10 best paintings of the great Leonardo da Vinci

*Overview of the best according to the editors of Healthy Food Near Me. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

The great Italian painter, scientist, engineer and musician Leonardo da Vinci was what is called the “universal man”. His genius was not limited to one area of ​​knowledge, extending to almost all directions available during the Late Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance.

Da Vinci’s legacy includes a huge number of works of art. He left behind at least 200 paintings and frescoes, as well as an incredible number of sketches (including, for example, the Vitruvian Man). Many of them are known all over the world – like, for example, “Mona Lisa”; others – such as the “Annunciation” and “Baptism” – are famous only among connoisseurs of medieval art. But each picture is a real masterpiece.

And for those who want to touch the beauty, we have collected the 10 best paintings of the great Leonardo da Vinci.

10 best paintings of the great Leonardo da Vinci

“Annunciation”

Rating: 4.1

The Annunciation is one of the first paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. It was supposedly written in 1472-1475, when the future brilliant artist was just studying painting, working in the studio of his teacher, Verrocchio. By the way, they jointly created the painting “The Baptism of Christ”, but it is in the “Annunciation” that the style of the great master is manifested.

It is the Annunciation that demonstrates exactly how da Vinci worked with volume and perspective. The foreground of the picture is rather “heavy”, because it is made in dark ocher tones and has a strict geometry. On the “frontal” part of the canvas there are many straight and inclined lines that create a feeling of intimacy. In addition, thanks to them, a tough realistic perspective is formed.

Such a composition follows the traditional style of “windwind prisoner” for medieval artists. He metaphorically demonstrates the virginity of the Virgin Mary, demonstrating a flowering garden framed by some kind of walls. In the foreground of the painting is the kneeling archangel Gabriel, standing on a lawn with plants. But it is closed from the background by a wall.

The background itself is traditional for the works of da Vinci. It demonstrates a landscape, as if shrouded in haze and therefore seems light and airy. But at the same time, the background is very detailed – there was a place for tree crowns, and for a river, and for a port city with towers and masts of ships.

“John the Baptist” (Giovanni Battista)

Rating: 4.2

The painting “John the Baptist”, written in 1514-1516, refers to the late period of Leonardo da Vinci’s work as an artist. It demonstrates the author’s departure from religious subjects. Despite the fact that John the Baptist himself is, without a doubt, a biblical character, in the picture he is depicted in an incredibly non-standard way.

This is largely due to the fact that in his later paintings, da Vinci “fell in love” with a contrasting dark background and smoufato, a special artistic technique in which the outlines of objects and objects in the picture soften, conveying the surrounding air.

Despite the uniquely unusual pose of John the Baptist with a finger raised and a smile no less mysterious and playful than that of Gioconda, the details of the canvas demonstrate that this is a biblical character. Woolen clothes, long hair, thin cane cross. The raised right hand, combined with the line of the shoulders, enhances the motif of the cross in the painting.

Nevertheless, the very image of John the Baptist as pampered and even effeminate demonstrates that at the end of the creative period, Leonardo da Vinci moved away from the classical style. In fact, this picture fits more into the concept of mannerism.

The English art critic Walter Pater, analyzing the painting “John the Baptist” in his work “Renaissance”, called the smile of the depicted character “treacherous”.

“Madonna Benois” (“Madonna with a Flower”) (Madonna Benois)

Rating: 4.3

And again we return to the early work of Leonardo da Vinci. The Benois Madonna is one of the most famous paintings of the Renaissance, as it demonstrates the departure of painters from the classical style and the beginning of the praising of spiritual beauty through bodily beauty.

“Madonna Benois” was written as part of a diptych in 1478-1480. Some art historians suggest that these paintings are the first created by da Vinci on his own, without the participation of Verrocchio or other students of his school. The artist’s own style, manifested through the contrast of dark and warm shades, as well as airy “backdrops”, is already manifested in this work – but, nevertheless, it is described in the classical approaches characteristic of Florentine authors of the XNUMXth century.

The plot of the picture is highly controversial. The religious scene is presented as everyday, without excessive pomposity. The Madonna is dressed in the latest Florentine fashion of the late XNUMXth century and wears a trendy hairstyle. She plays with the baby, her son, holding out to him a bunch of cruciferous plants, which are considered a symbol of the Christian faith. And he takes it like a toy.

In part, this approach made the Benois Madonna incredibly famous. She later inspired both Italian and Dutch artists. For example, both Raphael and Lorenzo di Credi in their works portrayed the Madonna as a young mother, a contemporary of the artists, sitting in “three-quarters”, with a dark photon and a small window on the “back”.

«Мадонна в скалах» (The Virgin of the Rocks)

Rating: 4.4

“Madonna in the Rocks” is not one, but two whole paintings that have almost the same plot and composition. Both were painted by Leonardo da Vinci, but at different times. The first version was created in 1483-1486 and is large in size – it is 8 cm higher than the second. The second, the so-called “London”, was written in the early 1500s. According to art historians, Leonardo da Vinci worked on it together with the de Predi brothers.

