and more even. He decided to make an image that would terrify anyone who saw it. Leonardo searched the countryside for live animals. Into his room he brought “crawling reptiles, green lizards, crickets, snakes, butterflies, locusts, bats, and other strange species of this kind, and by adapting various parts of this multitude, he created a most horrible and frightening monster emerging from a dark and broken rock, spewing forth poison from its open mouth, fire from its eyes, and smoke from its nostrils so strangely that it seemed a monstrous and dreadful thing indeed” (Vasari 288). He studied the animals and insects so carefully andpainted themwith suchattention to detail that he did not notice the awful smell of them. When Ser Piero came to pick up the finished shield, Leonardo played a trick on him. He set the shield on his easel so that it would be the correct height of the monster. Then he closed the curtains so that the painting was seen in a dim light. His father, not expecting a trick, entered the room and was immediately aware of the awful smell. Then he saw a horrible beast! He gasped and turned to leave. Leonardo laughed and said, “Take it away, for this was the intended effect” (Vasari 289). Ser Piero laughed too. He thought the
work was fabulous and sold it for a large sum of money. Everyone loved Leonardo da Vinci. He had incredible talent, but he also had a sense of humor and curiosity that people enjoyed. LeonardodaVincistayedcurious during his entire lifetime. He studied the human body, stars, planets, plants, and the earth. He designed inventions and drew plans for mills, canals, and building structures. He used paint in new ways that marked the change from the Gothic artists to theRenaissance artists.
Study of two Dragons by Leonardo da Vinci.
31
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online