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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.
We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1632
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About the author
Leonardo da Vinci
935 books1,509 followersIt was on April 15, 1452, that Leonardo was born in the town of Vinci, Republic of Florence, in what is now in Italy, the illegitimate son of a notary and a barmaid. It is from his birthplace that he is known as Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo seemed to master every subject to which he turned his attention: he was a painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer, wrote poetry and stories: the prototype Renaissance man!
His Last Supper (1495-97) and Mona Lisa (La Gioconda, 1503-06) are among the most popular paintings from the Renaissance. He and his rival Michelangelo did great service to the medical arts by accurate paintings of dissections, which were only occasionally allowed by the Church. Yet, his artistry appeared to be an afterthought, as he frequently left his works unfinished, and only about fifteen of his paintings survive. His notebooks reveal that he was centuries ahead of his time in mechanics and physic, fortifications, bridges, weapons, and river diversions to flood the enemy, which aided Italian city-states in their many wars.
Leonardo was an early evolutionist regarding fossils. Through his careful observations he noted that “if the shells had been carried by the muddy deluge they would have been mixed up, and separated from each other amidst the mud, and not in regular steps and layers — as we see them now in our time.” Leonardo reasoned that what is now dry land, where these aquatic fossils were found, must once have been covered by seawater.
He was for a short time accused of homosexuality: there is no evidence Leonardo had any sexual interest in women. As he wrote in his notebooks, “The act of procreation and anything that has any relation to it is so disgusting that human beings would soon die out if there were no pretty faces and sensuous dispositions.”
And what of his religion? It is significant that at the end of his life he felt he had much spiritual negligence to atone for. His first biographer, Giorgio Vasari, wrote in 1550:
"Finally, …feeling himself near to death, [he] asked to have himself diligently informed of the teaching of the Catholic faith, and of the good way and holy Christian religion; and then, with many moans, he confessed and was penitent; and … was pleased to take devoutly the most holy Sacrament, out of his bed. The King, who was wont often and lovingly to visit him, then came into the room; wherefore he, out of reverence … showed withal how much he had offended God and mankind in not having worked at his art as he should have done."
There was much skepticism in Renaissance Italy at the time, and Leonardo was an intellectual genius, not just an artistic genius. While there was great intellectual freedom during the Italian Renaissance, there were limits as long as the Dominicans, the “Hounds of the Lord,” were active. This semblance of a deathbed conversion, by so critical a thinker and so great a genius as Leonardo, who would have nothing to lose by professing piety all his life, can only mean that during his prime years he was a secret freethinker.
Leonardo died quietly on the 2 of May, 1519, a few weeks following his 67th birthday.
His Last Supper (1495-97) and Mona Lisa (La Gioconda, 1503-06) are among the most popular paintings from the Renaissance. He and his rival Michelangelo did great service to the medical arts by accurate paintings of dissections, which were only occasionally allowed by the Church. Yet, his artistry appeared to be an afterthought, as he frequently left his works unfinished, and only about fifteen of his paintings survive. His notebooks reveal that he was centuries ahead of his time in mechanics and physic, fortifications, bridges, weapons, and river diversions to flood the enemy, which aided Italian city-states in their many wars.
Leonardo was an early evolutionist regarding fossils. Through his careful observations he noted that “if the shells had been carried by the muddy deluge they would have been mixed up, and separated from each other amidst the mud, and not in regular steps and layers — as we see them now in our time.” Leonardo reasoned that what is now dry land, where these aquatic fossils were found, must once have been covered by seawater.
He was for a short time accused of homosexuality: there is no evidence Leonardo had any sexual interest in women. As he wrote in his notebooks, “The act of procreation and anything that has any relation to it is so disgusting that human beings would soon die out if there were no pretty faces and sensuous dispositions.”
