Leonardo's Style

Before taking a closer look at Leonardo’s works in Florence, this orb will serve as an introduction to distinctive aspects of Leonardo’s style: chiaroscuro, sfumato, and linear perspective. These effects can be seen to varying degrees in all of Leonardo’s paintings which survive to date, which are surprisingly few in number.

Though the exact number can be a matter of debate among art historians due to questions of attribution, authenticity, and the involvement of Leonardo's pupils in some of his works, the number stands at less than 20. Here is a list of 10 that enjoy broad consensus, in order of when they are thought to have been painted (between 1472 and 1516).

• - Annunciation
  • The Baptism of Christ
  • Ginevra de' Benci
  • The Adoration of the Magi
  • The Virgin of the Rocks (Louvre Version)
  • The Last Supper
  • The Virgin of the Rocks (London Version)
  • Mona Lisa or La Gioconda
  • The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
  • Saint John the Baptist

Prior to the Renaissance, medieval art in Europe was often characterized by flat, two-dimensional representations. But as the Renaissance era re-embraced classical perspectives, there was a surge in portraying realism, anatomical accuracy, and nature.

This wasn't merely an aesthetic trend; it coincided with scientific interests in optics and light behavior. Chiaroscuro, meaning 'light-dark' in Italian, became the artistic answer to these pursuits by the late 15th century.

Through chiaroscuro, artists aspired to depict light's realistic interplay with objects on a 2D canvas, giving subjects a tangible presence.

This effect is best known from the Baroque period (late 16th to 17th century), exemplified by artists like Caravaggio (such as in his work, 'The Calling of Saint Matthew").

Some of the earliest examples, however, are from 15th-century Florence and Umbria. In da Vinci’s works, we can see how chiaroscuro started as faint tone gradations, which would intensify in later movements.

Another painting technique that Leonardo da Vinci employed and refined was 'Sfumato'.

The term 'sfumato,' is derived from the Italian verb 'sfumare,' which means 'to fade' or 'to smoke'.

This method is characterized by subtle, almost imperceptible transitions between colors and tones, resulting in the softening of the contours of objects within the painting, intentionally blurring distinctions, and obscuring hard edges.

Unlike the bolder, clearly defined lines seen in earlier Renaissance art, sfumato can subtly capture the interplay of light and shadow on the canvas, giving painted subjects a lifelike, three-dimensional quality. It works particularly well in reproducing the nuances of human skin and the play of light on facial features. In the 'Mona Lisa,' for instance, the sfumato technique creates a soft gradation in the corners of her eyes and mouth.

Leonardo’s distinctive style, including his use of chiaroscuro and sfumato, is easier to get a sense of through comparison to his contemporaries.

A key point of contrast, for example, stands between Leonardo's style and that of Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510), who was active in Florence in the same period. The two painters would have been aware of each other's works and possibly had some interactions.

In contrast to da Vinci, Botticelli's work emphasized decorative elegance. Botticelli's figures, whether they're ethereal deities in works like 'The Birth of Venus' or religious figures, are typically elongated and rendered with well-defined contours, crisp outlines, and a certain flatness.

There's an otherworldly quality to Botticelli's representations, where figures seem to float, embodying a graceful idealism. Botticelli's use of color is vibrant, and the mood of his paintings is often harmonious and lyrical.

In contrast, Leonardo, through the use of 'sfumato,' pursued depth, atmosphere, and realism.

An important development in art during the 15th century was that of 'linear perspective': a technique aimed to capture the 3D world on a 2D plane. Central to linear perspective is the 'vanishing point'.

When observing parallel lines, like the sides of a road, they appear to converge as they stretch into the distance. This illusory meeting point, when utilized in art, gives an illusion of depth.

In the 1420s, Filippo Brunelleschi, an architect, demonstrated the principles of linear perspective through an ingenious experiment. Brunelleschi painted a picture of the Florence Baptistery on a panel. On the back of this panel, he made a small hole. Observers were asked to stand behind the panel and look through the small hole. From this vantage point, they would see the painting on the other side.

Because of the hole's position and the use of linear perspective in the painting, the painting appeared three-dimensional, as if they were looking at the real Baptistery through a tiny window. To verify its accuracy, Brunelleschi had viewers compare this with the actual view of the Baptistery reflected in a mirror. The painting and the real-world reflection — matched, highlighting the effectiveness of his technique.

Leon Battista Alberti, a polymath and a contemporary of Brunelleschi, took inspiration from Brunelleschi's foundational work in perspective.

In 1435, Alberti wrote, 'Della Pittura' (On Painting), a comprehensive treatise that not only elucidated the mathematical and geometric principles of linear perspective but also discussed its philosophical and artistic implications.

One of its key concepts was the 'pictorial plane,' a theoretical plane that is perpendicular to the viewer's line of sight. He explained how objects could be systematically scaled and positioned on this plane to create a coherent and realistic sense of depth.

With this knowledge, figures like Leonardo da Vinci, who began his artistic career in the late 15th century, employed linear perspective to craft artworks with a profound sense of space and realism.