There are few people in the world that haven’t heard the name of Leonardo Da Vinci. The Italian artist and inventor who created some of the most memorable pieces of art of all time, much of which is extremely highly coveted even to this day.
Da Vinci was a man that represented the Renaissance in its entirety: a time where free thinking, art movements, and invention were the staple of the era. It was a time that set a precedent for a revolution of invention, discovery, and technology that was so impactful on the world that it changed the way we approached the things that we create.
But why was Da Vinci so famous, and what set him apart from the thousands of other artists that have gained fame throughout history, and why it can still be found in many modern industries, from video games to betting sites?
Most art critics agree that one of Da Vinci’s greatest gifts in terms of his art is being able to create unique effects on how viewers feel when looking at it – and the phenomena is now understood as Da Vinci’s ability to add a scientific approach to everything that he created.
A prime example lies with the fact that he was and still is one of the few artists in history that was able to master the concept of the ‘vanishing point’, which relies on creating a sense of depth and dimensionality to a piece of work that is otherwise a two-dimensional image. This is done by creating strong diagonal lines that intersect in the background of the painting and give it a depth that few others have been able to master.
The Last Supper is the perfect example of the vanishing point concept: while many focus on Jesus, his disciples, and everything that’s going on at the table, the real skill comes in with what’s happening behind them. The room that Jesus and his disciples are in appears in a three-dimensional perspective with proper realism and symmetry, showing how the walls behind them converge inward.
Da Vinci was an artist that wasn’t afraid to experiment with different perspectives to create impressions of places and people that art students spend countless years attempting to replicate The Mona Lisa, for example, is simply a painting of a woman against a simple background.
But many viewers have described their experience with the painting as eerie, and this is because of the way Da Vinci was able to make it as lifelike as possible, quite the feat when we consider that it’s no more than a flat, 2D creation. This is a phenomenon that can only be experience when viewing the Mona Lisa directly, and reproductions are unable to truly capture the effect.
While most of the more famous art released today is done digitally, it can be difficult to understand why Da Vinci’s work would have any kind of profound impact. But his technique, style, and experimentation gave rise to a movement of art ethic that many of today’s artists draw directly from in one way or another in various mediums like film, paintings, and even music.