And what of his religion? It is significant that at the end of his life he felt he had much spiritual negligence to atone for. His first biographer, Giorgio Vasari, wrote in 1550:
"Finally, …feeling himself near to death, [he] asked to have himself diligently informed of the teaching of the Catholic faith, and of the good way and holy Christian religion; and then, with many moans, he confessed and was penitent; and … was pleased to take devoutly the most holy Sacrament, out of his bed. The King, who was wont often and lovingly to visit him, then came into the room; wherefore he, out of reverence … showed withal how much he had offended God and mankind in not having worked at his art as he should have done."
There was much skepticism in Renaissance Italy at the time, and Leonardo was an intellectual genius, not just an artistic genius. While there was great intellectual freedom during the Italian Renaissance, there were limits as long as the Dominicans, the “Hounds of the Lord,” were active. This semblance of a deathbed conversion, by so critical a thinker and so great a genius as Leonardo, who would have nothing to lose by professing piety all his life, can only mean that during his prime years he was a secret freethinker.
Leonardo died quietly on the 2 of May, 1519, a few weeks following his 67th birthday.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 2, 2016
Artists: this is a precise, highly mathematic book! Must be read and studied slowly, as Davinci has observed the world around him with painstaking care. In Chapter 74, for instance, I’ve no doubt he made a model walk against wind currents for hours… and just took notes.
Curious about how many cadavers he had access to, as his knowledge on subcutaneous tissues is massive. Most revealingly, he credits all artistic genius not to talent… but to consistent effort.
Quotes:
————-
“Many are very desirous of learning to draw, and are very fond of it, who are, notwithstanding, void of a proper disposition for it. This may be known by their want of perseverance.”
“When you draw from Nature, you must be at the distance of three times the height of the object.”
“It reflects no great honor on a painter to be able to execute only one thing well… there is scarcely a person so void of genius as to fail of success, if he apply earnestly to one branch of study, and practice it continually.”
"A man has the greatest power in pulling, for in that action he has the united exertion of all the muscles of the arm, while some of them must be inactive when he is pushing."
"A man walking will always have the centre of gravity over the centre of the leg which rests upon the ground."
"That figure will appear the swiftest in its course which leans the most forwards."
"Perspective is to painting what the bridle is to a horse, and the rudder to a ship."
"A painter ought to aim at universal excellence; for he will be greatly wanting in dignity, if he do one thing well and another badly, as many do…"
"The painter ought always to form in his mind a kind of system of reasoning or discussion within himself on any remarkable object before him. He should stop, take notes, and form some rule upon it; considering the place, the circumstances, the lights and shadows."
"A painter should delight in introducing great variety into his compositions, avoiding repetition, that by this fertility of invention he may attract and charm the eye of the beholder."
"Observe decorum in every thing you represent, that is, fitness of action, dress, and situation, according to the dignity or meanness of the subject to be represented. "
"Old men must have slow and heavy motions… Old women, on the contrary, are to be represented bold and quick, with passionate motions."
"The painter who wishes to be universal, and please a variety of judges, must unite in the same composition, objects susceptible of great force in the shadows, and great sweetness in the management of them; accounting, however, in every instance, for such boldness and softenings."
"When you have acquired the habit, and formed your hand to accuracy, quickness of execution will come of itself."
"Those shadows which in Nature are undetermined, and the extremities of which can hardly be perceived, are to be copied in your painting in the same manner, never to be precisely finished, but left confused and blended. This apparent neglect will shew great judgment, and be the ingenious result of your observation of Nature."
"You must not mark any muscles with hardness of line, but let the soft light glide upon them, and terminate imperceptibly in delightful shadows: from this will arise grace and beauty to the face."
"Observe also, that snow appears to fall very quick and in a great quantity when near the eye; but when at some distance, it seems to come down slowly, and in a smaller quantity."
"Polished and glossy surfaces show least of their genuine colour. This is exemplified in the grass of the fields, and the leaves of trees, which, being smooth and glossy, will reflect the colour of the sun, and the air, where they strike, so that the parts which receive the light do not show their natural color."
