Leonardo’s Legacy: Nature, Realism, and Philosophy

Aloi (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)
Leonardo da Vinci’s ability to see beneath the surface of appearances laid the foundations of the modern world. From technology to art and science, Leonardo’s desire to discover and understand the secret workings of the natural world bore a deeply modern, existentialist tone to European culture.  At times, Leonardo’s genius saw into the future and envisioned a functional world designed to better life. At others, he focused his efforts on dreaming up lethal war machines fine-tuned to eradicate it. From his outstanding paintings to his scientific perspectives, Leonardo’s oeuvre pieces together the image of a visionary mind capable of shaping the world in ways that impact our lives today.
 
This series of lectures explores the legacy of Leonardo’s complex genius, focusing on the key moments that made the polymath’s life and career of incomparable importance to the history of the Western world.
 
 
This Lecture:
Leonardo da Vinci’s ability to see beyond appearances pioneered new approaches to art and science. A Renaissance man in the truest sense, Leonardo was a master in technology, art, and science: disciplines he pursued to quench his desire to unlock the secret-workings of the natural world. This lecture focuses on the artist's ability to look at plants, animals, and humans from wholly new perspectives, adopting realism as a sharp philosophical tool.
 
 
The following lectures will be presented as part of this series:  
March 19:  Leonardo’s Legacy: Painting -- Layers of Intensity
April 16:  Leonardo’s Legacy: Technology -- Envisioning the Future

Giovanni Aloi is an art historian in modern and contemporary art. He currently teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sotheby's Institute of Art New York and London, and Tate Galleries. He regularly lectures on modern and contemporary art at the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been translated in Italian, Chinese, French, Russian, Polish, and Spanish.