Communications in Humanities Research

- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences


Communications in Humanities Research

Vol. 9, 31 October 2023


Open Access | Article

Scientific Observations and Pictorial Studies in Leonardo’s Painting Annunciation

Sijia Dong * 1
1 Haileybury School

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Communications in Humanities Research, Vol. 9, 104-109
Published 31 October 2023. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by EWA Publishing
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation Sijia Dong. Scientific Observations and Pictorial Studies in Leonardo’s Painting Annunciation. CHR (2023) Vol. 9: 104-109. DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/9/20231137.

Abstract

This paper examines Leonardo da Vinci’s innovative approach to landscape depiction and use of perspective in his painting, Annunciation. The painting was Leonardo’s first commissioned work, while he was trained in Verrocchio’s workshop as an apprentice. Leonardo’s careful planning of composition and enthusiastic focus on landscape depicting demonstrate his keen interest in scientific exploration. There are three areas in which the paper aims to cover, including the perspective, composition and additional botanical studies, which would demonstrate the artist’s exceptional focus on presenting scientifically accurate results on the painting. Leonardo’s precise studies of perspectives and proportional control can be seen through a series of drawing techniques that he summarised with experiences, including the use of the pyramidal triangle to control the ratios and sizes of the objects. The lateral point also acts as a vertical halving line, where the painting is separated evenly and balanced with symmetrical patterns. As a painter who also mastered mathematics and engineering, Leonardo was capable of applying geometrical shapes in their best positions, where the detailed botanical studies simultaneously achieve the goal of expressing nature’s beauty with art.

Keywords

perspectives, composition, botanical studies

References

1. Zhu, Guangqian. (2015) The History of Western Aesthetics. 1st edn. Sichuan Literature and Art Publishing House, Sichuan.

2. Kemp, M. (1992) The science of art: optical themes in western art from Brunelleschi to Seurat. Revised edn. New Haven: Yale University Press.

3. Rosci, Marco. (1977) Leonardo. Bay Books Pty Ltd.

4. Murray, Peter., Murray, Linda. (1997) Dictionary of Art & Artists. 7th edn. Penguin Reference.

5. De Girolami Cheney, Liana. (2011) Leonardo Da Vinci’s Uffizi Annunciation: The Holy Spirit. Artibus et Historiae, 32(63), 39–53.

6. The Open Scholar, https://uva.theopenscholar.com/neh-institute/leonardos-annunciation-perspective, last accessed 2023/04/26.

7. Leonardo, D.V., Rigaud, J.F., Poussin, N,. William Brown, John. (2002) A treatise on painting. Revised edn. N.Y.: Prometheus Books, Amherst.

8. Kemp, M. (2007) Leonardo da Vinci: the marvellous works of nature and man. Revised edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

9. Voloshinov, A. V. (1996) Symmetry as a Superprinciple of Science and Art. Leonardo 29(2), 109–113.

10. Morley, B. (1979) The Plant Illustrations of Leonardo da Vinci. The Burlington Magazine 121(918), 553–562.

Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries
ISBN (Print)
978-1-83558-041-7
ISBN (Online)
978-1-83558-042-4
Published Date
31 October 2023
Series
Communications in Humanities Research
ISSN (Print)
2753-7064
ISSN (Online)
2753-7072
DOI
10.54254/2753-7064/9/20231137
Copyright
31 October 2023
Open Access
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Copyright © 2023 EWA Publishing. Unless Otherwise Stated