Da Vinci assignment
1. Choose two quotes from Da Vinci and comment on why you like them, agree, or disagree with them. Try to provide examples from your own life.
quote #1: "Art is never finished, only abandoned" ~ I particularly find this quote interesting. What I think it means is that no matter how hard you may try your best at a piece of art your making, there is always something that can be added to make it better. In art, people have the oprrotunity to do anything they want. Its the artist's opprotunity to share and express his/her's emotions on the canvas or piece. And that no matter how finished or content someone may feel about their work, there is always room for more.
quote #2: "He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast."~ This quote makes me think of patience and comitment. If you dont have an open mind when learning and practicing a certain skill, there is no point at all in doing it. If you don't want to learn the basics, there is no way of going forward. But if you are commited and patient in the process, you will strive successfully.
2. Then choose 3 direct quotes from Vasari's writings and compare/contrast to what you recall from the film.
quote #1: "There was very great disdain between Michelangelo Buonarroti and him"
In he movie, this was shown a few times. When Leonardo started getting older, a new young artist (Michelangelo) came into Florence. Leonardo had become very jealous of him, which started the rivalry between the two of them. I recall seeing a lot of tension between Leonardo and Michelangelo, and them both fireing insults at eachother all the time.
quote #2: "that he left the head of Christ unfinished, not believing that he was able to give it that divine air which is essential to the image of Christ."
This was shown that Leonardo was a huge perfectionist and felt that he was never good enough for god. this often got into his head which is why so many of his pieces from back then are still not finished.
quote #3: "And in this work of Leonardo's there was a smile so pleasing, that it was a thing more divine than human to behold; and it was held to be something marvellous, since the reality was not more alive"
This quote is specifically talking about the Mona Lisa. Vasari talks about how magnificant Leonardo was and how he was able to portray the striking portrait with many different techniques that is hard to find in art today. It refers to how great of an artist he was, and that little details to the canvas can make it so much bolder.
3. Mona Lisa in Modern world, which things appeal to you most?
What I liked the most was the Mona Lisa toast, the cookie jar, and the swimsuit...which was pretty funny.
4. Should great works of art be protected from commercial use and ridicule? Why or why not? Does an advertisement ridicule a work of art when that work is used to sell, say, suntan lotion? Do you think Leonardo would try to keep other artists from making fun of the Mona Lisa or from copying her? Should all works be free to be used as a source material for the creation of new works?
I think in ways yes and no. It is in someways can be a fun thing to joke about, or can be used in a clever way (such as that birth of venus advertisment for a hotel). I don't think it is okay though for artists to use the exact piece of art work to branch off for their own ideas. In other words, if you didn't come up with it yourself, dont exactly copy from someone else. But in some occasions its okay if it may be simular.