Leonardo da Vinci & Michelangelo Buonarroti
The Lost Battles: Leonardo,
Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel That Defined the Renaissance
by Jonathan Jones
Review by Allen J. Wiener
Renaissance artists were often treated like rock stars and
crowds of admirers would flock to see even a preliminary sketch, or cartoon, of
their works in progress. They often had
egos to match their adulation and bitter competition between them, including
the occasional personal insult, was not uncommon. None of them were bigger or brighter stars
than Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, who actually engaged in a
direct competition of the stars in Florence five hundred years ago.
The Lost Battles is an
entertaining account of this lesser-known episode intersecting the lives of the
two greatest artistic giants of the Renaissance. The occasion was a contest between the two to
paint representations of two battles in Florence's history on the walls of the
Great Council Hall. The competition was arranged
by Niccolò Machiavelli, chief advisor to the head of state, who sought to
stimulate patriotism among Florentines. Leonardo
was to take on the Battle of Anghiari; Michelangelo the engagement at Cascina, glorifying these Florentine victories of 1440 and 1364
respectively. Neither painting would be completed.
Peter Paul Rubens’ copy of The Battle of Anghiari
Michelangelo did not progress beyond what was
apparently a magnificent cartoon of the proposed painting, which was viewed and
admired almost as much as some of his greatest completed works. Leonardo's
cartoon was similarly applauded and admired and he did at least make a start on
the painting itself. Thus, much of the
author's evaluation of the works is based on contemporary descriptions,
fragments of the works that survived, for example in Leonardo's many notebooks,
and copies that were painted by others.
Through this method, the author is able to draw conclusions about the
artists' motivations and intentions.
Even those of us not schooled in art history or technique
will find the author's descriptions and comparisons of the two works
interesting, especially the influence that Leonardo and Michelangelo had on
each other, despite their bitter rivalry.
And bitter it was. According to
this account, the two could barely stand the sight of each other, but the
author presents a good case for this reflecting the deep admiration, not to say
envy or threat they felt from each other. It also was common practice at the time
for artists of their stature and reputation to openly denigrate and even insult
one another. In a weird sort of way, it
was an indication of respect.
Copy of the Battle of Cascina by Michelangelo's pupil
Aristotele da Sangallo
The author offers additional insight into the roots of their
differences through an analysis of what kind of people they were, beyond their
artistic and, in the case of Leonardo, scientific achievements. Michelangelo the devoted Florentine patriot
and deeply religious individual, who gives allegiance to church and state;
Leonardo the religious skeptic and scientist, who sees little reason for
political loyalty to mercurial, temporal rulers who might solicit his work and
advice, only to later abandon him. In
this telling, life for Leonardo was about exploring and experimenting and
finding the truth.
Perhaps the most glaring difference between the two artists
is their respective legacies. One of
them, the Last Supper, is a magnificent ruin, its colors faded long ago due to
Leonardo's own miscalculation in the method he chose to use on the wall where
the painting remains. His Mona Lisa,
which he kept with him until his death, remains a mesmerizing enigma and
achievement enough for a lifetime for most artists, but few completed works by
da Vinci survived, largely because he completed so few and often abandoned his projects. Michelangelo, on the other hand, left a world
of magnificent creations that include the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the
breathtaking David, at least two pietas, his Moses in the tomb of Pope Julius
II, among others.
The author makes insightful observations about the two men
that explain why they left such different legacies. This is most helpful in understanding
Leonardo, who found it difficult to complete works and was often distracted by
diverse pursuits, even engaging in an experiment in human flight while at work
on the Battle. Although few da Vinci
works survive, his voluminous notebooks contain a wealth of insight into his
mind and undying curiosity about nature and science, his designs for war
machinery, sketches of contemplated art works, and inventions. Politics
of the time, which favored Michelangelo's work as more in tune with popular feelings,
also played a role in the contemporary responses to the two painters' respective
works. Jones also finds Michelangelo’s work a breakthrough from the past, while he views Leonardo's technique as
anachronistic and less patriotic than Michelangelo's, which he regards as
important factors at the time.
Readers may quibble with some of the author's speculations
and conclusions regarding the feelings and motivations of the two artists, but
his thorough research and expertise in art history lend weight to those
ideas. This is one of the most enjoyable
and accessible books on these two giants and, although focused on a single
event in their lives, uncovers much about them and their work beyond that
encounter.
