{"id":22444,"date":"2024-10-02T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/?p=22444"},"modified":"2024-09-25T10:10:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T08:10:02","slug":"leonardo-works-in-florence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/en\/leonardo-works-in-florence\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonardo in Florence: his most important works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Among the many honors that Florence can boast, one is being the place where Leonardo Da Vinci took his first steps in the art world, honing his extraordinary talent. Today, the works of Leonardo present in the city<\/strong> allow us to appreciate his evolution. All preserved in the Gallerie degli Uffizi<\/a>, they are among the masterpieces that best testify to the path taken by the great Tuscan Master, from his early abilities to his acclaimed genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Battesimo di Cristo<\/em>: when the student surpasses the Master<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Vasari tells us that Leonardo<\/a>‘s father, the notary Piero di Vinci, realizing his son’s extraordinary skill in drawing, decided to send him to the workshop of his friend Andrea del Verrocchio<\/strong>, a renowned artist. We do not know precisely at what age the young Leonardo began his apprenticeship, but his talent was certainly precocious and, if what is told in Vite*<\/em> is true, did not take long to manifest itself even to his Master’s eyes.
It seems that Verrocchio was engaged in creating an altarpiece dedicated to the Battesimo di Cristo<\/em> and, as was customary at the time, had also involved his students in its execution. “Lionardo painted an angel holding some garments”, Vasari writes, “and although he was a young man, he executed it in such a manner that Lionardo\u2019s angel was much better than Andrea’s figures. This was the reason why Andrea never wanted to touch colors again, indignant that a child knew more than he did”.
The dating of the work is set between 1470 and 1475: at only twenty years old, Leonardo had already surpassed his Master<\/strong>, who, stung by this experience, supposedly abandoned painting forever.\u00a0
In reality, this latter fact is unlikely; however, the whole episode testifies to the absolute quality of his contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Il Battesimo di Cristo<\/em>, Andrea Verrocchio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, even the least experienced eye will not struggle to recognize in the left-hand angel a delicacy and naturalism<\/strong> absent in the other figures, although they are also represented with great meticulousness and realism. His gentle features, the pictorial rendering, and the pose – as if he were about to turn – stand out distinctly from the other subjects.
Today, scholars also attribute to Leonardo’s hand some parts of the background and the figure of Cristo, while the identity of a third painter who may have participated in the panel is still debated. According to some, the right-hand angel was executed by Botticelli<\/a>, while others recognize the presence of an older artist in the less successful hands of Dio Padre and the dove of the Spirito Santo at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Annunciazione<\/em>: talent unveiled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without patrons and lacking a known location, the Annunciation<\/em> was created around the same period as the Battesimo di Cristo<\/em> (circa 1472), but here Leonardo’s talent and skill are fully unveiled<\/strong>. The theme is one already taken up by illustrious predecessors like Simone Martini<\/a>, Filippo Lippi, and Beato Angelico<\/a>: the Arcangelo Gabriele announces to Maria the virginal conception and the future birth of Ges\u00f9.
However, the scene created by Leonardo is characterized by a new realism: the volumes of the bodies, shaped by draperies, become more concrete and, as such, cast shadows, like that of the angel on the lawn, whose wings seem inspired by those of a majestic bird of prey. Even the architecture behind Maria is realistic, as is the elaborate lectern, which recalls the sarcophagus of Piero il Gottoso created by Verrocchio in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Annunciazione<\/em>, Leonardo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Leonardo’s interest in botany and lighting effects<\/strong> is evident: the landscape in the background already presents the characteristics of sfumato<\/a>, which the artist would use from then on to convey the atmospheric sense of distance.\u00a0
Only the Vergine’s right arm appears disproportionate compared to the rest of the body and composition, as it is too long. This disharmony is thought to be intentional and is optically corrected if one looks at the panel from the right, the probable privileged point of observation of the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adorazione dei Magi<\/em>: an unfinished masterpiece<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The <\/em>Adorazione dei Magi<\/em><\/a> is one of the (many) unfinished masterpieces by Leonardo; its state of realization has allowed us to appreciate the different creative phases of the artist<\/strong>, here engaged in a work of monumental dimensions (a panel measuring 244 x 240 cm). At the center of the painting, the Vergine with the Bambino in her lap. Around the divine group, the Magi kneel, while other figures gather to celebrate the Epiphany. In the background, divided by the palm of martyrdom, an equestrian battle takes place, and on the left, one glimpses the profile of a building under construction or in abandonment.
Attitudes and expressions characterize the various characters – some just sketched, others more developed. This symphony of gestures and poses<\/a><\/strong> corresponds to what Leonardo called the depiction of the “motions of the soul,” that is, the thoughts and feelings of the painted subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adorazione dei Magi<\/em>, Leonardo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Begun in 1481, the work was never completed, and after a long – and unfruitful – gestation, Leonardo left it at the residence of the Benci family<\/strong>, friends of his, to go to Milan to the court of Ludovico il Moro.\u00a0
Bitterly disappointed, the Canonici regolari di Sant\u2019Agostino (who had commissioned the work for the main altar of the church of San Donato a Scopeto, near Florence) then entrusted a new commission to Filippino Lippi, who completed it in 1496 (today his Adorazione dei Magi<\/em> is preserved at the Uffizi).
Leonardo had reached full maturity, but his curiosity was insatiable and restless: Vasari would speak of “such a divine and marvelous intellect”, but also of “whims”. If, on one hand, this character allowed him continuous experimentation (and us to enjoy magnificent inventions), on the other hand, it hindered him in completing potentially sensational works, such as the Battaglia di Anghiari<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Battaglia di Anghiari<\/em>: the work never realized<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the early years of the 16th<\/sup> century, Leonardo received a commission from the Repubblica di Firenze to fresco a huge wall inside the Sala dei Cinquecento<\/strong>, the place in Palazzo Vecchio where the Gran Consiglio met. Shortly thereafter, the young and promising Michelangelo<\/a> also received a similar commission. Leonardo was asked to depict the Battaglia di Anghiari, while Michelangelo was assigned the Battaglia di Cascina: two military episodes from which Florence had emerged victorious. The intent was therefore celebratory and symbolic.
Unfortunately, however, neither of the two works ever came to light. Michelangelo abandoned the endeavor shortly after creating the preparatory cartoon and departed for Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tavola Doria<\/em>, Francesco Morandini<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n