Thursday, November 28, 2013

"To build a fire"

A few days ago, a gentleman/chimney sweeper was at our place, we had called him to check the fireplace and wood stove. 

Forgetting he was supposed to come that day, I lit a wood stove fire first thing that morning; this was the first cold day with temperatures bellow zero and we had just receive a pile of wood for our winter paradise. 

This is just part of our lot. Photo: MCC

The, by now, memorable day the gentleman/chimney sweeper came, in my efforts to light the fire, I had managed to fill the whole house with smoke; the air was so thick with it, it was unbearable. Although there was never a danger of a house fire, I even tripped the fire alarm.

When Mr. Hoover, that is his name, arrived and was checking the living room fireplace - by the way, I had ruined his chances of checking the wood stove - he asked with an intrigued and somewhat ironic air: "How do you like the smell of burning wood and smoke in your house?" "Not at all!", should have been my answer but, suffering from a pride attack, I bent over backwards trying to explain this was a once in a life time event. He looked at me with an 'I don't believe you' kind of face. Then, I swallowed my pride and began to ask all sorts of questions about the wood stove and its use and, evidently, I won him over with my 'inquisition'. 

Mr. Hoover explained that, if used properly, this type of modern wood stove should not smoke, neither inside the house nor through the chimney, because it harnesses all those hot flue gases prior to their escape heating the space more efficiently and becoming more environmentally friendly. We opened a couple of doors to clear the smoke and smell from the house and the good gentleman took the time to teach me how to build a roaring fire in my wood stove; later, he sent me a book that tells all I wanted to know about wood stoves and their use, even though this is not our main source for heating the housed. I read the whole document, very informative. If interested, you can check it here.

I love controlled  fires every once in a while, especially on cold, snowy days. Fire has an hypnotic and relaxing effect on me. Since the beginning of Fall, I had been so looking forward to the first fire in my study cum family room wood stove and I, finally, had it!

Wood Stove Fire. Photo: MCC

After Mr. Hoover left, I sat in front of the wood stove looking intently at the fire. I could not help but remember Jack London's short story To Build a Fire.  This was one of the my first readings about life in the North and it marked me forever. Funny how the brain works!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

A Podcast on Machiavelli's "The Prince" / Un Podcast sobre "El Príncipe" de Machiavelli.

Ritratto di gentiluomo, detto Cesare Borgia by Altobello Melone. [I]
1500 - 1524, oil on canvas, 58.1 × 48.2 cm (22.9 × 19 in)
Galleria dell'Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, Italy.

Nowadays, for reasons irrelevant to this post, I am absorbed by anything and everything having to do with Florence and its history during the latter part of the Middle Ages and the whole Renaissance era. This interest has taken me to explore Niccolò Machiavelli and some of his writings, The Prince of 1513 among them. Having mentioned my purpose to Michael Papadacos, someone with whom I exchange ideas about mutual interests and whose intelligence and keenness for History I respect and admire, he was kind enough to point out a recent Ideas' Podcast entitled: Machiavelli, The Prince of Paradox. 

Today I would like to share it with you. 

Aside from my own endeavors, The Prince is quite pertinent at this time, not only because 2013 marks the five-hundredth year of the writing of the famous – and sometimes infamous – text, but also because – whatever we might think of the writer and his book – we cannot deny its currency. As appalling as this idea may be, it is evident that many heads of government – irrespective of their political denomination and the title they take as political leaders – use the same tactics described by Machiavelli in The Prince, as it is stated in the Podcast.

As Paul Kennedy, host of Ideas, states in his introduction to the Podcast:

Niccolò Machavelli’s name is synonymous with treachery. His book, “The Prince”, has inspired political leaders around the world. Yet some scholars believe that it’s a brilliant satire. Nicola Luksic explores the case for both sides. (CBC, Ideas, Nov. 6, 2013 / Consulted November 14, 2013)

As promised in the Intro, Luksic interviews a few experts on Machiavelli, who offer diverse, and sometimes opposed, but always very pertinent view points on the subject; thus, exposing both sides.

I haven't decided yet whether The Prince is a satire or a serious study with suggestions on how to run a successful government. In any case, the current state of affairs, that is the reality of many nations run as Machiavelli's ideal principality, does not change.

