The Vitruvian Man - Leonardo and Stanford University

 

"The Vitruvian Man - you may not know his name, but you've seen him plenty of times before. You know, that multi-limbed man in the square and the circle. You may even know that Leonardo da Vinci drew him. But do you know anything else? Who is this guy, who has somehow become so famous?"

"This site seeks to explain the Vitruvian Man, both as an historical entity and as an image in the modern world. Enjoy!"

- source: http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/welcome.html

Stealing the Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa, Leonardo, c. 1503-1506, 30"x 21", Oil on Wood, the Louvre, Paris, France

On the night of August 21 1911, the Mona Lisa disappeared from the walls of the Louvre, apparently stolen by someone who had hidden in the museum overnight and hurried off with the painting the next morning, persuading a plumber to let them out.

The masterpiece did not reappear until December 1913, when a young man bedecked with a splendid moustache turned up at the office of an art dealer in Florence. He claimed to have brought the Mona Lisa to Florence from Paris in order to restore the painting to its rightful home in Italy. The apparent patriot also requested a 500,000 lire reward for his hard work (a not insignificant amount, although, as visitors to Italy pre-euro will vouch, the lire was always a currency which enjoyed confounding currency conversion with its delayed decimal place).

The dealer was understandably bemused, but intrigued, and an inspection of the painting at the young gentleman's hotel was arranged with the director of the Uffizi gallery. To the great surprise of the dealer and the director, it really was Da Vinci's masterpiece.

Soon the police were called, and the "patriot", Vincenzo Perugia was arrested. At his trial Perugia maintained it was an act of patriotism, not financial greed, that drove him to take the painting. The Italian public quickly adopted Perugia as a national hero and admirers dispatched hundreds of letters and gifts to his prison cell...

- "Mona Lisa's theft set the blueprint for art crime", excerpt of blog post by Hugo Gorst-Williams, www.guardian.co.uk

What other masterpieces have been stolen, recovered, or destroyed? What's missing now? How and why was it stolen? How was it recovered?

The web site, guardian.co.uk, offers a sub site for news about art thefts and thieves, artwork recovered, ongoing investigations and related information.

Link "Mona Lisa's theft set the blueprint for art crime", Full Text

Link Art and Design, Art Thefts at www.guardian.co.uk

Link The Theft of the Mona Lisa, Treasures of the World, PBS web site

The Annunciation

The Annunciation, oil and tempera on panel, 39 x 85, Leonarda da Vinci, circa 1472–1475, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

...And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood before her, saying: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found grace before the Lord of all, and thou shalt conceive, according to His word. And she hearing, reasoned with herself, saying: Shall I conceive by the Lord, the living God? and shall I bring forth as every woman brings forth? And the angel of the Lord said: Not so, Mary; for the power of the Lord shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of the Most High. And thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. And Mary said: Behold, the servant of the Lord before His face: let it be unto me according to thy word... The Gospel of James (circa 150 AD)

Like the Nativity, the complex meaning of the Annunciation is shaped by the past, cultures, the present, and context. Probing meaning in visual art, and the meaning of a specific art work, is very challenging. Observations and analysis are captured along the remarkable continuum of history. The quality of these observations depend entirely on the capabilities of the observer to seek out the mind of the artist.

Link The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, Wikipedia

Link Iconography, Augusta State University

Link Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy