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Quote by Walter Isaacson

“. . . Leonardo's hatching was distinctive because his lines started on the lower right and moved upward to the left, like this: \\. Today this style has an added advantage: the left-handed hatching in a drawing is evidence that it was made by Leonardo.”

Quote by Walter Isaacson

Work

Leonardo da Vinci

This book delves into the life of Leonardo da Vinci, exploring his contributions to art, science, and engineering. It examines his renowned paintings, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, as well as his scientific inquiries and innovative ideas. more

Author

Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson is a renowned American author and biographer. Known for his in-depth research and vivid storytelling, he has written biographies about historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs. His works not only detail the lives and achievements of these individuals but also delve into their inner worlds and thoughts. more

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“When mastering drapery drawings in Verrocchio's studio, Leonardo also pioneered sfumato, the technique of blurring contours and edges. It is a way for artists to render objects as they appear to our eye rather than with sharp contours. This advance caused Vasari to proclaim Leonardo the inventor of the 'modern manner' in painting, and the art historian Ernst Gombrich called sfumato 'Leonardo's famous invention, the blurred outline and mellowed colors that allow one form to merge with another and always leave something to our imagination.' The term 'sfumato' derives from the Italian word for 'smoke,' or more precisely the dissipation and gradual vanishing of smoke into thin air . . . With no sharp lines, enigmatic glances and smiles can flicker mysteriously.”

“Someone interrupted him: "Modern art was a movement directed against the bourgeoisie and against its world." "Yes," said Jaromil, "but if it had really been logical in its negation of the contemporary world, it would have had to reckon with its own disappearance. It would have had to know—and it would have had to wish—that the revolution would create a totally new kind of art, an art in its own image." "So you approve," said the woman with the alto voice, "of pulping Baudelaire's poetry, prohibiting all modern literature, and shoving the cubist paintings in the National Gallery into the cellar?" "A revolution is an act of violence," said Jaromil, "that's well known, and surrealism itself knew very well that old-timers have to be brutally kicked off the stage, but it didn't suspect that it was one of them.”