Like me, you will have to decide by yourself.

You can download the audio file, free of charge, from iTunes at: 

Or listen to it directly from the CBC Website at:

The Podcast offers quite a penetrating and innovative analysis of MachiaveIli’s book. I hope you derive from it the same delight I did.
------------------------------------------

En estos momentos, por razones específicas que en realidad,no vienen al caso, tengo un marcado interés en Florencia y todo lo relacionado a la Historia de la ciudad en las postrimerías de la Edad Media y todo el periodo del Renacimiento. Este interés me ha llevado a explorar a Niccolò Macchiavelli y parte de su obra, por ejemplo El Príncipe (1513). Michael Papadacos, con quien comparto ideas e intereses y cuya inteligencia y profundo interés en la Historia respeto y admiro, tuvo la gentileza de dirigirme hacia un reciente Podcast: Machavelli, el príncipe de la paradoja.

Hoy quiero compartirlo con ustedes.

Aparte de mi interés personal, Machialvelli y las ideas reflejadas en El Príncipe representan un tema pertinente en nuestros días, no solo porque 2013 marca el quingentésimo año de la escritura del famoso – y a veces infame – libro pero también porque  pesar de lo que pensemos del autor o su obra  no podemos negar su vigencia. Aunque esta idea nos parezca terrible, no podemos negar que muchos jefes de estado, cualquiera que sea su afiliación política o el título asumido como jefes de estado, utilizan de manera corriente y sin pensarlo dos veces las mismas tácticas descritas en El Príncipe, como se plantea en el Podcast.

Como propone Paul Kennedy, conductor de Ideas, en la introducción de Machavelli, el príncipe de la paradoja:

El nombre Niccolò Machavelli es sinónimo de traición. Su libro, “El Príncipe”, ha inspirado líderes políticos alrededor del mundo; sin embargo algunos eruditos piensan que es una sátira brillante. Nicola Luksic explora ambos lados del espectro.   (CBC, Ideas, Noviembre 6, 2013 / Consultado Noviembre 14, 2013 / Traducción: MCC)

Como lo promete, Luksic entrevista varios expertos en Machiavelli quienes ofrecen ideas differents, algunas veces opuestas pero siempre muy pertinentes sobre el tema, exponiendo así ambos lados del tema. 

Personalmente, no he decidido aún si El Príncipe es sátira o libro serio de consejos sobre cómo dirigir un estado en forma eficiente y con éxito. De cualquier manera, el hecho de que muchos estados son liderados como si fuesen el pricipado ideal según Mahiavelli no cambia.

Como yo, ustedes tendrán que decidir por su cuenta. 

Pueden descargar el audio, sin cargo alguno, desde iTunes en:

O escucharlo directamente desde el sitio Web de la CBC:

El Podcast ofrece un análisis incisivo e innovador de esta obra de Machiavelli. Espero que ustedes lo disfruten tanto como yo.

[I] Source Wikimedia Commons  / According to the source: "This work is in the public domain in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less."  Consulted: November 14, 2013   

Monday, November 11, 2013

Another find ...

Portrait of Benedetto Varchi [i]
in  l'Omnibus Pittoresco (Painting Encyclopeadia) of July 1840,
author unknown. 

Another treasure I recently found is the Storia Fiorentina  by Benedetto Varchi (Florence, 1503 - 1565). Google books has published an ebook, in the original Italian, free of charge. You can reach the page where it is available by pressing the link on the title of the book supra

Benedetto Varchi's History of Florence deals with issues from the "late Republican revolutions to the stability of the principality of de'Medici House", as the subtitle of the work states. Cosimo I de' Medici (1537 - 1574) commissioned the work upon Varchi's return from Padua  in 1543 [ii] but the Storia Fiorentina was only published in 1721, as it is stated in the volume, below its title.

Do not be discouraged if you are not proficient in Italian; reading the language is a good way to learn it. 

