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Liz Tubb

Mrs. Pettay

Dual English 111, 2B

6 Jan. 2017

Leonardo da Vinci v. Michelangelo

During their life times, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo had a long standing feud. Both have

been called the best artist or architect. But, who was the greatest? What are the major artistic and

professional differences between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo?

One major difference in these two artists is their anatomical correctness. Womens bodies, the

muscular system, extremities, and animals are the main areas you can see these differences. In da Vincis

painting Leda and the Swan, painted in 1505. This painting depicts a woman standing with a swan while

babies are hatching out of large eggs on the ground next to them. The woman's body gracefully curves

and is not overly masculine of muscular while still being thick and like a real womans body (Leonardo

da Vinci the complete works). On the other hand, on Michelangelos Tomb of Lorenzo de Medici you

can clearly see in this sculpture, the woman's breasts are not accurately depicted. Her pectoral muscles are

too large as her breasts sit on top looking like grapefruits and not like the actual torso of a woman

(Michelangelo Michelangelo). Leonardos women are graceful and accurate while Michelangelo's look

like men who happen to have fat on their chests. This would not be a problem in today's times however, in

the 1400s women did not engage in physical labor and therefore would not have the amount of muscle

Michelangelo tried to give them. This also applies to the muscular system of other paintings. Leonardo da

Vincis series of sketches, titled Anatomical Studies, shows a man moving and stretching. The muscles

are grossly over exaggerated as if he had no skin. All of the muscles in the back and down the legs are

exactly how they would be in a textbook (Leonardo da Vinci the complete works). While the muscles
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are over exaggerated, they are not nearly as bad as Michelangelos Ignudo. Ignudo, painted in 1509 on the

Sistine Chapel ceiling, is a painting of a man with his back half way turned to the painter. Right as one

looks at this painting you can see something is wrong. The man's back is enlarged and thrown back in an

abnormal, painful position (Michelangelo Michelangelo). Da Vincis sketches are just that, sketches.

This excuses the magnification of the muscles. The fact that they all are the same size also allows one to

gloss over it. However, Michelangelos Ignudo was a final painting and while the rest of his body looks

normal, it is only his back that is strange. Over exaggeration is quite typical in Michelangelo's work. One

piece that demonstrates this is David. David, sculpted in 1504, is a piece that does not seem problematic

at first. While David is one of his most well known pieces, when it is looked at, even from a distance, one

can tell how enlarged his hands and feet are. David's body is perfectly sculpted and all of the muscles are

equally created however, it becomes very problematic at the extremities, his hands and feet are not

correctly proportioned to his body (Michelangelo Michelangelo). While Michelangelo struggles with

hand size, da Vincis Arms, which is his study on the human skeletal system of extremities, shows

exceptional understanding of proportion. The five limbs are shown all in slightly different positions all

with notes around them. It even seems as though there are arms of at least three different people

(Leonardo da Vinci the complete works). Leonardo also sketches perfect extremities of animals. Two

examples of this are Rearing Horse and Horses. Rearing Horse, 1483, shows a horse on its back legs with

its front legs up in the air. The horse is clearly in motion due to the multitude of front legs vaguely

shown.The horses muscles of its back legs clearly have strain on them while they are not over

exaggerated. The entire body is in perfect proportion and looks how a real horse does. He also shows

great skill in Animal muscular systems in his Study of Horses. The sketches are the two different sides of

a horse. In one, all you can see is the chest. In the other, the whole body of the horse. The horses muscles

are clearly there but are not overly exaggerated. The horse where its entire body is shown, while it has a

thick neck, it is proportioned to its muscular body (Leonardo da Vinci the complete works).
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Michelangelo also shows terrific skill in the muscular systems of horses however, in his Conversion of

Saul, 1542, there is something not quite right. In the detail of the horse facing away from the painter,

while all of the small details are perfect, they body of the horse seems cut off and poorly put back

together.Right where the saddle on the horse's back, there is a break in the body and the horse is shortened

(Michelangelo Michelangelo).

