Art Theories of Leonardo and Michelangelo

Although, Leonardo was known for his engineering inventions and Michelangelo for sculpture, it is with certainty, that Leonardo and Michelangelo were the famous painters of the Italian Renaissance.  It is interesting to discover that both artists, Leonardo and Michelangelo, wrote down their art theories, their views and beliefs about nature and their methods in how they created their paintings.

 

Leonardo had a profound belief in the value of experiment and of direct observation that he saw in the human body, in plants and in the formation of rocks.  Furthermore, Leonard understood painting as a science because of its foundation on mathematical perspectives and the study of nature. While on the other hand, Michelangelo believed that profound beauty was found in the human body, the visible universe present in nature and in spiritual and the divine.  According to Michelangelo, the eye was the most important vehicle to motivate the artist to create and for the viewer to contemplate the divine beauty that was inspired from God.  In contrast, Leonardo was deeply opposed to speculation not based on experiment and believed that painting depended on th

e eye, which could be easily deceived, and through actual measurements and principles of geometry ensured the eye’s judgments.

As for their painting methods, Michelangelo relied on his imagination and individual inspiration rather than on obedience to any fixed standards of beauty.  Oppositely, Leonardo believe that what he created must always have the exact foundation and justification in nature, and therefore fill his mind with images based on the exact knowledge of nature so that the imagination would have a solid foundation for its inventions.

As time progressed, the artists painting methods changed as well.  Michelangelo interest became more focused on the inward mental image that transcends everything which can be found in the visible world.  Too, Michelangelo believed that love of physical beauty lost its strength and true love that of spiritual beauty gave perfect satisfaction as it does not fade with time and elevates the mind to the contemplation of the divine.  Whereas, Leonardo was always interested in the contrast of the beautiful and ugly found the in the characteristics of the individual, a fixed rule of proportion that should be applied to all limbs of the body, and the language of gestures and facial expressions to convey the emotions and ideas in a person’s mind.

In conclusion, both, Leonardo and Michelangelo, offered valuable instruction to artists that followed in the master’s footsteps by combining the inspiration from nature and the divine with the exactness of proportions, gestures and expressions that is found in all life forms.