The Da Vinci Code - Essay Example

Indeed the concept of using art to capture interest and inspire intrigue in consumers is one which has been used in modern-day society for quite a while. Art inspires minds and connects individuals to an alternate reality where beauty and perfection collide (Leonardo and Della 26). It is therefore not surprising that most companies and individuals have resorted to employing art as a tactic to woo and sway new consumers to purchase their products. The ability of art to capture the interest of consumers has now been devised into a common business advertisement tactic. It is hence no surprise that some advertisements have chosen to depict none other than the master artist himself, Leonardo Da Vinci. The advertisement for the movie Da Vinci Code was one of many advertisements that have opted to select the professional and captivating works of the artist to sell their products. The advertisement uses his painting, the Vitruvian Man.

This painting was chosen because it contains a precise and intriguing image style and composition which sketched his impressions of things with realism and precision. The painting is noted as providing the earliest reference to the importance of vortices in a fluid motion. This was a factor taken into consideration when selecting the painting to be used for the advertisement. The advertisement is structured in such a way that it links your cognition to the actual paint's original aspects to amplify and emphasize the color and design. To enhance authenticity, a wooden mid-century palette is shown to be used in the design of the painting. This is similar to palettes used by most artists at the time of Leonardo. There is a blend of colors used to smooth out the transition between appearance and structure. Brown and crimson are the main colors used to deliver this fascinating visual appearance which triggers visual appeal from the target consumers.

The design characteristics of the advertisement are quite complex. This is because they center on one of the most dynamic paintings by the master artist. The design offers complexity in structure since it is based on a painting made in the renaissance era where determining ratio and proportion was an extremely important activity because there was no standard monetary unit or standard system of weights and measures. Text is used to further affect the advertisement by fading it in and out relative to the positioning of the image itself. The text fades in at the start and end of the advertisement in accordance with the various proportions of the Vitruvian man. This is visible in the style of design used to embody the advertisement itself. The edges of the visible advertisement area are curved in such a way that they resemble a canvas for drawing art.

The target audience for the advertisement is young and middle-aged people between 17-39 years who can understand and appreciate the complexities and intricacies associated with the movie. Most individuals would be very interested in watching the movie after seeing the advertisement. This is because an assumption is made that the target audience in this age bracket is very intelligent and would highly be interested in sampling some of the work of a great artist such as Leonardo. Furthermore, the movie is very controversial and this controversy is based on this work and other works by Leonardo such as the Monalisa.

The advertisement delivers a message of religious indifference. It draws criticism and controversy, especially from Christian social activists who term it as blasphemous. This is quite a calculated tactic by the producers of the advertisement to help spark interest from a wide target base by tying a heated debate and controversy regarding the painting and the work in general. The advertisement is tied to spark emotion in the target market. This is achieved in design since the painting used uses a technique by Da Vinci called sfumato (sfū-mă-tō, meaning smoke) in which he painted a color that turned slowly from light to dark tones to give off a kind of misty glow or smoky mystery. Through this, the advertisement sparks emotion and character and is not just a blank stare.