The Shadow Drawing: How Science Taught Leonardo How to Paint

by Francesca Fiorani

"[The Shadow Drawing] reorients our perspective, distills a life and brings it into focus—the very work of revision and refining that its subject loved best." —Parul Sehgal, The New York Times | Editors' ChoiceAn entirely new account of Leonardo the artist and Leonardo the scientist, and why they were one and the same man Leonardo da Vinci has long been celebrated for his consummate genius. He was the painter who gave us the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and the inventor who anticipated the advent of airplanes, hot air balloons, and other technological marvels. But what was the connection between Leonardo the painter and Leonardo the scientist? Historians of Renaissance art have long supposed that Leonardo became increasingly interested in science as he grew older and turned his insatiable curiosity in new directions. They have argued that there are, in effect, two Leonardos—an artist and an inventor. In this pathbreaking new interpretation, the art historian Francesca Fiorani offers a different view. Taking a fresh look at Leonardo’s celebrated but challenging notebooks, as well as other sources, Fiorani argues that Leonardo became familiar with advanced thinking about human vision when he was still an apprentice in a Florence studio—and used his understanding of optical science to develop and perfect his painting techniques. For Leonardo, the task of the painter was to capture the interior life of a human subject, to paint the soul. And even at the outset of his career, he believed that mastering the scientific study of light, shadow, and the atmosphere was essential to doing so. Eventually, he set down these ideas in a book—A Treatise on Painting—that he considered his greatest achievement, though it would be disfigured, ignored, and lost in subsequent centuries. Ranging from the teeming streets of Florence to the most delicate brushstrokes on the surface of the Mona Lisa, The Shadow Drawing vividly reconstructs Leonardo’s life while teaching us to look anew at his greatest paintings. The result is both stirring biography and a bold reconsideration of how the Renaissance understood science and art—and of what was lost when that understanding was forgotten.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Renaissance, Science, Art History

449 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2020

Reviews

[Roy Lotz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intersection of science and art is one of those perennial subjects which resists satisfactory treatment. John Keats’s formulation—“Beauty is truth, truth beauty”—seems rather simplistic. Most of us are familiar with at least a few ugly truths; and the sciences and arts seem to attract such different personalities—the orderly, serious, logical, and the chaotic, bohemian, creative—that they can appear more as opposites than as two sides of the same coin. On the other hand, many people are tempted to connect them, if only for the vague reason that they seem to be the fullest expressions of the human mind.

As Francesca Fiorani sets out to demonstrate in this book, Leonardo da Vinci conceived of science and art as essentially the same activity. Indeed, this is Fiorani’s thesis: that the popular image of Leonardo as a man of disparate talents is misleading. Instead, Leonardo saw science (particularly the science of optics) as the key to painting, and saw painting as the ultimate expression of science. He was, in other words, a kind of visual natural philosopher, using his art to probe the mysteries of light, shadow, atmosphere, and even geology and hydraulics. Most of all, Leonardo wanted to use painting to understand the human soul—how it is revealed and expressed by the body.

While clearly and accessibly written, this book is probably not the first thing that one should read about da Vinci. Its aim is rather to correct what Fiorani regards as a popular misconception of his genius, due in part to the way his contemporaries and successors represented his work; and Fiorani is convincing. Even so, this book does provide us with a memorable portrait of a man who, perhaps more than anyone else, united the pursuit of beauty and truth.

[Grzegorz Chrupała · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of the book is a bit misleading. While Fiorani insists on the importance of Leonardo's interest in and investigations into optics for his practice as a painter, the book contains very little concrete information about his scientific work on optics. That aspect apart, the book is a decent overview of the life and work of Leonardo.

[Bulent Atalay · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a new book, “The Shadow Drawing,” Francesca Fiorani explains with rare insight the modus operandi of the greatest of all Renaissance men. Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate scientist-artist, his science informing his immortal paintings and his art recording the research he carried out obsessively in his studio/lab. He wandered around the marketplace or sat on lonely bluffs and recorded his observations of animate and inanimate nature. Among all the branches of the sciences that fascinated him, it was the study of light, optics, that helped him to create the few but most beautiful and haunting paintings in the history of art. He admonished his pupils to learn from nature, not from each other. Ironically, five centuries after his death, artists and scientists can still learn from him, before they turn to their work in either endeavor.

I ordered copies of Professor Fiorani’s “Shadow Drawing” as gifts for family members and I have been recommending it to audiences in my own presentations… and so I do here with unbridled enthusiasm.

— Bulent Atalay, physicist, artist, and author of “Man and the Mona Lisa” (Smithsonian Books) and “Leonardo’s Universe” (National Geographic Books).

[Jack Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must preface this review with a little personal bias: I took a class on Leonardo taught by Fiorani in which the class structure was based on the layout of this book and found it to be my favorite class. Therefore, I’m likely more acquainted with some of the information than the average reader. Now to the review:

Fiorani uses a chronological and biographical format to support her argument that Leonardo’s unparalleled success in painting stems from his unique devotion to understanding the science that he believed should guide the artist’s hand. The reader gets a loose biography of Leonardo with a focus on the memorable events that led to the development of his knowledge on the subject of optics which defined his career and his life. Fiorani presents the information in a clear and interesting manner, and even though I’m no art scholar, I could easily follow her logic and the evidence behind her arguments.

