Essay on Comparison and Contrast Essay Leonardo Da Vinci Versus Michelangelo The Beauty of Painting Versus the Beauty of Sculpture

Art plays an important role in our life. It helps us to see the beauty around us, to forget about troubles and to feel the joy of life. Moreover, the language of art can change our world perception. Art helps us to make our inner world richer and deeper. Art is a medicine for our souls because it can help to avoid sufferings and the consequences of our troubles. Both painting and sculpture are considered to be visual forms of art. Of course, these visual forms of representation have a lot of common features, but at the same time there are many differences between them.

My goal in this essay is to compare and contrast two different types of practice ”“ painting and sculpture. In order to achieve this goal, the works of two artists will be discussed in this paper. I’ve made up my mind to represent Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, two artists whose works are known all over the world. Both of them are representatives of the Italian Renaissance. My choice is connected with my personal relation to this trend in art. I adore the Italian Renaissance and I think that the works of Leonardo da Vinchi and Michelangelo are worth analyzing.

LEONARDO DA VINCI AND HIS ART
Leonardo da Vinci is not only the greatest painter whose works are true masterpieces and attract attention of all the people in the world, he is also known as a talented sculptor, a brilliant engineer and a great architect. In this paper, I will discuss his talent of a painter.

The main feature of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings is that he tried to represent movement in his works while his counterparts showed static figures in their works. It is also known that the greatest master created his personages with accuracy. (Clark & Kemp 12)

During his life, Leonardo da Vinci was not only celebrated but also he was humiliated and all these changes were shown in his works of art. (Clark & Kemp 23)
Some facts from the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was born in the village of Anchiano which was situated not far from the town of Vinci, in 1452.
At the age of 15 he was sent to Florence. He worked in the workroom of Andrea de Verrocchio as an apprentice. At the age of 20 he joined the painters’ guild of Florence. He worked in Milan, in Venice but always returned to Florence. (Pedretti 3)
Among his famous paintings are the following ones:
Ӣ The Virgin of the Rocks (1483);
Ӣ Lady with an Ermine (1485);
Ӣ The Last Supper (1498);
Ӣ The Mona Lisa (1503) and others.
In 1502, he worked as an architect and as an engineer. The son of Pope Alexander VI invited him to represent his ideas.
In 1516, he worked for the king of France.
Leonardo Da Vinci died in 1519, and he was buried in France.(Pedretti 21)
The Mona Lisa. Description of the painting
The Mona Lisa is one of the masterpieces of Leonardo Da Vinci, an oil painting which is sometimes called La Gioconda.(See Fig.1)
The Portrait of
Mona Lisa,
Musee de Louvre, 1503
Paris

Fig.1
According to the historical data, the painting was commissioned by one of the merchants whose name was Francisco del Giocondo who wanted the painter to depict his wife Lisa. The painter started this work in 1503 and it was completed only in 1529 due to some serious reasons. (Clark & Kemp 51)
Leonardo Da Vinci depicted the figure of the young woman who is dresses according to the Florentine fashion. A wonderful mountainous landscape is in the background of the picture. It is known that it is Leonardo Da Vinci’s technique of shading modelings which is called sfumato technique. The painter uses interaction between the light and the shade in his work. Moreover, it is not clear what the time of the day is depicted. This uncertainty is one of the components of this technique. The mysterious expression of the young woman gave the picture its world-wide fame. The Mona Lisa has a gentle slight smile which creates a special and rather delicate atmosphere of the whole picture. (Pedretti 37)
MICHELANGELO AND HIS ART
Michelanchelo is a famous Italian sculptor and architect. He is also known for his paintings and poems. The works of this talented person were greatly appreciated not only by his contemporaries but also by the modern experts. The most famous works include his wonderful fresco ceiling in Sistine Chapel, the magnificent the Last Judgment over the altar, The Conversion of St. Paul and one more work ”“ the Martyrdom of St. Peter in the Vatican Capella Paolita.