Leonardo da Vinci
The most perfect representation of the Renaissance
Modern scholars call Leonardo "the most perfect representative of the Renaissance".
He is a unique all-rounder in human history.
His greatest achievement was painting,
His masterpieces such as "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper",
Reflecting his superb artistic attainments,
Combining his paintings and tattoos,
Undoubtedly a huge challenge.
Dance, Henri Matisse
Style: Fauvism
Created: 1910
The painting depicts five dancing figures, painted an intense red against a very simple green landscape and a deep blue sky. It reflects Matisse's initial fascination with primitive art and uses a classic Fauvist palette: intense warm tones against a cool blue-green background, the rhythm of dancing nudes continuously conveys feelings of emotional liberation and hedonism . The painting is often associated with the "Dance of the Maidens" from Igor Stravinsky's famous 1913 musical The Rite of Spring. The composition or arrangement of the dancing figures is reminiscent of Blake's watercolours Oberon, Titania and Parker in Dancing with the Fairies.
Dance is recognized as "a pivotal point in the development of (Matisse's) career and modern painting". It is located in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Scream, Edvard Munch
Leonardo da Vinci
Starry Night, Van Gogh
Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci
Created: 1503
Style: Renaissance
Who the Mona Lisa is portraying is still unclear, and art historians have discussed a number of possibilities. Many believe the lady in the painting is the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk dealer and government official. This theory comes from a sentence Leonardo da Vinci said in his later years, referring to a portrait of "a Florentine lady commissioned by the giant Giulio Medici".
Leonardo da Vinci's first biographer said that the Mona Lisa had a real person, a wife of Francesco del Giocondo. Giocondo did exist, a wealthy Florentine businessman who was also powerful in local politics. Little is known about his wife Lisa Giocondo today. In fact there is no historical record that she was Medici's lover or that Leonardo was referring to her.
Da Vinci later had a sentence that caused some confusion. In this sentence he refers to the Mona Lisa and a portrait of Francisco dell Giorcando. Hence the controversial theory that the Mona Lisa was a man.
