So, hi. Hello, and welcome back.
I pre-ordered a book a long time ago, and completely forgot that it was even being shipped. It’s called, “Da Vinci’s Ghost – Genius, obsession, and how Leonardo Created the World in His Own Image.”
Lo and behold, it was a pleasent surprise when I got the email saying it shipped 2 weeks ago. It finally appeared on my doorstop, and I’ve been obsessed with reading it ever since; you know a book is going to be good when it has you asking questions from page 1. It pretty much becomes a complete mind and brain suck by that point in time… in a good way.
The Vitruvian Man, for those who may not know it by its correct name, is Da Vinci’s famous drawing of the symetrical man with 4 legs and 4 arms…. oh yeah, and he’s naked too. There’s more of a back history to this piece but I’ll spare you the details. I wanted this to be a short post… (I’m silently telling myself ‘good luck with that’…)
It’s amazing how one person’s name can make a drawing or piece of artwork into something that’s viewed as magnificent and mysterious. ONE NAME.
Would Vitruvian Man really be that exquisite or mesmerizing of a drawing, as the book describes it, if it wasn’t attached to Da Vinci’s name? What if your friend drew it? Your (freakishly talented) kid?
How can ONE symmetrical drawing of a man completely embody “the beauty of the human body, the creative potential of the human mind, the universality of the human spirit, the power of geometry and mathematics, the grandeur of art and the ideals of the Renaissance”?
Artwork is so subjective; you view a piece, and it speaks to you. I’ve seen tons of fantastic artists create things that could silently slip into the portfolio of a famous artist within the blink of an eye. But because it came from “them” and not “THE famous artist” it struggles in being something that evokes grandeur and beauty in the hearts of the masses.
Just something to think about, is all. Now, by no means am I down-talking this work of art, but I can’t help but think… if I saw this piece at an amateur art show, would I think it was a diamond in the rough? Would I feel my soul being swept away and consumed by all of the elements this piece apparently embodies according to the book? Is a piece of art really JUST a name in tangible form?