Introduction

The influence of Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance era has often been exaggerated. Despite his significant contributions, his direct and lasting impact on subsequent artists and thinkers was surprisingly limited. This article explores the extent to which Leonardo influenced his contemporaries and those who came after, focusing on the reflections of his near-contemporary, Giorgio Vasari.

Leonardo’s Legacy

Leonardo da Vinci's legacy is often centered on his "notebooks." These documents, filled with sketches, inventions, and scientific observations, have indeed foreshadowed later developments. However, it was not until the 19th century that these manuscripts gained widespread recognition and influence among inventors.

At the same time, the portrayal of Leonardo as a universal genius, involving all facets of knowledge and art, is also an exaggerated viewpoint. During his lifetime, Leonardo was valued for his diverse but often short-lived interests. His contemporaries, including the famous artist and critic, Giorgio Vasari, provided insightful accounts of Leonardo's varied but uncommitted pursuits.

A Contemporary Account: Giorgio Vasari

To understand the true nature of Leonardo’s influence, one can turn to contemporaneous accounts. Giorgio Vasari, born in 1511, was a renowned artist and the author of the famous "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects." His works offer a detailed and vivid picture of Leonardo's contemporaries.

Vasari wrote:

Marvelous and divine indeed was Leonardo the son of Ser Piero da Vinci. In erudition and letters he would have distinguished himself if he had not been variable and unstable. For he set himself to learn many things and when he had begun them gave them up. In arithmetic during the few months that he applied himself to it he made such progress that he often perplexed his master by the doubts and difficulties that he propounded. He gave some time to the study of music and learnt to play on the lute improvising songs most divinely. But though he applied himself to such various subjects he never laid aside drawing and modeling in relief to which his fancy inclined him more than to anything else which Ser Piero perceiving he took some of his drawings one day and carried them to Andrea del Verrocchio with whom he was in close friendship and prayed him to say whether he thought if Leonardo gave himself up to drawing he would succeed. Andrea was astounded at the great beginning Leonardo had made and urged Ser Piero to make him apply himself to it. So he arranged with Leonardo that he was to go to Andreas workshop which Leonardo did very willingly and set himself to practice every art in which design has a part. For he had such a marvelous mind that besides being a good geometrician he worked at modeling making while a boy some laughing womens heads and some heads of children which seem to have come from a masters hand and also made many designs for architecture and he was the first while he was still quite young to discuss the question of making a channel for the river Arno from Pisa to Florence. He made models of mills and presses and machines to be worked by water and designs for tunneling through mountains and levers and cranes for raising great weights so that it seemed that his brain never ceased inventing and many of these drawings are still scattered about. Among them was one drawn for some of the citizens when governing Florence to show how it would be possible to lift up the church of S. Giovanni and put steps under it without throwing it down and he supported his scheme with such strong reasons as made it appear possible though as soon as he was gone every one felt in his mind how impossible it really was.

Limitations of Leonardo’s Direct Influence

Despite his extensive experimentation and innovative ideas, Leonardo’s influence on later artists was not as strong as that of his contemporaries, Michelangelo and Raphael. Michelangelo, in particular, was a far greater source of inspiration and innovation for later generations of artists. Both Michelangelo and Leon Battista Alberti were also considered universal men of their time, with Leonardo often not being as well-rounded in his knowledge and application.

Conclusion: Leonardo da Vinci's true impact during the Renaissance era was more nuanced than commonly portrayed. His work and ideas influenced many, but his direct and lasting legacy was not as significant as that of his contemporaries, especially Michelangelo and Raphael. Understanding his influence through the lens of contemporary accounts provides a more accurate picture of his role in the artistic and intellectual evolution of the Renaissance.