Da Vinci: The Epitome of the Renaissance

The Mona Lisa: Leonardo Da Vinci
The Renaissance was an era of advancement and metamorphosis. There are guardians of the Renaissance, patrons of the arts and ideas, and the bearers of those ideas. These Renaissance Men were the epitome of the personality destined to bring about change. The ideas that he birthed did not consume him, he mastered them for his own ends. Leonardo Da Vinci is one of these true Renaissance Men because he owned and impacted the Renaissance in opposition to the more common being owned and impacted by the Renaissance. While wandering the exhibits of the ideas that were conceived in Da Vinci’s himself’s mind there is an awed silence. The array of works by Da Vinci range from gorgeous pieces that are enjoyed by many to machinery that initiated the steady forward movement of an entire culture. But each piece leaves its mark on the viewer because each is Leonardo’s vision alone. Da Vinci’s versatility and individuality add to his utopian Renaissance persona. His works turned out both scientific and artistic as he tested his strengths. Da Vinci was a Renaissance man because he stepped forward in a crowd of receding individuals not just to steal the show but to keep the limelight on the stage reeking of newly reborn curiosity and independence. His works reflect his power over himself and his era. He did not work for just commission but for change, no matter how his patrons discouraged. Most portraits were painted in profile, but his most famous painting stares directly at the viewer, head on. Men had barely begun to sail long distances, and Da Vinci had designed a hang glider in which to fall from the skies. Some were most likely surprised, outraged, or dismayed at his tenacity. But he stood with pride and a biting humor (“If you wish me to find a man as wicked as Judas in face so quickly, I would be happy to paint your foul tempered, pious messenger.”) Da Vinci was a true Renaissance man because of his attitude and his strength. His work is there to testify to the few skeptical of his influence on all of the Renaissance. There is no way to argue with a piece that stares right at you instead of passively at the wall.