The Story Represented in This Picture.
How “The Last Supper” Was Painted.
The Composition of This Picture.
The Boyhood of Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo and His Pets.
Talents of Leonardo.
Manhood of Leonardo.
=The story of the artist.= Leonardo da Vinci was born in the little
village called Vinci, about twenty miles from Florence, Italy. His
father was a country lawyer of considerable wealth.
Very little is known of Leonardo’s boyhood, except that he grew up on
his father’s estate and early displayed remarkable talents. He was
good-looking, strong, energetic, and an excellent student. He was
especially good in arithmetic, and liked to make up problems of his own
which even his teacher found interesting and difficult. Above all he
loved to wander out in the great forest near the palace and to tame
lizards, snakes, and many kinds of animals. Here he invented a lute upon
which he played wonderful music of his own composing. Then, too, he sang
his own songs and recited his own poems.
He loved to draw and paint because he could both represent the things he
loved and use his inventive genius as well. He seemed to be gifted along
so many lines, and was of such an inquiring mind, that it was difficult
for him to work long enough at one thing to finish it. We read of him as
musician, poet, inventor, scientist, philosopher, and last, but most
important to us—as artist.
When he was fifteen years old he made some sketches which were so very
clever that his father took them to a great artist, Verrocchio, who was
delighted with them and was glad to take Leonardo as his pupil. The
story is told that when Verrocchio was painting a large picture he asked
Leonardo to paint one of the angels in the background. The boy spent
much time and study on this work, and finally succeeded in painting an
angel which was so beautiful that the rest of the picture seemed
commonplace. It is said that Verrocchio felt very sad at the thought
that a mere boy could surpass him, and declared he would paint no more
pictures, but would devote his life to design and sculpture.
One time one of the servants of the castle brought Leonardo’s father a
round piece of wood and asked him to have his son paint something on it
that would make it suitable for a shield, like the real shields that
hung in the castle hall. Leonardo wanted to surprise his father. So he
made a collection of all the lizards, snakes, bats, dragonflies, and
toads that he could find and painted a picture, in which he combined
their various parts, making a fearful dragon breathing out flame and
just ready to spring from the shield. Coming suddenly upon the shield on
his son’s easel, the father was indeed startled. Studying the picture
carefully, he declared it was far too valuable a present for the
servant; so another shield had to be painted and the first was sold at a
great price. No one knows what finally became of it.
Leonardo spent seven years with Verrocchio; then he opened a studio of
his own in Florence, Italy.
Later Pope Leo X invited him to Rome to paint for him, but most of his
work there was left unfinished. The story is told of how one day the
pope found him busily engaged in making a new kind of varnish with which
to finish his picture. “Alas,” said the pope, “this man will do nothing,
for he thinks of finishing his picture before he begins it.”
From Rome, Leonardo went to Milan, where, with the Duke of Milan as
patron, he painted his masterpiece, “The Last Supper.” He also made a
model for an equestrian statue which, though never executed, was
regarded as equal to anything the Greeks had ever done.
Leonardo da Vinci proved to be a great addition to the duke’s court; his
fine appearance and his many talents made him very popular indeed. He
played skillfully on a beautiful silver lyre and charmed the people with
his music and songs. He also helped the duke found and direct the
Academy at Milan, and gave lectures there on art and science. So his
time was divided, as usual, among his many interests.
When the duke was driven out of Milan by the new French king, Leonardo
spent several years in Florence, where he painted the famous “Mona
Lisa,” and other portraits. Then followed a few years of travel through
Italy. At the request of the French king, Francis I, Leonardo joined his
court in France, and there he spent the last years of his life, regarded
with great reverence and respect, and loved by all.
Among the other great pictures painted by Leonardo da Vinci are: “Mona
Lisa,” “The Christ,” “Madonna of the Rocks,” “St. Anne,” and “John the
Baptist.”
=Questions about the artist.= Tell what you can of the boyhood of
Leonardo da Vinci. What talents did he have? How did these sometimes
prevent his completing his work? Tell the legend about the angel he
painted for Verrocchio; the wooden shield. What did the pope say of
Leonardo? why? Where was “The Last Supper” painted? In what way was
Leonardo an addition to the duke’s court? How was Leonardo regarded as a
sculptor? What are some of his most famous paintings?
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[Illustration]