Leonardo Da Vinci has been one of the most influential artist of all time. He was a very scientific and mathematical about his drawings. His understanding of human body and emotions was impressive. His detailed understanding of anatomy and physiognomy made his create masterpieces with a deeper meaning to it by using human forms. In this exhibition you can see some of those examples of humans that Leonardo Da Vinci drew that made him the legendary artist he is considered.
Sheet of Studies [recto], Leonardo da Vinci, probably 1470/1480, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
The artwork looks like a practice sheet in which Leonardo practice drawing humans. The artwork was originally done on laid paper with chalk and brown pen. In this artwork you can see that the artist was working on the expression of the old guy and posture of the other lady. By looking at the eyes drawn on the top left looks identical to the eyes of the old guy. Almost as if he wanted to practice the eyes before drawing it on the man. Same with the lady, it looks as if the artist wanted to practice her posture before drawing the real woman (on bottom the right). The drawing has precise strokes on pen.
Superficial anatomy of the shoulder and neck (recto), Leonardo da Vinci, c.1510, From the collection of: Royal Collection Trust, UK
In this artwork you can actually see how detailed and scientific Leonardo was with his drawings. As the name suggests, in this drawing, you can see the details of the outside of the human being. Every muscle is drawn precisely to be as accurate as possible to a real human. You can also notice the notes he took while drawing for future references. At the left side you can see a detailed drawing of muscles.
Study of Two Warriors' Heads for the Battle of Anghiari, Leonardo da Vinci, ca. 1504–1505, From the collection of: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
This a very interesting drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci. This is a study drawing he did before painting the artwork titled 'Battle of Anghiari'. This artwork is said to be lost. Although the studies remain. This is a study in which Leonardo has paid focused attention on facial lighting and expression.
recto: Study for the Head of a Soldier in the Battle of Anghiari, Leonardo da Vinci, ca. 1504–1505, From the collection of: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
This is another study of a soldier's head Leonardo Da Vinci did for the 'The Battle of Anghiari' artwork. You can see the dramatic lighting on the soldier's face which makes the soldier look in pain but still has a feeling of strength in him. In this artwork, Leonardo Da vinci used shading and hard outlines as opposed to precise strokes he used earlier.
Caricature of a Man with Bushy Hair, Leonardo da Vinci, about 1495, From the collection of: The J. Paul Getty Museum
Leonardo had an obsession with people with strange faces, as they were different from normal human anatomy. This is a caricature of a man that he drew to recreate the person as if he was in real life. His expressions and facial characteristics are exaggerated. The shape of the nose is very interesting in this artwork
Head of Leda, Leonardo da Vinci, c.1504 - c.1506, From the collection of: Royal Collection Trust, UK
This a study of a woman's face Leonardo Da Vinci did for the painting 'Leda and the Swan'. The painting is lost and considered destroyed but the studies were recovered. The painting is of a woman's face tilted to the side and looking down. The hair is drawn to be very detailed. Her hair is braided around in loops and loose.
Study for an equestrian monument (recto), Leonardo da Vinci, c.1485 - c.1490, From the collection of: Royal Collection Trust, UK
This is a study that Leonardo Da Vinci did for a statue. The studied anatomy of animals and humans by Leonardo Da Vinci is exemplified in this study. The horse is raised on his rear legs. The right frontal leg is higher than the left one. The posture of the human on the house co relates with the posture and the apparent movement of the horse. You can see the outlines of alternative postures. The scribbling below the horse represents another human below the horse.
Half-Length Figure of an Apostle, 1493-1495, Leonardo da Vinci, 1493-1595, From the collection of: Albertina Museum
This is a very interesting human face drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci. The artwork was done by a silver pen on a blue prepared paper. The person in the drawing has very mysterious face and interesting facial hair. It appears to be an old man with dense beard, which gets denser towards the chin. He looks like he has gone through a lot in his life. The eyes are very nicely detailed. The drawing is sharp and focused towards the face and gets blurrier further you go from the face
The Last Supper, after Leonardo da Vinci, probably 19th century, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
‘The Last supper’ is one of the most famous paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci. This painting depicts the scene when Jesus Christ announces that one of his followers will kill him today, the scene is very chaotic and everyone is surprised. What is interesting about this painting is that everyone’s expressions and body postures are very appropriate and precise to the situation and even to the personalities of every person and what their role was in the setting of this scene. Every little minor detail was covered in this painting, which gives it a deeper meaning to it.
Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1474/1478, From the collection of: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
This Painting was made by Leonardo Da Vinci to commemorate Ginevra de' Benci's marriage at the age of 16. Her facial features were made to look exactly like she was in the real life. What is interesting is that even though she was beautiful, she had no smile on her face. Her expressions are drawn to be neutral.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
