An interesting curiosity about Leonardo da Vinci and other great Renaissance artists is the way they produced their works. Often, we are led to believe that these artists were superhuman individuals who, in a burst of creativity, created their works alone. In fact, art production at that time was deeply conditioned by the means of production available. While the creative genius of the main artist was the focal point, the creativity and execution of the works were often shared with a team of apprentices and other workers.
This reality challenges the ideology of myths and supernatural figures who are above mere mortals. Without a doubt, these artists were extraordinary exponents of their art, but even so, they should be regarded as human. They worked in collaboration with others, and their achievements, while brilliant, were the result of collective as much as individual efforts.
“We often imagine artists as solitary creators, holed up in an attic waiting for inspiration. However, as evident in his notebooks and the process that led to the drawing of the Vitruvian Man, much of Leonardo’s ideas were collectively thought out. From his youth, acting as a cog in the grand scheme of artistic production commanded by Verrocchio in his atelier, Leonardo knew the joys and advantages of teamwork. According to Larry Keith, who led the restoration process of the second version of the Virgin of the Rocks, ‘Leonardo’s need to quickly set up a studio capable of producing paintings, sculptures, court spectacles, and other activities meant that he worked directly with several renowned Milanese painters, as well as trained his own apprentices.’
“To earn money, Leonardo sometimes helped the apprentices produce pieces as if they were on an assembly line—a common practice in Verrocchio’s atelier. According to Luke Syson, ‘the works circulated between master and pupil through a cut and paste technique involving both highly detailed drawings and sketches.’ Leonardo would do the composition, sketches, studies, and drafts. The students then copied them by perforating the paper and worked together on painting the final version, usually with Leonardo adding his own touches and making corrections. There were variations and different styles that can be identified on the same canvas. A visitor to his atelier described how ‘two of Leonardo’s pupils were painting some portraits, to which he occasionally added a touch.’”
(de “Leonardo da Vinci” por “Walter Isaacson, André Czarnobai”)
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