[i] Source: Wkipedia, consulted November 11, 2013. According to the surce "Questa immagine (o altro file multimediale) è nel pubblico dominio perché il relativo copyright è scaduto. Questo si applica all'Australia, all'Uninione europea e tutti i Paesi in cui il copyright ha una durata de 70 anni dopo la morte dell'autore."
[ii] Moyer, Anne E., "Textualizing Florence: Florentine Studies in the Age of Cosimo I", University of Pennsylvania, 2003. Source of the document:  http://web.princeton.edu/sites/english/csbm/papers/moyer_paper.pdf   / Consulted: November 11, 2013).

_________________________

Otro feliz hallazgo es la Storia Fiorentina  de Benedetto Varchi (Florencia, 1503 - 1565). Google Books ofrece la publicación original en italiano, sin costo alguno. Puede acceder el texto pulsando en el título de la obra supra.

La Historia de Florencia de Benedetto Varchi trata los eventos occuridos en Florencia desde la "últimas revoluciones republicanas hasta la estabilidad del pricipado de la casa de'Medici", como lo informa el subtítulo de la obra. El estudio fue realizado por Varchi después de su retorno de Padua en 1543 por encargo de Cosimo I de'Medici (1537 - 1574) [i]; no obstante, fue publicado much más adelante, en el año 1721, como lo indica el texto.

Aquellos que no dominan el italiano, no se desanimen; leer en el idioma es una muy buena forma de aprenderlo.

[i] Moyer, Anne E., "Textualizing Florence: Florentine Studies in the Age of Cosimo I", University of Pennsylvania, 2003. Fuente del documento:  http://web.princeton.edu/sites/english/csbm/papers/moyer_paper.pdf   / Consultado: Noviembre 11, 2013).

Friday, November 8, 2013

More on Italian History / Más sobre la Historia de Italia

The Prince
Posthumous Portrait of  Niccolò Machiavelli [i]

Another great find which can be downloaded, free, from the Internet is The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli. Initially circulated in 1513 and finally published in 1532, The Prince is available today at the Gutenberg Project Website; the book can be downloaded in different formats, including audio, at: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26253 

The Constitution Society offers an HTML version at: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm

For those interested, who feel they lack contextual background, SparkNotes provides a good biographical introduction of Machiavelli, a philosophical overview and solid analysis at: http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/context.html

Enjoy!
------------------------------------------
El Príncipe

Otro gran hallazgo disponible, sin costo, en el Internet es El Príncipe de Niccolò Machiavelli; este libro circuló inicialmente en el año 1513 y fue, finalmente, publicado en 1532. El Príncipe es accesible hoy a través de sitio Web del Proyecto Gutenberg; su puede descargar en diferentes formatos, incluido audio, en: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26253 lazo:

The Constitution Society lo ofrece en versión HTML en el siguiente lazo: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm

Para los interesados, que sientan un falta de antecedentes contextuales, SparkNotes ofrece buena introducción biográfica sobre el autor, síntesis filosófica asequible y resumenes y  análisis bien fundamentados de la ideas expuestas por Machiavelli en el libro:  http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/context.html

¡Disfruten!

[i] Posthumous Portrait of  Niccolò Machiavelli by Santi di Tito. Oil on canvas, second half of the 16th century. Today at the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. According to the source, Wikimedia Commons, consulted on November 8, 2013, "This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright of life of the author plus 100 years or less. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights." 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Italian History / La Historia de Italia

For History buffs.

I have found a few very interesting books on the History of Italy whose copyright has expired and are available free on the Internet.

The one that has me captivated right now is Niccolò Machiavelli's History of Florence and the Affairs of Italy from the Earliest Times to the Death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The original text, in Italian, was written between 1521 and 1525.

One of   the  editions   available in English, with  an introduction by Hugo Albert  Rennert,  Ph.D., is  offered through the Internet by  the University of Adelaide. The information about the publication states it is: "Derived from  the Universal  Classics  Library edition,  published  by W. Walter  Dunne, New York  and London  in 1901. The translator was not named. (http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/m/machiavelli/niccolo/m149h/ Consulted: Novemeber 5, 2013)

The book is available following this link: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/m/machiavelli/niccolo/m149h/

I am reading the same version published by the Gutenberg Project available in different formats at: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2464

For those who use Kobo, it is available  without cost  here:

I imagine it is also accessible through Google Books: books.google.com/ 

Returning to the book itself, Machiavelli renders a riveting account of the affairs of Italy and Florence beginning with the Barbarian invasions, marking the transition between Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, until the death of Lorenzo de'Medici, as stated in the title.