"The lights are of two sorts; one is called original, the other derivative. The original light is that which comes from the sun, or the brightness of fire, or else from the air. The derivative is a reflected light."
"The only portion of air that will be seen reflected in the water, will be that which is reflected by the surface of the water to the eye between equal angles; that is to say, the angle of incidence must be equal to the angle of reflection."
"Objects appear smaller than they really are when they are distant from the eye…"
"It is evident that the air is in some parts thicker and grosser than in others, particularly that nearest to the earth; and as it rises higher, it becomes thinner and more transparent."
"A painter cannot be said to aim at universality in the art, unless he love equally every species of that art."
"One painter ought never to imitate the manner of any other; because in that case he cannot be called the child of Nature, but the grandchild. It is always best to have recourse to Nature, which is replete with such abundance of objects, than to the productions of other masters, who learnt every thing from her."
"If you excuse yourself by saying that you have not time for the study necessary to form a great painter, having to struggle against necessity, you yourself are only to blame; for the study of what is excellent is food both for mind and body. "
"We should derive more advantage from having our faults pointed out by our enemies, than by hearing the opinions of our friends, because they are too much like ourselves, and may deceive us as much as our own judgment."
"A painter ought to study universal Nature, and reason much within himself on all he sees, making use of the most excellent parts that compose the species of every object before him. His mind will by this method be like a mirror, reflecting truly every object placed before it, and become, as it were, a second Nature."
"The painter who entertains no doubt of his own ability will attain very little. "
Curious about how many cadavers he had access to, as his knowledge on subcutaneous tissues is massive. Most revealingly, he credits all artistic genius not to talent… but to consistent effort.
Quotes:
————-
“Many are very desirous of learning to draw, and are very fond of it, who are, notwithstanding, void of a proper disposition for it. This may be known by their want of perseverance.”
“When you draw from Nature, you must be at the distance of three times the height of the object.”
“It reflects no great honor on a painter to be able to execute only one thing well… there is scarcely a person so void of genius as to fail of success, if he apply earnestly to one branch of study, and practice it continually.”
"A man has the greatest power in pulling, for in that action he has the united exertion of all the muscles of the arm, while some of them must be inactive when he is pushing."
"A man walking will always have the centre of gravity over the centre of the leg which rests upon the ground."
"That figure will appear the swiftest in its course which leans the most forwards."
"Perspective is to painting what the bridle is to a horse, and the rudder to a ship."
"A painter ought to aim at universal excellence; for he will be greatly wanting in dignity, if he do one thing well and another badly, as many do…"
"The painter ought always to form in his mind a kind of system of reasoning or discussion within himself on any remarkable object before him. He should stop, take notes, and form some rule upon it; considering the place, the circumstances, the lights and shadows."
"A painter should delight in introducing great variety into his compositions, avoiding repetition, that by this fertility of invention he may attract and charm the eye of the beholder."
"Observe decorum in every thing you represent, that is, fitness of action, dress, and situation, according to the dignity or meanness of the subject to be represented. "
"Old men must have slow and heavy motions… Old women, on the contrary, are to be represented bold and quick, with passionate motions."
"The painter who wishes to be universal, and please a variety of judges, must unite in the same composition, objects susceptible of great force in the shadows, and great sweetness in the management of them; accounting, however, in every instance, for such boldness and softenings."
"When you have acquired the habit, and formed your hand to accuracy, quickness of execution will come of itself."
"Those shadows which in Nature are undetermined, and the extremities of which can hardly be perceived, are to be copied in your painting in the same manner, never to be precisely finished, but left confused and blended. This apparent neglect will shew great judgment, and be the ingenious result of your observation of Nature."
"You must not mark any muscles with hardness of line, but let the soft light glide upon them, and terminate imperceptibly in delightful shadows: from this will arise grace and beauty to the face."
"Observe also, that snow appears to fall very quick and in a great quantity when near the eye; but when at some distance, it seems to come down slowly, and in a smaller quantity."
