Warburg Director's Seminar | 'Leonardo da Vinci and Architecture' by Sabine Frommel
Sabine Frommel, Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres): 'Leonardo da Vinci and Architecture'
Found scattered among his numerous manuscripts, Leonardo's studies on architecture were conceived during an artistic journey of close to fifty years while their author was in the service of the most prestigious patrons. Dealing with churches, ephemeral monuments, urban reconstruction, fortifications, palaces and villas, and painted architecture—mostly ideal in nature—they are part of the architectural evolution of the late quattrocento and early cinquecento. Leonardo's drawings assimilate the ideas of the pioneers of Renaissance architecture, mainly Bramante, Francesco di Giorgio, Giuliano da Sangallo, and focus on particular aspects, such as interventions on existing structures, classical orders, staircases, and decoration. A study of this corpus sheds light also on dialogues with Michelangelo, Baldassare Peruzzi and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger and allows us to better understand whether Leonard’s contributions were innovative, or singular interpretations of the achievements of his time. This lecture emphasises, based on chronological and typological topics, some of the main themes of Leonardo’s architectural production, identifying their sources, methods of assimilation, and questions concerning the enduring legacy of his contributions.
This talk took place on 28 May.
