Getty Images/Zummolo
Leonardo da Vinci statue
A Leonardo da Vinci statue from 1839 in the Uffizi courtyard, in Florence.
Columbus Day has come and gone again, and as someone who makes a living off teaching Italian Renaissance art and culture, I have a humble suggestion for St. Louis: Rename the annual celebration after Leonardo da Vinci. It solves so many problems, and the famous polymath from Florence represents the best of Italian civilization so much better than the Genoese ship captain. Let me explain, using first Leonardo’s own cover letter when applying to become the court artist to Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan:
I can execute sculpture in marble, bronze and clay. Likewise in painting, I can do everything possible as well as any other, whosoever he may be.
In what is probably one of the greatest understatements in art history, Leonardo da Vinci explains that he can paint well. Needless to say, he got the job. But let me explain in more detail. When Leonardo began to use oil paint in the late 15th century, he revolutionized painting in Florence, and then the rest of Europe. Within a generation, his sfumato technique of painting in oil had completely overtaken the older tempera style of painting, and the Italian Renaissance had been changed forever. Just as philosophers remark that all of Western philosophy consists of a series of footnotes to Plato, one could argue that all painters since Leonardo are likewise footnotes to the great Florentine. Paintings such as the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, or The Virgin of the Rocks are synonymous with the greatness of Italian visual arts in world history.
In time of peace I believe I can give as complete satisfaction as any other in the field of architecture, and the construction of both public and private buildings, and in conducting water from one place to another.
Though few of Leonardo’s architectural designs, if any, were ever built while he lived in Milan, his ideas may have influenced the great Donato Bramante, who worked for the same Duke Ludovico contemporaneously. Bramante would go on to work on St. Peter’s Basilica, which would later grow, under the later designs of Michelangelo, to become one of the largest and most influential churches in the world. Italian architecture, from the ancient Romans to the Renaissance, has wielded profound influence around the world, including in the built environment of St. Louis. Leonardo thus also represents the Italian contribution to world architecture.
Where the use of cannon is impracticable, I will assemble catapults, mangonels, trebuckets and other instruments of wonderful efficiency not in general use. In short, as the variety of circumstances dictate, I will make an infinite number of items for attack and defense.
But what also intrigues historians about Leonardo’s letter to the Duke is its focus on the artist’s military ideas. Italy in the Renaissance was fragmented and under constant threaten from powers such as France or Spain—or even pirates from North Africa. In fact, the Duke would eventually be overthrown by King Francis I of France, dying ignominiously in captivity.
Leonardo would have much in common with Italians of the 19th and early 20th centuries who climbed on board ships at Naples, Genoa, or Livorno, hoping for a better life. His parents were not married, and in a society where parentage was of critical importance, he easily could have been doomed to a life of obscurity. But he refused to let his past define him. He walked down to Florence and there, in the workshop of the famous older artist Verrocchio, began at the bottom of the ladder. Year after year he worked, refining his oil painting technique while constantly sketching away, creating drawings that are now valued at millions of dollars.
Then, when Leonardo realized that he could no longer stay in Florence, he moved to the court of Duke Ludovico in Milan. He flourished in the fertile environment of the wealthy and prosperous city. And, like many Italian immigrants to America, he knew what it felt like to face the uncertainty of war when the Italian Wars threw the peninsula into turmoil and he was forced to flee the comfort of Milan. But he kept working, and when the time was right, Leonardo left his homeland of Italy and moved to a foreign country, France, where he created a new home working for his former enemy, Francis I.
I haven’t even spoken yet about his amazing discoveries in anatomy, hydrology, and other sciences. His notebooks, many of which have now been digitized and made available online, set a high bar for intellectual discovery. Italy has many amazing scientists who followed in his footsteps, such as Enrico Fermi or Guglielmo Marconi.
I also want to mention that when Leonardo died in 1519, he took care of his employees financially in his will, making sure that none of them had to worry about how they would live after his death. There is no record of him ever hurting or mistreating a single individual.
I have always been inspired by Leonardo’s story of coming from nothing and becoming one of the most famous men in the world. He represents the creativity, the scientific exploration, the daring, and the warmth of Italian civilization far more nobly than a ship captain with a checkered past. Next year, Italian Americans and their friends should celebrate Leonardo da Vinci Day on the Hill.