"Polished and glossy surfaces show least of their genuine colour. This is exemplified in the grass of the fields, and the leaves of trees, which, being smooth and glossy, will reflect the colour of the sun, and the air, where they strike, so that the parts which receive the light do not show their natural color."
"The lights are of two sorts; one is called original, the other derivative. The original light is that which comes from the sun, or the brightness of fire, or else from the air. The derivative is a reflected light."
"The only portion of air that will be seen reflected in the water, will be that which is reflected by the surface of the water to the eye between equal angles; that is to say, the angle of incidence must be equal to the angle of reflection."
"Objects appear smaller than they really are when they are distant from the eye…"
"It is evident that the air is in some parts thicker and grosser than in others, particularly that nearest to the earth; and as it rises higher, it becomes thinner and more transparent."
"A painter cannot be said to aim at universality in the art, unless he love equally every species of that art."
"One painter ought never to imitate the manner of any other; because in that case he cannot be called the child of Nature, but the grandchild. It is always best to have recourse to Nature, which is replete with such abundance of objects, than to the productions of other masters, who learnt every thing from her."
"If you excuse yourself by saying that you have not time for the study necessary to form a great painter, having to struggle against necessity, you yourself are only to blame; for the study of what is excellent is food both for mind and body. "
"We should derive more advantage from having our faults pointed out by our enemies, than by hearing the opinions of our friends, because they are too much like ourselves, and may deceive us as much as our own judgment."
"A painter ought to study universal Nature, and reason much within himself on all he sees, making use of the most excellent parts that compose the species of every object before him. His mind will by this method be like a mirror, reflecting truly every object placed before it, and become, as it were, a second Nature."
"The painter who entertains no doubt of his own ability will attain very little. "
September 11, 2012
Insightful, interesting and illuminating, but also rambling.
October 28, 2012
I started to read this is book and is amazing!
I need to finish to learn more!
I need to finish to learn more!
April 18, 2018
Voy a empezar a contar los trozos de libro que me leo porque, de verdad, con la carrera nunca puedo terminar uno solo, qué asco
Me he leído el Parangón, las primeras 60 páginas, para una exposición de Historia de las ideas estéticas. Y lo cierto es que me ha sorprendido. Leonardo tiene voluntad de estilo, es muy fácil de leer, es literario, y tiene unas ideas bastante interesantes. El Parangón de las artes es la discusión ciencias-letras-artes del Renacimiento, y Leonardo argumenta que la pintura es una ciencia y que es un arte superior a la poesía, la música y la escultura; con argumentos bastante cogidos por los pelos mirados desde la actualidad, pero bueno, pensemos que se le había hecho mucho bullying a la pintura a lo largo de la historia. Y lo curioso es que lo hace poniendo un pie en las ideas de Platón y de Aristóteles, ¡que defendieron justo lo contrario! Es muy interesante cómo Platón está tan presente en este autor, casi 2000 años después, y cómo es tan adaptable para sostener la postura contraria.
Recomendable si queréis conocer las ideas estéticas que empezaron a dignificar el arte en el Renacimiento, que acabaron dando lugar al concepto de las "Bellas Artes" en el siglo XVIII, el que conocemos hoy.
Me he leído el Parangón, las primeras 60 páginas, para una exposición de Historia de las ideas estéticas. Y lo cierto es que me ha sorprendido. Leonardo tiene voluntad de estilo, es muy fácil de leer, es literario, y tiene unas ideas bastante interesantes. El Parangón de las artes es la discusión ciencias-letras-artes del Renacimiento, y Leonardo argumenta que la pintura es una ciencia y que es un arte superior a la poesía, la música y la escultura; con argumentos bastante cogidos por los pelos mirados desde la actualidad, pero bueno, pensemos que se le había hecho mucho bullying a la pintura a lo largo de la historia. Y lo curioso es que lo hace poniendo un pie en las ideas de Platón y de Aristóteles, ¡que defendieron justo lo contrario! Es muy interesante cómo Platón está tan presente en este autor, casi 2000 años después, y cómo es tan adaptable para sostener la postura contraria.