The London Version demonstrates how meticulously da Vinci approached his paintings. After infrared research, it turned out that the “Madonna in the Rocks” was written on top of another canvas with a religious plot – a kneeling woman with a baby in her hands. Also on the “London” version, many edits were found that were made by the author himself.

The plot of the picture shows the kneeling Virgin Mary, patronizingly laying her hand on the child depicted by John the Baptist. On the right side is the baby Jesus, blessing them with the support of a winged angel. The gentle, calm scene contrasts with the gloomy cliffs in the background.

Due to the fact that the composition is made in the form of a pyramid, “Madonna in the Rocks” is often used by modern writers to demonstrate various conspiracy theories. For example, she appears in the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It is also mentioned by science fiction writer Paul Andersen in the story “Light”.

“Portrait of a musician” (Ritratto di musico)

Rating: 4.5

In the 1490s, Leonardo da Vinci began work on the painting “Portrait of a Musician”, but did not have time to finish it. True, nothing in this canvas demonstrates its incompleteness. Perhaps some lines are not as blurred as in other paintings – but this does not attract attention, since the artist, with his characteristic work with color and light, accentuates the composition on the face of the depicted character.

Actually, it was possible to understand who is depicted on the canvas only in the middle of the XNUMXth century. Prior to this, it was believed that the character of the picture is Duke Gian Galeazzo, the poet Petrarch, or another representative of the Milanese authorities, Lodovico Moro. In favor of the latest version, they also said that the wife of this duke, Beatrice d’Este, was portrayed by a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci – Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis.

In the XNUMXth century, the painting was restored, cleaning the paint layer from dirt. After that, the words Cantum Angelicum and musical symbols appeared on the sheet of paper that the character is holding in his hands. So it was possible to understand that it depicts the tablature of the “Angelic Song”. And the character of the picture is not a duke or a poet, but a musician. Now art historians are arguing about which one.

“The Virgin and Child with Saint Anna” (Sant’Anna, la Madonna, il Bambino)

Rating: 4.6

Despite the fact that this painting belongs to the late works of da Vinci, it depicts the classic plot of “Anna-threesome”. However, it was not distributed in Italy, so it is impossible to accuse the artist of plagiarism.

“Anna-three” implies the image of the three main personalities of the Christian religion – St. Anna, mother of the Virgin Mary; directly to the Virgin Mary; and her son, Jesus Christ. As a rule, they sit on each other’s laps, showing the effect of mise en abyme.

Leonardo da Vinci deviated a little from the classic “Anna threesome” concept by showing the Virgin Mary sitting on her mother’s lap and Jesus playing nearby. History has shown that the artist was very interested in the plot – he created a huge number of sketches. The painting itself was created over a period of more than 10 years, but at the same time, many details on it turned out to be unfinished.

As in the “Madonna in the Rocks”, the central composition of the canvas has the shape of a pyramid. However, the elements are smoother and more rounded. The painting itself, like many other works by da Vinci, is devoid of the solemnity characteristic of canvases on religious themes. Instead, she has a certain intimacy that some viewers may feel uncomfortable looking at.

It is interesting that some art historians saw criticism of the church in the work. The child Jesus in the composition hugs a lamb, which symbolizes the future Passion of Christ. The mother, the Virgin Mary, is trying to take her son away from the lamb. But Saint Anna does not allow her to do this. Thus, art historians believe that da Vinci in this picture was trying to say that the church would not allow the absence of the Passion of Christ.

“Beautiful Ferroniera” (La belle ferronnière)

Rating: 4.7

The “Beautiful Ferroniera”, written at the end of the XNUMXth century, is still the subject of controversy among art historians. It is impossible to establish its authorship precisely – perhaps it belongs to da Vinci himself or to one of his students. Some negligence speaks in favor of the latter, the absence of the blurring of details characteristic of the author and the emphasis on decorations. However, the painting definitely came out of da Vinci’s workshop.

The painting itself is a half-length portrait depicting a woman seated three-quarters. Despite the fact that she is turned towards the viewer, the heroine’s gaze is taken away. The woman wears a large amount of jewelry, including a feronniere tied in the Lombard fashion.

The parapet, located at the bottom of the picture and seemingly cutting off the figure, is part of the plan – in Milanese portraiture in those days it was fashionable to add this element. However, some art historians – including Viktor Grashchenkov – have a different opinion. According to them, the parapet was added in order to hide the unsuccessfully turned out hands, which were originally part of the picture.

Both the name and the character of the picture remain a mystery. The very phrase “Beautiful Ferroniera” is written on the canvas. Art historians believe that the painting depicts either the daughter of a wealthy metal merchant, or the lover of the French king Francis I, or the wife of the lawyer Jean Ferron. Or simply the name is given in honor of the very decoration that is on the forehead of the character.