In a subsequent blog post, I will direct you to some other related treasures.

___________________________
Para los amantes de la Historia.

He encontrado algunos libros sobre la Historia de Italia cuyos derechos de autor han expirado y se encuentran disponibles, sin costo, a través del Internet.

El que me tiene encandilada en este momento es History of Florence and the Affairs of Italy from the Earliest Times to the Death of Lorenzo the Magnificent (La Historia de Florencia y los asuntos de Italia, desde sus comienzos hasta la muerte de Lorenzo el Magnífico) de Niccolò Machiavelli  lamentablemente, parece estar disponible solamente en inglés. El texto original, en italiano, fue escrito entre 1521 y 1525.

La University of Adelaide ha puesto a disposición  una de las ediciones a través del Internet. La encuentran en: 
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/m/machiavelli/niccolo/m149h/

Yo estoy leyendo el mismo texto publicado por el Proyecto Gutemberg ofrecido en formatos diferentes en el siguiente lazo: 
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2464

Para los que utilizan el e-reader Kobo, la publicación está disponible – también sin costo alguno  acá:
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/Search/Query?query=History%20of%20Florence%20and%20of%20the%20Affairs%20of%20Italy&fcmedia=Book

Imagino que, asimismo, se puede conseguir a través de Google Books: books.google.com/

Regresando al texto de Machavelli, el escritor ofrece un relato cautivador de la Historia de Italia desde el periodo de las invasiones bárbaras, que marca la transición entre la Antigüedad y la Edad Media, hasta la muerte de Lorenzo de'Medici (1492), como lo dice el título de la obra.

En una próxima entrada al blog, los dirijiré a otros hallazgos relacionados.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

WGA: Good Source of (Art) Images

For those who study and love art, the Web Gallery of Art proves a great source of images. The URL to the site is: http://www.wga.hu/


A taste: [i]
Gaddo Gaddi (b. c. 1260, Florence - d. c. 1333, Florence)
Virgin with Child Enthroned and Two Saints
1320s, panel
San Remigio, Florence

The Website is well organised; the quality of the images is quite good when enlarged there are various options for enlargement  and the references are as complete as possible. The WGA site often includes a link to information about the piece selected, not necessarily scholarly, and a short bio of the artist.

Happy visit!

[i] Taken from the WGAhttp://www.wga.hu/index1.html / Consulted: October 30, 2013

Monday, October 28, 2013

Ai Weiwei, at the AGO


Art is to be shared… Love is about sharing; also, hate is about sharing. (Ai, 2013)

I caught the AGO’s exhibit “Ai Weiwei, According to What?” on its last day and I am glad I did. What an experience!

I knew nothing about the artist or his art. The “Snake Ceiling” (http://www.ago.net/ai-weiweis-snake-ceiling) - which was installed in advance to the inauguration of the exhibit - caught my eye during one of my visits to the AGO. I read the propaganda on the wall beside it and decided this is something I would love to see. Not easy for me, since I live one-and-a-half hours away from Toronto.

My friend Demetra Saldaris, who also wanted to visit the exhibition, was kind enough to get us the last tickets available on the last day of the exhibit. I am not joking, we made just in time.

Strolling around the rooms holding Ai’s works with Demetra was a delight; her intelligent conversation is always refreshing.

The works themselves are inspiring.

Some pieces:

Forever (2003), a group of bicycles arranged to form a circle. By removing one of the wheels in each bike, Ai couples each to the next one; thus, locking them together and making each part of the next in this non-finite ring. Therefore, these ordinary objects arranged in a circle, symbol of eternity, are elevated, and their vital importance in Chinese society once-upon-a-time is acknowledged. The brand name of the Chinese bicycle is also “Forever”; the obsolescence of both the factory and its product as a means of transportation today is shown by removing the pedals from all the bikes, I imagine. For obvious reasons, the assemblage reminded me of the great film Beijing Bicycle (2001) directed by Xiaoshuai Wang.

Straight (2008-12) takes the form of a rusted ‘meadow’ created with the steel rods – 38 tons of them according to the information label – smuggled one by one from the rubble of a school destroyed during  the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. Each rod was straightened and placed (Foran, 2013) to create the breathtaking and, at the same time, peaceful memorial.