Recomendable si queréis conocer las ideas estéticas que empezaron a dignificar el arte en el Renacimiento, que acabaron dando lugar al concepto de las "Bellas Artes" en el siglo XVIII, el que conocemos hoy.
December 11, 2019
Muy interesante leer las palabras y opiniones del propio puño de alguien tan famoso como lo es Leonardo. E libro en si se pone demasiado técnico en algunas partes y no ayudó que las imágenes a las que referenciaba no estuviesen disponibles en la edición que yo leí. También se repetía mucho a sí mismo en ciertos puntos, pero al ser un texto divulgativo imagino que sería para que lo que él creía importante quedase marcado en el cerebro de lo lectores.
No siendo yo el público objetivo de este tratado, véase mi escaso conocimiento sobre pintura, disfruté mucho viendo el mundo desde la perspectiva de da Vinci e imaginando como era su vida en esa época. También me resultó fascinante la parte más filosófica de cuando razona por que cree que la pintura es también una ciencia y la mejor de las artes.
PD: En shock con lo que parece que es un chiste sobre pintores de su época.
No siendo yo el público objetivo de este tratado, véase mi escaso conocimiento sobre pintura, disfruté mucho viendo el mundo desde la perspectiva de da Vinci e imaginando como era su vida en esa época. También me resultó fascinante la parte más filosófica de cuando razona por que cree que la pintura es también una ciencia y la mejor de las artes.
PD: En shock con lo que parece que es un chiste sobre pintores de su época.
November 20, 2017
Брилянтна книга, истинска находка!
June 24, 2020
I'm reading a version which has some notes from Da Vinci quite literally shitting on poets and other kinds of artists other that painters. Very interesting to read but also very infuriating lol.
March 5, 2023
Pure genius.
May 16, 2023
Fajna odskocznia od Platona
Want to read
December 17, 2023Areopagus
July 31, 2025
És súper entretingut veure al Da Vincu argumentant perquè la seva obra és tan bona, el to del llibre es quasi humoristic, és com un avi postulant veritats mentres crítica a tothom a la barra del bar
September 23, 2023
Read pages 20-46, 228-237
September 21, 2016
Puede merecer la pena leer por curiosidad y variedad, pero se hace bastante largo.
Se hace larga la introducción así para empezar. Es una introducción hecha por algún profesor universitario y realmente no aporta nada y se hace muy tediosa.
Lo que es ya el contenido escrito por Leonardo resulta interesante al principio, cuando no se ocupa exclusivamente de la perspectiva o los colores. Cuando trata más la parte no física del arte de la pintura, como por ejemplo la actitud que han de transmitir las figuras pintadas.
En cierto momento si uno no siente una pasión muy grande por la física y la perspectiva, los puntos del tratado empiezan a hacerse muy repetitivos ya hasta el final del libro.
Se hace larga la introducción así para empezar. Es una introducción hecha por algún profesor universitario y realmente no aporta nada y se hace muy tediosa.
Lo que es ya el contenido escrito por Leonardo resulta interesante al principio, cuando no se ocupa exclusivamente de la perspectiva o los colores. Cuando trata más la parte no física del arte de la pintura, como por ejemplo la actitud que han de transmitir las figuras pintadas.
En cierto momento si uno no siente una pasión muy grande por la física y la perspectiva, los puntos del tratado empiezan a hacerse muy repetitivos ya hasta el final del libro.
April 4, 2013
Set of great advices about elementary things in drawing, also support in painting. For me personally, i found many answers on my questions about perspective and solutions for doubts about balance of human figure in move.. it seems like Da Vinci personal observing and i like that kind of narration - close to reader...
June 16, 2013
Lu en français
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June 19, 2016Only read 100 Pages and i'm already HOOKED <3 :D
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews