Leonardo did not paint a lot. But he is considered to
be one of the greatest artists who ever lived. Every year,
millions of people go to the Louvre Museum in Paris to
see Mona Lisa. They line up outside of Santa Maria delle
Grazie to see The Last Supper. People visit the Palazzo
Vecchio, where his Battle of Anghiari was, wondering if
there is any of Leonardo's painting left inside the wall.
Five centuries have passed since Leonardo lived.
Someone who can compare with him has yet to be born.
There may never be another man with the artistic and
scientific genius, and the talent, of Leonardo da Vinci.
Adapted with permisson from "Leonardo: Engineer, Anatomist,
Painter...Magician?" by Katherine S. Balch;
and "The Master Works" by Denise Budd
160
165
Think About It
1.
Explain why the Duke of Florence would not hire
Leonardo da Vinci.
2.
Explain why two of Leonardo's greatest works, The
Last Supper and Battle of Anghiari, deteriorated.
3.
List Leonardo's three great paintings and their
current locations.
4.
Leonardo was rebellious. He was not afraid to
try new painting techniques. What would happen
if nobody ever tried new things or demanded
perfection?
5.
Based on this article, what can you infer about the
author's opinion of Leonardo?
6.
Leonardo did not like to paint in fresco. Tell about a
time when someone did not follow a recommended
method for doing something. What were the results?
Leonardo the Artist
43
The effort was unsuccessful. Leonardo l
eft Florence
without completing the work. Michelan
gelo left his piece
unfinished as well and departed for Rom
e. Had they been
completed, both of these paintings mig
ht have ranked
among the greatest artistic masterpiece
s of Renaissance
Italy. Sadly, all traces of both these work
s are gone.
The last of Leonardo da Vinci's three gr
eat works is
Mona Lisa. It is probably the most fam
ous image in the
world. Apparently, he never gave it to th
e person who
ordered it. Leonardo took it with him w
hen he moved to
France near the end of his life. Some th
ink the portrait is
actually a self-portrait! X-rays of the pa
inting and close
comparison with other of Leonardo da V
inci's drawings
suggest that this may be true. But other
s believe the lady
in the painting was the wife of a Floren
tine merchant
named Francesco del Giocondo.
145
150
155
Leonardo da Vinci's
Mona Lisa is one of
the most famous
paintings in the world.
42
Unit 14 · Make Art
the
Artist
5
10
15
Leonardo the Ar
tist
37
inspiration
motivation to take
action
What if you were as s
mart
as Einstein, as artisti
c as Picasso,
and as musical as Be
ethoven?
Do you think that yo
u'd have a
pretty good shot at g
etting your
dream job? In Italy, a
t age 26,
Leonardo da Vinci w
as all of the
above. But when he t
ried to get
a job painting for the
Duke of
Florence, the duke w
ouldn't
hire him.
It may have been bec
ause
Leonardo da Vinci se
ldom finished a pain
ting. He also
had trouble painting
how he was told to p
aint. "To give
orders is a gentleman
's work," he said. "To
carry them
out is the act of a ser
vant." Instead, he fol
lowed his
inspiration .
Challenge Text selections expand vocabulary and critical
thinking skills and further the development and application of
the Step 5 content and skills.
In Unit 14, Lesson 5, students listen to or read the more
complex Challenge Text selections and answer critical
thinking questions through group discussions.
Continues to build higher
order comprehension skills
Develops listening strategies:
· Ask questions for clarification
and understanding
· Compare what is heard to prior
knowledge and experiences
· Identify fact and opinion
in visual media
· Create a map or informal outline
while listening
· Determine the purpose for
listening (e.g., enjoyment,
information, etc.)
Expands vocabulary development:
· Exposure to written and oral
language beyond students'
skill level
· Interpretation and response
to higher order thinking skills
questions through oral discussion
· Develop listening and speaking
comprehension
· Build background with more
complex text selections
· Develop literary terminology
Enriches background knowledge:
· High-quality text selections
· Motivational content
· Multicultural perspectives
· Age-appropriate reading
selections
24
LANGUAGE! Focus on English Learning Overview
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