This book, though, in my opinion, is directed towards those who have a preexisting knowledge of Leonardo or have the ability to supplement their reading with other sources. Had I not known a deeper biography of Leonardo through her class and by reading Isaacson’s biography of him, I likely would have been confused by some details of certain paintings and of some details of the chronology of his life. Additionally, there are some figures sporadically places throughout the book that aren’t referenced by the text, and those can be a little confusing. However, I think Fiorani does well to support her arguments and to explain the necessary background on Leonardo to the reader.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to get a different take on the life of Leonardo and specifically one that does not only focus on biographical details. While I think a bit of background on Leonardo would increase the absorption of information for the reader, I think anyone looking to understand what made Leonardo special will find what they are looking for.

[Vera Versteeg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book entertaining but if you are going to read one book on Leonardo, go with Walter Isaacson's version which has many more images (including other artists copies of lost works) while still presenting the role of science in Leonardo's art. Still fascinating. Makes me want to start a couple more hobbies and a few more notebooks.

[Rachel Loh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an intriguing book! I enjoyed it a ton. It’s written in a wonderful and easy way and there were many things I learnt that I didn’t yet know about Leonardo. The last part was where I thought it was a little draggy and unnecessary. Granted, the author had to explain and follow the timeline from then to now but it seemed a little frustrating at times to read. Overall, really enjoyed it!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Shadow Drawing is an academically rigorous look at Leonardo da Vinci's development as a polymath and especially how his understanding of mathematical principles and physics informed and helped develop his visual art (as opposed to most traditional historical interpretations which have daVinci moving from visual art to more engineering, design, and invention in the later years of his life). Released 17th Nov 2020 by Macmillan on their Farrar Strauss & Giroux imprint, it's 384 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Despite being an academic, Dr. Francesca Fiorani writes accessibly and authoritatively on the subject and I found myself often so fascinated and caught up in the story that I forgot the amount of time I'd spent reading. Despite being partially an expository work, it is exhaustively annotated and defended with period and contemporary references. The language is precise, but certainly accessible to the average layman reader.

The book is full of facsimile drawings and artwork reproduced in grayscale and in the electronic format, in high definition. The chapter notes and annotations are thorough and provide rich resources for further learning.

I would recommend this one to students of art and history, science, the Italian renaissance, mathematics in art, and lovers of well written nonfiction. This would also make a superlative selection for library acquisition as well as a good supplemental text for classroom study in allied subjects.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

We know why the candle was on Leonardo’s desk—to bring light into the darkness. But why a ball and a small screen, perhaps made of thick paper, or of simple wood?

The “shadow drawings” suggest an answer.

When darkness fell and there was no other source of light in the room, Leonardo lit the candle and lined up the three—candle, ball, and screen. The small portion of the ball’s surface that directly faced the candle was brightly lit. But, moving outward in any direction, he could see that the remainder of the ball was left in varying degrees of shadow, as if the light never quite came its way. Where, then, did that light go instead?

Depicting the light not as we see it—as one solid beam—but rather as a set of discrete rays, he charted the individual destination of each and every one, line by line. Clearly, he knew something about the science of optics—or at least how light behaves when it hits an opaque object—because with exquisite precision he identified which rays would hit the ball in a straight line and be reflected straight back to the viewer (providing that brightness) and which, because of a more acute angle of incident (or impact), would hit it diagonally, leaving the edges of the ball in deeper and deeper shadow.

[Erin Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deep history about Leonardo and his view on his philosophy on painting and shadow drawings. I loved learning about what influenced him throughout his life and his thoughts on art, science, and the human soul. As I was finishing this book, I saw a copy of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne painted by Salai (one of his close students), and it was a spiritual experience (even though Leo only oversaw him paint this copy!). In this book Francesca states he thought that painting to be his most accomplished work so I was in awe. I highly recommend going to see Leo’s work after reading this if you can; there’s a wealth of knowledge and context here to treasure!

[Grace DiRisio · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5- goodreads i am BEGGING you to implement half star ratings.

[Matt Redmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating history.

[Misa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars.

[Bj · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book! I loved it and will keep as a reference as I continue to draw or learn about the past masters of art.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, disappointed in this book. Well enough written, but really is an art history book. From the title, expected more science. The stories on DaVinci's mentors were interesting, but when it came to tracing the history of his book on art, I really lost interest. Honestly, I liked Isaacsonb's book on DaVinci better. Gave a more well rounded look at the man. But, to each his own.

[James Ronan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected this book to be more scientifically focused, more like an expanded version of this article: https://nautil.us/issue/46/balance/wh....

However it was not that.

It was more heavily half biography/ half art history but was interesting. It revealed some of Leonardo's motivations as well as how others distorted the image of the man towards their own ends after his death.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The textbook for my first art history. The course was very intriguing, but I wouldn't read this book without the accompanied course. It would be a bit hard to digest.

[MaryMargaret Sell · Rating 3 out of 5]

bonus star because it was written by my professor