Leonardo Da Vinci: Artist - Research Paper Example

The works of Leonardo Da Vinci had and continue to have great cultural significance. His work is said to have brought religious art to life. This stems from his exploration of the personalities that he painted. He had objections to the commercial exploitation of religious works of art and other pious items, and as such, he had objections to their sale. He also questioned the reality of the miracles that were performed by monks and priests during that time. In his works, he expressed visual meditations on the holy trinity.

His works are also a reflection of the ideas of the times in which he lived. The vitruvian man can for example be seen to demonstrate his enthusiasm or appreciation for the theories of Vitruvius which were common at the time. He also moved from city to city and constantly reinvented himself to in accordance to the renaissance principles. One of the famous works of Leonardo Da Vinci is the painting ‘The Last Supper’ was painted on a wall in layers. The painting was completed in 1948.

The painting is a reference to the moment Jesus tells his disciples that one of them would betray him. The painting therefore shows the reactions of the disciples. This is one of the paintings in which Da Vinci applies ‘the vanishing point’ to create ‘three dimensionality’ in the work. The room in the painting seems to be symmetrical and realistic, with the walls converging inwards. The painting also captures emotions and reactions in a way that few artists would have been capable of.

In the painting, Jesus sits in serenity while the disciples are agitated. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is present yet isolated in the picture showing his guilt. The disciples are divided into groups of threes creating a sense of visual unity (Ladwein 36). In ‘The Mona Lisa’ is often referred to as the most famous painting of all times. It is painted in a technique that is known as sfumato-fumo an Italian term which means smoke. In this technique, there are no hard lines or hard contours, and there is a seamless transition in the painting between light and dark.

There is also use of tone and color in the painting. Leonardo Da Vinci managed to create a sense of harmony in the painting where a woman