Eventually, his interest in anatomy did stir attention, and he had to hurriedly escape from the Vatican to avoid being prosecuted.

Since he was so devoted to accurately depicting the human form, Leonardo’s works are some of the very best works ever created. The most famous, Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, are reproduced and hung in homes around the world. The Last Supper of Christ with his disciples features depth and reflection into each character included. Every disciple has a unique expression upon hearing Christ’s predictions of his own death. Christ’s face, as painted by Leonardo, has since become the prototype for future depictions. Mona Lisa’s perfect features glow amongst the careful play of light and dark and give her an everlasting appeal. Her expression is one that any viewer’s guess could be right; she could be angry, bored, amused, or anything else imaginable. While there aren’t any hidden messages, Leonardo’s message is still heard after all these centuries.

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Filed Under: Italian Art, Italian Society, Painting Tagged With: , , ,

Putting a Pottery Barn Promo Code to Good Use

Ahh, the pleasure of an Italian getaway. You relaxed on the Italian coast, drank delicious Italian wines, and shopped at the famous shops in Milan and Rome. Your Italian adventure was perfection. But how do you continue your Italian trip while you are at home? Redecorating your house in an Italian style. So you begin flipping through Pottery Barn’s catalog and find its large colorful spread on Italian style furnishings, but how to afford it? Try coupon codes.

The convenience of using coupons drives many people to spend time looking for, and collecting them, before actually buying anything. Coupons are available for almost everything and can add up to a lot of savings if used often. You can cut a certain dollar amount by a small percent, or up to as much as 50% or more, on products that you would otherwise spend the full amount on. The same goes with the Pottery Barn promo code for items you’d like to get from the store.

Using a coupon with a promo code is even simpler online, because all you have to do is click the link on the coupon to get a listing of products. Purchasing a product through the site puts the discount into effect, making it as easy as a few mouse clicks away. You can now afford those Italian leather chairs or Italian wine rack because you used a Pottery Barn Coupon Code.

Do you think this is just for useless items? Think again. You can find Italian rugs of many different styles, as well as Italian chairs, sofas and ottomans. You can find an array of large pieces of furniture that cost thousands of dollars and are large enough to fill an entire room. Single person chairs are available too. It is hard to resist the opportunity to save big on expensive items, but there are discounts on an unlimited amount of household accessories and items, in addition to artwork and home improvement pieces.

Complete bedroom and dining are also available at discounted prices. Not only can you spend less on sheets and pillows, but on entire bed sets and tables. In some cases, you can spend less than half of what you would on renovating an entire room, an effort that could set you back financially quite a bit. You can also go for the cheaper purchase of some other daily items such as a throw, chair, picture frame set, or maybe even a storage tower.

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Filed Under: General, Painting Tagged With: , ,

Sofonisba Anguilssola: Live Beyond Expectations

Bernardino Campi painting Sofonisba Anguissola...
Image via Wikipedia

Throughout the course of history, women have had their place. While until recent times, that place was often in the background or in the home, there have been women through the ages who refused to stand back or stay home. In the world of Italian Art, there were several women artists, who worked diligently to open the doors for women of the future. Sofonisba Anguissola was one of these amazing, brave female artists.

Born in 1531, Sofonisba Anguissola was the first of what would be seven children from her mother and father’s union. Of her seven siblings, only one sister held similar artistic talent. Unfortunately that talent was never realized, as that sister died at an early age. Sofonisba was encouraged by her father to pursue her artistic desires despite the fact she was female. She first studied at the Bernardino Campi workshop and moved on to the Bernardino Gratti studio to further hone her skills.

Sofonisba was revered to be one of the first celebrated female painters of the Renaissance as she gained notoriety. More than fifty paintings have been recognized as belonging to her, making her a very productive painter. Sofonisba’s art was known for its attention to detail, but was considered distinctive because while she painted portraits for income, she did nothing to compliment the subject. It was her skill and immense focus on the tiniest details that lent her portraits to become so realistic one could expect them to move at any moment.

Of all the portraits she’d painted, Sofonisba’s self portraits clamored for the focus of attention to be drawn to who she was as a person, rather than merely her profession. Never seen as an artist in self portraits, Sofonisba rather portrayed herself as a prominent woman surrounded by a culture and immersed in status. It seems she would rather have been seen as an intelligent, refined woman who is confident, educated, and sophisticated than merely as an artist alone. Sofonisba Anguissola may have lived over 300 years ago, but her desire to live beyond expectations is echoed even today.

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Filed Under: Italian Art, Italian Culture, Painting Tagged With: , , ,
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