Photo © Francisco Schmidt

Renaissance artists: the places of Leonardo and Pontormo

Two of the greatest artists of Renaissance and the places where they where born and where you can see their works

by Claudia D'Aliasi

Among the illustrious characters that were born in Tuscany, there are several outstanding names including artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci and Jacopo Carucci known as Pontormo, one of the greatest modern mannerists in Tuscany. To learn more about them you can see their works and visit their houses, respectively in Anchiano (near Vinci) and Empoli.

Contents

1.

Leonardo Da Vinci and his flying machines
2.

Pontormo, the solitary painter

Leonardo Da Vinci and his flying machines

In Vinci, in the Palazzina Uzielli and the Conti Guidi Castle, the Leonardo Museum showcases the main collection of his models and machines, with more than 300 works and objects, including documents and sketches which demonstrate the modernity of his ideas. You can also see his famous flying machines and even some military constructions like a steam cannon, very innovative at that time.

At a few kilometers, in Anchiano, visit his house, immersed in a green countryside. Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452 in this traditional rural 15th-century cottage, located near the slopes of the Monte Albano, in an enchanting cluster of hills between the Florence and Pistoia areas. For sure this landscape inspired him, since it is reproduced in the background of some of his most famous paintings.

Between Anchiano and Vinci we find the ancient trail called the “green road” that winds 3km through olive groves typical of this area. The road can be crossed on foot in approximately 30 minutes.

How to reach

Piazza dei Conti Guidi, 1, 50059 Vinci FI, Italy

Directions

Leonardo Museum - Photo © Sailko

Leonardo's birthplace

the Annunciation - Photo © Livioandronico2013

The Adoration of the Magi

One last tips: where can we admire some of his works?
If you visit the Uffizi Galleries, in Florence, you'll find some of his most important paintings, like the Annunciation - a masterpiece depicting the encounter between the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel in an entirely innovative way - and the Adoration of the Magi, an unfinished oil painting commissioned by the monks of San Donato a Scopeto in 1481.

How to reach

Piazzale degli Uffizi, 6, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy

Directions

Pontormo, the solitary painter

Pontormo, was born in 1494 in Pontorme, a tiny hamlet between Empoli and Florence. His house is located in the center of the small town and now hosts a museum open to the public. On the ground floor, a multimedia installation narrates the lonely and quite life of Pontormo, while on the first floor, you can see his objects, artworks and pages of preparatory sketches. The exhibit also features a page from the painter’s diary.

As we follow the route of the museum, we can truly apreciate the particular style that makes him one of the most innovative artists of his time for its technique of painting. We can see his passion for Hellenistic art, his disposition towards foreign languages and his attraction to German figurative art (especially Dürer).

How to reach

Via Pontorme, 198, 50053 Empoli FI, Italy

Directions

the Visitation

Pontormo's house - Photo © Darren & Brad

One of his most important works of art is the Visitation. You can see it if you visit the Parish Church of San Michele e San Francesco in Carmignano. The work, an oil painting on panel, made between 1528 and 1530, was commissioned by the Pinadori family and is one of the most admirable examples of early Florentine Mannerism. It depicts the Virgin Mary, pregnant with Jesus, meeting her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant with John the Baptist (you can recognize them by the halo). The shimmering colour of the dresses and the mysterious atmosphere surrounding the women make this panel really unique.