Formal Analysis of Dane Chanase Leonardo Da Vinci

A Formal Analysis of Dane Chanase Leonardo Da Vinci
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Leonardo da Vinci is a Dane Chanase oil painting he made while participating in the WPA’s Federal Art Project in 1936. The painting is currently available in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Dane Chanase is well known for his modernist skills in paintings and also his love for mural paintings. The Leonardo da Vinci painting is one of his works representing great thought and the modernist ways of painting (Miller). This paper will focus on the Leonardo da Vinci painting, what it represents and what it says about the artist.
The oil on canvas painting shows a male figure seated in the middle of the frame. The male figure supports the head with the palm of his hand similarly to that of an individual trying to think about a certain idea. The other hand seems to be holding two drawing pencils. The male figure is wearing white attire and also has long white hair on his head. Behind the male figure is a window with a curtain drawn open, and the window opens to a blue and white atmosphere, which seems to represent the sky. On the top left corner is a flying bird encircled by a cloudy white substance. The white and cloudy substance seems to be originating from the paper laid down on the desk. The desk is placed in the middle of the painting, with the male figure leaning on it. The desk also has a white paper on top of it. The white paper placed on the desk is spread open while the other three sheets of paper in front of the desk have been folded. On the middle left of the painting are folded sheets of paper. Behind the bird is a painting that seems to be a male figure seated behind the desk. All the contents of the painting seem to be paced inside a studio. A sculpture has also been placed on top of the table. Behind the male figure are closed boxes placed on either side of the person.
As indicated by the painting’s name, the male figure on the painting is Leonardo da Vinci, one of the well-known painters of the Renaissance era. Leonardo created a lot of works that are being studied in today’s world (Adnyana). Some of his works were also an inspiration to many artists. Dane Chanase chose to honor Leonardo’s works among such artists by painting him and naming the painting after him. Leonardo was considered a common user of Sfumato in his paintings. This is an art of painting whereby the painter uses color transitions to mimic an area beyond the focus of the human eye (Brennan). Dane Chanase appreciates this technique by using it while painting the white figure surrounding the bird. At the section where the white part touches the white sheet of paper on the table, an individual can barely see the difference in color transition. The same case applies to the male figure’s hair. The hair flows gently on the man’s white attire, and the color transition has blended well to create an amazing piece of work.
Based on the sitting position of the male figure, Dane was representing Leonardo’s working position when he used to create his works of art. The position of the palm under the chin shows an individual in deep thought. This could mean how Leonardo used to act while brainstorming ideas to come up with something he could paint. The male figure is thinking of painting a bird as indicated by the bird surrounded by the white item. An artist requires inspiration before they can paint something (Thaler). In this case, Leonardo’s thoughts about a bird could guide him in knowing what to draw.
The environment of the painting also seems to be a studio. The open window is symbolic of the painter’s open thoughts about what he could paint. The window opens to the sky to indicate the vast ideas that a painter could have before deciding what to paint. The studio also needs to be a comfortable space to allow the painter enough time to think of what they could paint. In this case, an open window could also be symbolic of an ideal working condition with free air circulation. The desk is also an addition to the symbolism of an ideal workstation. Dane is passing the message that Leonardo must have been working from a comfortable studio to facilitate his level of creativity (Miller). This explains why his works of art remain famous and reference points in arts and history classes. Such kinds of paintings would not have been created by an individual working from an uncomfortable working condition.
The picture hanging on the wall represents the younger version of the male figure is symbolic of Leonardo’s painting era. It could mean that he created the studio at a young age and used it until he was elderly. The wall handing emphasizes that the artist stayed in the industry for long before his demise. It also shows how much effort he would put into his works, as indicated by his thoughts of panting at an old age. Given his age, one would think that he already had a lot of experience in painting and would not need a lot of brainstorming to come up with the perfect idea to paint. However, this is not the case because the male figure in the picture is elderly and has to think of something before drawing. This indicates the effort made by painters in creating an amazing piece of work. It shows the uniqueness in every painting and level of thought that an artist has to a...