Renaissance Artist, Sculptor And Anatomist Leonardo Da Vinci

As the renaissance artist, sculptor and anatomist Leonardo da Vinci said, “A beautiful body perishes, but a work of art dies not.” This maxim, though easily comprehensible, epitomizes the perfection of the human form that fifteenth century artists sought to immortalize. Driven by common humanist beliefs, sculpting a lifelike physique demanded knowledge and comprehension of anatomy beyond the barrier of human skin. Leonardo da Vinci along with many other artists used their fascination with anatomy and human structure to help shape the figures in their own art. Artists were often commissioned by physicians to create detailed drawings of the dissections. These diagrams were used as illustrations in the volumes of books being published, thereby …show more content…
Though humanistic perspectives were considered a progressive mindset in the fifteenth century, this cultural movement was still very much a tribute to their ancient Roman and Greek predecessors. The Renaissance, embodied the rebirth and revival of classical art and intellect. One great example was the subject for both paintings and sculptures. The ancient Greeks and the Romans were both masters of the lifelike nude form, which was believed to be the true test of an artist’s skill. In contrast, prior to the Renaissance age, the middle ages represented an era where nudity was frowned upon on and restricted by the celibacy and chastity encouraged by the church. During the Renaissance artists overcame the old limitation enforced by the church and earned their patronage and endorsement. With the support and good will of the church, artists strove to replicate the ancient techniques of the Greeks and Romans, thereby resuscitating the popularity and challenge of nude subjects. To match the Roman and Greek masterpieces, it was necessary for artists to understand the human anatomy beyond merely the visual characteristics. Many artists became dissectors and anatomists, diagraming human muscles, tendons and ligaments in order to have expertise over their subject. The drive of the artistic …show more content…
The Renaissance period was a time of growth for the collective comprehension of the human body. Artists and physicians studied the structures of the human body and published volumes spreading their knowledge. The exponential increase in anatomical understanding was made possible by dissections. Before the Renaissance dissection, any manipulation of the body after death was considered sacrilegious by the church. In fact, many times the Pope even went out of his way to stop them. It was only by the pressure of affluential artists and physicians such as Leonardo da Vinci, Titian and Andreas Vesalias, that dissection was permitted under the strict and exclusive conditions. One dissecting technique that sculptors and painters such as Rosso Fiorentino and Domenico del Barbiere would employ is creating écorchés. Écorchés were corpses where the body would be peeled back in successive layers in order to help the artist get a better idea of how to depict the human body. They allowed artists to observe, draw and understand the layers of muscles, ligaments and bones in an individual. It was by this method that many of the muscle groups, organs and bones were mapped and identified. Artists of the Renaissance age contributed greatly to the understanding of the human body by diagramming and allowing