There are few artists more beloved in all of the history of western art than the three we're studying for today. The image of the Mona Lisa may be the most famous of all, having made its mark on our collective psyche in ways we don't even realize. Her creator, Leonardo da Vinci,was a true "Renaissance man," being a scientist, an engineer, and an artist; in fact, he felt toward the end of his life that he had failed because he had undertaken so many projects without finishing them. If a man like that can feel like a failure, imagine how the rest of us must feel (or not!). I'm inviting you to browse through an online museum of his works. Begin with the paintings, paying particular attention to the Annunciation and the Last Supper appears in the paintings during the 1490s. We have some of his drawings in the Bartlett selection; more of them appear through this website. I find the drawings of engineering themes to be particularly interesting.

Turning now to Raphael, I want you to begin with the early, pre-1504 paintings, and look at the "Spozalizio," translated as the Engagement of the Virgin Mary. This is important not only as a work of art, but as a piece of social history, depicting a ceremony that was customary in Renaissance Italy. Raphael's Madonnas are the most beautiful ever painted, some people say. Both sections of the Florentine paintings demonstrate Raphael's love for this theme, and the first painting in the second group, painted in 1507-1508, is the one that Vasari describes at length in his biography.

For Michaelangelo, who perhaps is the most celebrated of all three, I want you to look at the Sistine Chapel frescoes. On the sculpture page, look at the David, the Tomb of Pope Julius II, and the Tomb of the Medici. Compare Michelangelo's David with the Donatello we saw on Wednesday.

Homework Questions:

1. In what ways would you consider Leonardo to be a true scientis? How might his approach conflict with the modern definition of science? What kinds of issues seem to concern him most? What do you think about these issues and his approach to resolving them?
2. Toward the beginning of Vasari's account of Raphael's life, he writes that great artists are almost like mortal gods, yet toward the end he comments that Raphael lived more as a prince than a painter. Comment on the complex picture Vasari gives us of Raphael as a man and as an artist. What were his virtues, and what were his weaknesses?
3. In looking at the account of Michelangelo's relationship with Julius II, what impression does it give you of the Renaissance papacy? What do Vasari's anecdotes tell us about Michelangelo's character, and his sense of himself as an artist? Look for clues about Michelangelo's personality and beliefs.

Laurel Carrington carringt@stolaf.edu
Most recent update: March 19, 2008

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