In a related work, Ai presents a room wall covered by what seem to be large sheets of paper with an endless list of names, each with a date next to it; in the area near this wall, one can hear the reciting of each name, and the date beside it, Demetra suggested. Afterwards, I learnt that this list contains the names of more than 5,000 children who died in the Sichuan earthquake. With this piece, Ai denounces, again, the widespread irresponsibility and corruption in construction in China. (Xue, 2013) I see it, also, as a memorial, since the names of the victims weren't released, and the tragedy of the collapse of the school buildings was downplayed by the Chinese authorities. (Branigan, 2009)

Straight and the Wall of Names reminded me of and exhibit in the Museo de la Nación (Lima, Peru) called Yuyanapaq. Para recordar. Yuyanapaq (To remember in Quechua) is a photographic record of the 20 years of armed conflict in Peru. (Museo de la Nación) I visited the exhibition with my niece, Natalia Consiglieri, a few years ago. At the time, Natalia was researching her thesis on the memory and perception of the afore mentioned visual record; especially, the memory and perception of students in their first and second year of university. (Consiglieri, N. 2012)

Although the many rooms in the exhibit contained gruesome images, the next to last room of Yuyanapaq is the one that impacted me the most. It contained blown-up ID pictures of the disappeared with their names, and dates of birth and disappearance. As I entered the room, I could hear a persistent and unintelligible humming that became a clear discourse upon approaching a photograph; then, and only then, I could hear a voice stating the full name, date of birth and disappearance of the person in the picture. The narrator, evidently a family member, continued with an excruciating recount of the facts surrounding the disappearance of his or her relative; or, at least, what is known about them.  I could only listen to a couple of testimonies before I had to choke some tears back. I could see Natalia was going through the same. Definitely, I could connect with Straight and the Wall of Names in the same manner I did with Yuyanapaq in the past.

To continue with Ai's work, his photography is striking for its irreverence, shown in the series of world monuments with the ‘finger wave’ in front; and its bluntness to depict the contradictions in Chinese society, portrayed in the juxtaposition of a desolate construction wreckage and Beijing’s National Stadium (2003-08), for instance.

As I remarked, Ai’s work is inspiring - the exhibit was inspiring; however, I could not help but leave the AGO feeling like a little snail. A snail existing in a world were human beings akin to Ai Weiwei struggle to make a difference overcoming what many would consider insurmountable obstacles.

What a talent and what a determination to confront injustice and abuse through his work! 
                                          ------------------------------                                                   
Learn more about the artist and his work at: http://www.ago.net/aiweiwei/

See some of the pieces in the exhibit at: http://www.ago.net/ai-weiwei-at-the-ago-news-reviews

Bibliography

Ai, W. (2013, September 5). AGO First Thursdays. (M. Teitebaum, Interviewer)

Branigan, T. (2009, May 07). News. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/07/china-earthquake-anniversary-death-toll Consulted: October 28, 2013.

Consiglieri, N. (2012, 11 26). Repositorio Digital de Tesis PUCP. Retrieved from PUCP.  http://tesis.pucp.edu.pe/repositorio/handle/123456789/1611  / Consulted: October 28, 2013.  
                    
Foran, C. (2013). Ai Weiwei According to what, Audio tour. Retrieved from AGO Art Gallery of Ontario - Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario: 
           http://www.ago.net/aiweiwei-according-to-what-audio-tour / Track 9.                                   Consulted: October 28, 2013.

Museo de la Nación. (n.d.). Museo de la Nación / Exposiciones. Retrieved from Perú - Ministerio de Cultura: http://www.mcultura.gob.pe/museo-de-la-nacion-exposiciones                         Consulted: October 28, 2013.

Xue, S. (2013). Ai Weiwei: According to What? Audio Tour. Retrieved from AGO Art Gallery of Ontario - Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario: 
           http://www.ago.net/aiweiwei-according-to-what-audio-tour / Track 8.                             Consulted: October 28, 2013.
               