Both of these astounding artists had many clients. But only some of these clients were among the

historically important. Under Duke Ludovico Sforza, in 1482, Da Vinci was known as: painter and

engineer of the duke. Da Vinci worked on the design of military contraptions and art for the Duke

(Leonardo da Vincis Life). Another client of Da Vincis had him produce one of his most famous

works, The Last Supper. In 1495 Ludovico il Moro commissioned da Vinci to paint a wall in the

refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan... Leonardo was asked to create a portrait of Christ's

last supper with his disciples...Leonardo chose to paint the very moment in which Christ announces that

among the disciples lies a traitor. This painting truly demonstrates da Vincis brilliant brushwork in

the faces of the disciples with their personal reactions to the announcement (Leonardo da Vincis

Life). One of Da Vinci's first; however unfinished, paintings is the Adoration of the Magi. Leonardo

was commissioned by the Augustinian monks of San Donato a Scopeto in Florence in 1670. The painting

depicts the Virgin Mary and child with the Magi at her feet admiring them. All around them are people

who all seem tired but thankful. There are two very interesting things in this picture that make it so

amazing. One is of all the people in the painting it include(s) what may be a self-portrait of the young

Leonardo. In the background on the left is the ruin of a pagan building, on which workmen can be seen,

apparently repairing it. On the right are men on horseback fighting, and a sketch of a rocky landscape

(Leonardo Leonardo). What is so interesting about this painting is that da Vinci was brave enough to

put a pagan building being rebuilt in the background of this religious painting.
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While Da Vinci had renowned political figures commission him to do work, Michelangelo had

also been commissioned by extraordinary Italian figures. Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to

paint the Sistine Chapel in 1508; however, it wasn't finished until 1512 (Michelangelos Huffington).

The Sistine Chapel ceiling is Michelangelos most famous works. One detail of the painting is known

throughout the world which is The Creation of Adam. The Creation of Adam shows God reaching his

hand out to man, and man reaching his hand out to god, but they are not touching (Michelangelo

Michelangelo). Another huge commission for Michelangelo was the statue of David in 1501. The

Florence Cathedral requested the biblical piece (Michelangelo Encyclopedia). Piero Sonderini also

commissioned Michelangelo to paint a great work for him. 1504 Michelangelo began painting the Battle

of Cascina. This painting depicts ...a group of muscular soldiers climbing from a river where they had

been swimming to answer a military alarm. This fusion of life with colossal grandeur henceforth was the

special quality of Michelangelo's art (Michelangelo Encyclopedia). While all of the men are gracefully

drawn, all with equal attention, that's not what makes this comission interesting. What is so interesting

about is that the wall opposite the one where this work sat was supposed to be home to a work

commissioned for Leonardo. The Battle of Anghiari, commissioned in 1503, was never completed. When

Leonardo began painting, he used a new technique which the rain quickly ruined before he could even

begin (Leonardo Leonardo).

Clearly, both artists had accomplished many great things and were commissioned by important,

rich people. However, the only true way to compare artists is through their influence over time.

Michelangelo's David is known worldwide by people of all backgrounds. Giorgio Vasari describes the

painting When all was finished, it cannot be denied that this work has carried off the palm from all other

statues, modern or ancient, Greek or Latin (Michelangelo Accademia). People can recognize the

sculpture very easily. The same goes for The Creation of Adam. The Creation of Adam has been used for

internet memes and people can recognize it as soon as they see it. While that may be so, Leonardos
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Vitruvian Man is seen all over the world. The image is plastered on buildings, books, signs, and

billboards. Not only is that sketch seen everywhere but one of his paintings is one of the most recognized

images ever. The Mona Lisa, one of the most beautiful, famous pieces of art is painted of a woman

nobody knows.The Mona Lisa is also hung all over the world, but still, people come from everywhere to

see the original painting of the random woman from the south of France. Also, Leonardo's sketches of

horses and flowers are tattooed all over people's bodies.

While the differences are clear, the artists are both known for their greatness worldwide. It is easy

to say that Leonardo Da Vinci is a much better artist than Michelangelo. This is clear because of his

mastery of so many different types of art and subjects. While Michelangelo struggled with proportions in

many paintings. Many more of da Vincis pieces are known and recognizable. The love for his work is

uncomparable to any others.

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Works Cited
Leonardo da Vincis life. Leonardo da Vinci, http://www.davincilife.com/biography1.html

Accessed 8

Leonardo Da Vinci The Complete Works. Leonardo Da Vinci, www.leonardoda-vinci.org/.

Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

Leonardo Da Vinci. History, www.history.com/topics/leonardo-da-vinci. Accessed 3

Dec. 2016.

Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci,

http://www.leonardodancvi/the-ai.netdoration-of-the-magi.jsp.

Accessed 8 Dec. 2016.

Michelangelo Biography. Encyclopedia of World Biography,

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ma-Mo/Michelangelo.html. Accessed 5 Jan. 2017.

Michelangelos David Accademia,

http://www.accademia.org/explore-museum/artworks/michelangelos-david/.

Accessed 5 Jan. 2017.

Michelangelo The Complete Works. Michelangelo, www.michelangelo-gallery.org/.

Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

Michelangelo's Secret Message in the Sistine Chapel. The Huffington Post,

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-douglas-fields/michelangelos-secret-mess_b_586531.ht

ml.Accessed 20 Dec. 2016.