The story of Leonardo da Vinci painting eggs
When Leonardo da Vinci was fourteen years old, he went to Florence to become a disciple of the famous artist Frochio. Frochio was a very strict teacher, and the first lesson he gave Leonardo da Vinci was to draw eggs. At the beginning, Leonardo da Vinci was very interested in painting, but later in the second and third lessons... the teacher still asked him to draw eggs, which made Da Vinci confused. Small eggs, there are What is easy to draw?
Once, Leonardo da Vinci asked the teacher: "Why do you always ask me to draw eggs?" The teacher told him: "Eggs, although ordinary, are not absolutely the same in the world. Even the same egg will be painted differently with different angles and different light. Therefore, painting eggs is a basic skill.
Basic skills must be practiced until the brush can follow the instructions of the brain fluently and skillfully. That’s when you’ve mastered kung fu.” Da Vinci was very inspired after hearing the teacher’s words. He held the eggs every day and followed the painting meticulously. One year, two years, three years... The straw paper used by Leonardo da Vinci to draw eggs has been piled very high. His artistic level soon surpassed that of his teacher and finally became a great artist.
Extended information
Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519 in the Julian calendar), a famous Italian artist and scientist, together with Raphael and Michelangelo is also known as the "Three Masters of Art" in Italy (the Three Masters after the Renaissance) and is also one of the representatives of the entire European Renaissance.
When Leonardo da Vinci was studying in the workshop, he showed extraordinary painting talent. Around 1470, when he assisted Verrocchio in painting "The Baptism of Christ", although he only painted an angel kneeling next to Christ, his demeanor, expression and soft tones clearly surpassed Verrocchio's. profound.
It is said that Verrocchio stopped painting for this reason. His earliest extant work, "Notification of Conception", was a work completed by Leonardo da Vinci independently without the guidance of a teacher. Except for a little free conception, the scenes in this painting were conceived by Leonardo da Vinci following the general perspective painting method.
Later, the Monastery of San Bartolomeo in Olivet Peak also ordered this work. The later "Ginevra Bench" was created, which was contrary to the pursuit of clear lines in art in the 15th century. tradition, using the tones of backlit sunset to render the perspective effect he advocated. "The Doctor Comes to Worship" (also translated as "The Three Kings Come to Worship") created in 1481 is a work that marks the maturity of his artistic style.
Although the painting was not completed because he left for Milan, it can be seen from the original manuscript that its composition and image creation showed artistic innovation that greatly surpassed his teachers and peers: it consists of the Virgin Child and the The stable triangular composition formed by the three doctors, the architectural ruins and the galloping horses and other backgrounds drawn according to precise perspective show that he no longer simply lists the relevant characters from a narrative perspective;
Rather, it is a complete transformation of traditional themes. The dark-toned painting method he used made the figures stand out from the shadows, breaking through the clear and revealing characteristics of traditional paintings and heralding the arrival of the Renaissance.
Leonardo da Vinci’s teacher Verrocchio was commissioned by the Church of San Salbino to paint "The Baptism of Christ". Although all the characters in the painting have been painted, the background remains unpainted. The church After repeated urging, Verrocchio was required to hand over the painting before Easter. It was only seven days before Easter, but Verrocchio did not want to be perfunctory, so he decided to take Leonardo da Vinci to Lake Shimoni to sketch, and then paint the background. Unexpectedly, there was a heavy rain on the way, and Verrocchio caught a cold and had a high fever.
Due to the urgency of the task, Verrocchio had no choice but to order Leonardo da Vinci to paint the background. Da Vinci rushed back to Florence, repeatedly pondered and understood the teacher's creative intention, imitated the teacher's painting style, and finally completed the entire painting after a day of hard work. When Leonardo unveiled the canvas the next morning, he was stunned.
It turned out that the image of an angel painted by the teacher using Leonardo da Vinci as a model was scratched off by the jealous senior brothers. He felt that the situation was very serious and time was pressing. He made up his mind to live up to the teacher's entrustment. In order to safeguard the teacher's honor, he took it upon himself to repaint the angel.
He found the teacher's original manuscript, used himself as a model, looked in the mirror, and repainted the angel. Verrocchio returned from recovery and was so excited when he saw the painting. He stretched out his hands and hugged Leonardo da Vinci's shoulders and said excitedly: "It is so perfect. It seems that I will only have to pick up the engraving knife in the future." From then on, Leonardo da Vinci became famous and became a famous painter in Florence.