Saturday, October 26, 2013

On the Harmony of Opposites


Those of you who read the article "Harmony of Space and Plane in Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi" and are interested in the notion of harmony of opposites in Renaissance art, I suggest the article published in the site:

The article offers a good summary of the concept as well as a good summary of Renaissance art; unfortunately no author is cited.


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Leonardo Transcends Renaissance

Harmony of Space and Plane in da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi

One of the difficult concepts for some students to grasp when learning about Renaissance art is that of the harmony of opposites.[i] I am revisiting a short research paper written many years ago about an aspect of it, the harmony of space and plane.[ii] I am also reviewing the text to improve accessibility for those newer to the subject. 

This study explores, albeit briefly, the introduction of some elements which point to the harmony of space and plane in the two previous compositional sketches of Leonardo's Adoration of the Magi. Subsequently, it offers an analysis of the different elements which contribute to the said harmony in the (unfinished) final work, followed by a brief comparison of Leonardo’s piece with Botticelli’s Adoration in Washington which should help to understand the artist’s pivotal innovations. 

Undoubtedly, Leonardo da Vinci's work is a masterpiece despite the fact it never passed the stage of an under-drawing, with no colour or even under-paint.

Leonardo da Vinci Adoration of the Magi (c. 1482), Uffizi Gallery, Florence [iii] 
Oil on wood panel, 97 x 96 in (246.4 x 243.8 cm) 
Consulted :9/10/2013

As S.J. Freedberg points out, the relevance of this cartoon lies on the fact that 

In the  Early Renaissance painting in Florence that is contemporary with the Adoration classicizing precedents exist for many separate elements within its style, but nowhere are these elements singly handled as they are by Leonardo, and above all, no other contemporary combines such elements into a comparable whole. (1961, p. 15)

To begin, the two existing studies for the Adoration already show the complexity of the piece Leonardo has in mind. The earlier one, a compositional sketch, contributes a couple of important elements to the final work: the architectural ruins of the vaults and staircase in the background, and, more importantly, the arrangement of the central group composed by the Madonna and Child together with the adoring figures to its right. (Costantino & Reid, 1991, p. 58)

Leonardo da Vinci, Compositional Sketch for the "Adoration" (c.1481), Uffizi Gallery, Florence[iv]
Pen and ink, traces of silverpoint and white on paper, 11.22 x 8.46 in (28.5 x 21.5 cm)  Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Leonardo%2C_studio_per_l%27adorazione_dei_magi%2C_louvre.jpg 
Consulted: 9/10/2013

In essence, in Leonardo’s earliest study the relationship among the figures and of the figures to their setting is incongruent, and the artist shows a rather unskilled handling of the perspective configuration. (Costantino & Reid, 1991, pp. 58-61)  The perspective scheme creates an axis that intersects the picture plane which is emphasised by the group of figures parallel to it; consequently, the overall impression is not that of a unified and harmonious three dimensional composition. (Costantino & Reid, 1991, p. 61) In addition, the horizontal division of the canvas into two superimposed bands contributes to the disjointed effect: the lower band presents the group of figures in the central scene and the upper one displays the architecture with a staircase that leads the eyes of the observer away, and not towards the central scene.


As Costantino and Reid point out, the imperfections evident in the first sketch are, nevertheless, resolved in a later perspective study below. (1991, p. 61)

Leonardo da Vinci, Perspective Study for the adoration of the Magi (c. 1481), Ufizzi Gallery, Florence [v]
Pen and ink, traces of silverpoint and white on paper, 6.42 x 11.42 (16.3 x 29 cm)
Leonardo exchanges the difficult handling of the perspective in the previous sketch for a definitively plausible spatial layout. (Costantino & Reid, 1991, p. 61) In this second sketch, Leonardo achieves a coherent space noticeably by sitting the vanishing point askew on the horizon line; by representing space not only through orthogonal lines but also by introducing Alberti's perspective scheme - shown in Leonardo’s sketch by the division of the tiled floor surface; and partly by “peopling this mathematically exact formula with vibrant figures and exotic beasts.” (Costantino & Reid, 1991, p. 61) To cap this up, Leonardo moves the stairway from right to left, thus guiding the spectator toward the central scene rather than away from it.