“Dama con l’ermellino” (Dama con l’ermellino)

Rating: 4.8

Another picture, the authorship of which is somewhat doubted by art critics. Nevertheless, the canvas is fully consistent with the style of Leonardo da Vinci – even the character on it is depicted in three quarters and with a look away from the viewer.

It is assumed that this portrait, made in 1489-1490, depicts Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of the Duke of Milan. This is confirmed by the sonnet of Bernardo Bellincione, who, having seen the picture, was amazed at its beauty and accuracy. In the poem, the poet mentioned that the work belongs directly to da Vinci.

One of the problems with identifying authorship is that The Lady with the Ermine has been subjected to a huge number of edits. She corresponded, the details and fragments changed. However, the central part of the picture – the figure of a woman and the ermine itself – remained practically untouched, demonstrating the high skill of work.

X-ray examination made it possible to identify exactly which parts were corrected. So, the background was completely repainted – it looks like it was originally dark blue, but then it was changed to black; they also covered up the window behind the lady’s left shoulder. It is assumed that this was done by Eugène Delacroix, who in the 1830s-1870s carried out “repairs” of the painting.

The picture is saturated with symbolism. The ermine is a heraldic animal, it is often depicted on the coats of arms and flags of various kingdoms. The lady herself has very aristocratic features, and her posture emphasizes some arrogance. Some researchers also caught a sexual connotation – the slit on the sleeve symbolizes the vagina, and the anatomically accurate animal with its clawed paw demonstrates eroticism.

“Madonna Litta” (Madonna Litta)

Rating: 4.9

Another painting by Leonardo da Vinci, in which the artist depicts a religious scene as everyday. In the center of the composition is the Madonna (aka the Virgin Mary), who holds the baby Christ in her arms and breastfeeds him.

The composition reworks the traditional concept of “windwind prisoner”. Although there are no flowers in the picture, there is only a tiny goldfinch held in the pen by the baby Christ, but the Virgin Mary is still depicted as a prisoner. The dark background is the wall of a house or tower, through the windows in which a landscape made in blue tones is viewed.

The painting also demonstrates da Vinci’s traditional work with light. It falls from somewhere in front and above, but at the same time it only illuminates the characters, the rest of the environment is darkened and blurred. But at the same time, even the frontal plan is incredibly detailed. Madonna is dressed in a special dress with slits through which it was supposed to feed the child. Both were sewn up. As a result, Madonna decided to wean her son from her breast. But at the last moment she changed it – one of the cuts was hastily torn off, a few stitches remained on it and fragments of the thread were visible.

It was a dramatic moment when the mother decided to wean her son. But at some point she did not have enough willpower – and she returned to feeding.

«Мона Лиза» («Джоконда») (Portrait of Mona Lisa del Giocondo)

Rating: 5.0

“Mona Lisa” is one of the most famous works of world art in general and Leonardo da Vinci in particular. It was written, according to research, in the years 1503-1505. Depicts, according to art historians, Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, who at the beginning of the XNUMXth century was a wealthy silk merchant in Florence. Now the painting is exhibited in the French Louvre.

One of the most famous elements and symbols of the painting is a slight wandering smile on the face of Mona Lisa. She is found in many works of the great Leonardo da Vinci (for example, in “John the Baptist” or “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anna”), but it was in the “Mona Lisa” that she became perfect. At the same time, some researchers believe that the mysteriousness of a smile is an artificially created cliche, since Vasari in the XNUMXth century called it simply “pleasant”. Romantic writer Théophile Gauthier described it as “the weapon of a vamp woman, with whom it is dangerous to fall in love, but impossible not to fall in love.”

Different researchers saw various symbols in the Gioconda’s smile. Someone defined her as proud, while others – as gentle; both sensual and flirtatious; both cruel and modest. Additionally, the image complicates and makes mysterious the absence of eyebrows and a smoothly shaved forehead. Art critic Boris Vipper says that all these interpretations are false, since the Gioconda has only one feature – spirituality.

The philosopher Alexei Losev also cites an interesting theory. According to him, Mona Lisa’s smile is “demonic”, and the heroine herself looks with that prudent cruelty with which predators look at victims, realizing their helplessness.

Interestingly, the Mona Lisa was originally larger. Literally. The canvas was wider and higher, there were columns along the edges. But then the picture was cut. This is confirmed both by the remainder of the base of the column on the left side of the canvas, and by the reproduction called “The Isleworth Mona Lisa”.

Now the picture looks much darker than before. Leonardo da Vinci experimented with paints, as a result of which they became short-lived. For example, the fresco “The Last Supper”, created using the same materials, now seems to be just a brown-brown canvas. Researchers believe that the sleeves of the Mona Lisa were red – but due to time they darkened and became almost black.

Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.