Although Leonardo uses basically the same composition of the Perspective Study in the cartoon, some elements are altered in the latter. Essentially, in the final composition, the artist frees the space from most of the architectural structure: he eliminates the traditional stable or shed from his Adoration leaving the space open to accommodate the central group of figures in the foreground and all the other figures around it. (Costantino & Reid, 1991, p. 61)  In such way, Leonardo creates the space not by using the Albertian perspective grid, but by the inversion of the same. (Freedberg, 1961, p. 9) Accordingly, da Vinci’s space “… begins with the figures: their own volume shapes surrounding space. Thus, in a large pictorial structure like the Adoration, the space is a consequence of, an incidental to, the figures’ grouping.” (Freedberg, 1961, p. 9) This can be clearly observed in the drawing bellow in which the tonal gradation of light existing in the cartoon has been eliminated. 

Illustration of the "Adoration" by Fernando Ramirez M. (2013) [vi] 
Ink over pencil on paper, 11.69 x 8.27 in (29.7 x 21) cm
Copy of a drawing by Paul Müller-Walde (1898). 
After the creation of his vast space, Leonardo harmonises it with the two dimensional plane.

As I learned in my Renaissance Art History class, in painting, harmony of space and plane is achieved basically by superposing the closest point, line or plane in the composition over the vanishing point – that is the point, line or plane furthest from the eye. This is done to reduce the depth of illusory three dimensional space and, as a consequence, harmonising the latter with the two dimensional reality of the work of art. In other words, the aim of this artifice is to avoid the occurrence of a natural effect: the perspective leading the eyes of the observer away from the main subject in the composition and into the vanishing point.

In his Adoration, Leonardo precludes this by covering his vanishing point – off centre to the right– with an ilex tree. (Emboden, 1987, pp. 203 & 214) The ilex contributes a very strong vertical placed clearly in the middle ground, forcing the attention of the viewer on the central group of figures in the foreground.

Da Vinci uses other components to reinforce spatial harmony.

For instance, by eliminating most of the architectural structure, he reduces the amount of orthogonals. Likewise, the angles of the sketchy architecture, on the right background at the top, are open and they do not lead toward the vanishing point. 

Left: Leonardo da Vinci’s Adoration, details and source as stated on the image above.
Diagram to the right: Open angles of the architectural structure and main expressive lines of Leonardo’s Adoration.
These deviations from the Albertian one point perspective result in the reduction of depth in the pictorial space; consequently, they contribute to the harmony of space and plane.

To further unify the piece, the artist combines two-dimensional shapes with three dimensional ones. I explain: from a bird’s eye perspective, the figures surrounding the central group, which has the Virgin’s head as its apex, form a pyramid similar to the model previously conceived by Pollaiuollo in his Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian of 1475. (Hartt, 1986, p. 604) The three-dimensional form is contrasted by the evident two-dimensional triangle formed by the figures of the Virgin and the Magi in the foreground. Simply said, the impact of the triangle has a flattening effect on the pictorial space.

Some geometrical lines incorporated to Ramirez' illustration of Leonardo da Vinci’s Adoration.
Likewise, Leonardo contrasts a semi-circle (2-D) with the three-dimensional sort of human niche formed by the figures surrounding the Madonna and Child adding to the same effect.

Ibid.
In his analysis of the work, Freedberg observes quite appropriately that the main expressive  lines form an X - shown above in the image with the main expressive lines, which not only flattens the space but also contributes to the unity of the composition by binding

… together all elements within composition, not only in the foreground but in the background: the distance with its variety of form – less stringently discipline as the scene diffuses into space – is bound into and upon the primary scheme of design. (Freedberg, 1961, p. 8)

Moreover, he continues,
…the linking of the distance and the foreground depends, not on a perspective structure, but on the incorporation of the elements of distance into one pattern with that of the foreground – a pattern that, in this instance, is in the main an ordering in the surface of the picture. (Freedberg, 1961, p. 8)

This same scheme is used in the treatment of light. By bringing some of the background light into the foreground and illuminating the central figures with it, and doing the reverse with the two trees in the middle and background, Leonardo links even more background and foreground. The painter's distribution of light adds to the unity of the composition as well: whereas the bright light that illuminates the background brings this plane closer to the observer, the darkness in the foreground recedes the plane; thus the pictorial space contracts. Similarly, the sfumato light surrounding the dark figures placed around the Virgin and Child, in the middle-ground, flattens this receding space by creating a tonal plane.

In comparing Leonardo’s Adoration with Botticelli’s elegant Washington Adoration of the same period, one can observe some common elements; as occurred often at the time, the two painters probably new of each other’s work.

Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi (c.1482). National Gallery of Washington. [vii] 
Tempera on wood, 27.6 x 41 in (70 x 103 cm) 

Source: 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandro_Botticelli_009.jpg
Consulted: 09/17/2013
Both works have the same semi-circular figure arrangement and both form a triangle with the Virgin and the adoring Magi; however, Botticelli’s painting keeps the traditional stable and respects Alberti’s one point perspective. He also places an hypothetical observer at the centre, entirely inside the composition. (Hartt, 1986, p. 329) Consequently, all other worshipers, including us, have no place in the scene. (Hartt, 1986). Hartt detects that the attention of the viewer is therefore directed to the central group of figures. (1986, p. 329) However, with his remark, Hartt neglects to point out that the eyes of the viewer will be drawn, naturally, towards the furthest (vanishing) point, which in Botticelli’s composition is placed to the right, behind the central scene. In such way, the artist guides the regard of the observer away from the focal point of the work. Therefore, despite its inherent beauty and elegance and its similarities with Leonardo's Adoration, Botticelli’s piece is not as successful and innovative as that of Leonardo in its achievement of harmony of space and plane.

In fact, as previously stated, Leonardo’s accomplishments in this area foreshadow that of his contemporaries by a couple of decades. And, it is precisely there where his genius lies: this ability to anticipate his contemporaries and the tendencies that will mark the art of the High Renaissance. A marvelous set of components of this anticipation are featured in his brilliant success harmonising space and plane in his precedent setting Adoration of the Magi.  
                       




[i] See http://www.museum-online.ru/en/Epoch/Renaissance/ for a good summary of the notion; unfortunately, no author.
[ii] Thanks to professor T. Martone for making it the compulsory essay for his Renaissance class.
[iii] According to Wikimedia “This work is in the public domain in the United States and those countries with a copy right term of the life of the author of 100 years or less.” Furthermore, “this file has been identified as been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related neighboring rights."
[iv] Ibid.
[v] ibid.
[vi] My thanks to Fernando Ramirez Mendoza for the excellent drawing.
[vii] According to Wikimedia “This work is in the public domain in the United States and those countries with a copy right term of the life of the author of 100 years or less.” Furthermore, “this file has been identified as been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related neighboring rights."


Bibliography

Works Cited

Costantino, Maria & Reid, Aileen (1991). Leonardo. London: Bison Books Ltd.

Freedberg, Sydney J.  (1961). Painting of the High Renaissance in Rome and Florence.Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Emboden, W. A. (1987). Leonardo Da Vinci on Plants and Gardens. Oregon: Discorides Press.

Hartt, Frederick (1986). "The High Renaissance in Central Italy". In F. Hartt, Art, a History of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture (pp. 601-626). New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc.

Works Consulted

Hartt, Frederick (1986). History of Italian Renaissance in Rome and Florence. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Heydenreich, Ludwig H. (1974). Leonardo: The Last Supper. London: Allen Lane.

Holt, Elizabeth (1981). A Documentary History of Art: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Leonardo da Vinci, Kemp, Martin ed. (1989). On Painting. New Haven: Yale University Press.
            (1841). Codice Trivulaciano, transcription and notes by Luca Beltrami. No. 144 from a  200 print run. nc/np.

McMullen, Roy (1975). Mona Lisa: The Picture and the Myth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Müller-Walde,Paul (1889 ). Leonardo da Vinci: Lebensskizze und Forschungen über sein Verhältniss zur Florentiner Kunst und du RafaelMunich: Google e-book (consulted 9/2/2013).

Ottino della Chiesa, Angela (1967). La Obra pictórica completa de Leonardo. Barcelona: Editorial Noguer S.A.

Salvini, Roberto (1958). Tutta la pittura del Botticelli. Milan: Rizzoli, 1st ed., vols. I & II.

White, John (1987). Birth and Rebirth of the Pictorial Space. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.