Ginevra de Benci Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ginevra de Benci - Research Paper Example Ginevra de Benci is one of the most beautiful portraits which depict a young woman created in the year 1474. She was a Florentine woman who was married at the tender age of sixteen to Luigi Niccolini in year 1474. The Portrait seems to have been on a wedding photo and on its backside it bore the inscriptions written in the Latin which translates to â€Å"beauty Adorns Virtue†. Looking at the photo background, the appearance of trees and skies is evident which leads to a dreamlike atmosphere which is also evident in other of his works. The young woman in the portrait is seen as looking past which gives her image of being sulky and unforgiving. The Ginevra series was made up of fifty two oil paintings which produced this great work piece. Looking at Leonardo piece of work, Ginevra de Benci which is a Florentine portrait, a lot about art is portrayed. The portrait can be used to tell a lot about the painter, the sitter as well as the way in which people lived during the time. The oil on wood paintings was one of Leonardo’s first works in his career. At this time, there was no other painter who could match Leonardo’s work of art due to his exceptional skills. Through a keen look on the portrait, the simplistic details can be captured; one of these is the place in which the portrait was created. At this period, women were displayed with their husbands in the portraits but here the lady is seen alone. The portraits of women were mostly done during their betrothal as well as during their wedding .In the portrait the lady. seem to face the right side which would imply that it symbolized her engagement this is due to fact that the right side was where the husband was supposed to stand during the wedding portraits but she seems to be staring at it. This would also imply that the work was done in the Italy where Leonardo resided as preparations for the lady’s wedding. Traditions of the time concerning marriage are portrayed by just looking at t he portrait and its history. Looking also at another minor detail, the portrait was done on wood and painted with oil. This would imply that the era was developing and the traditional means of painting were being replaced by better methods. The aesthetic perfection can be seen but more to it, there seems to be a lot which can be partially deciphered from the portrait. Through scrutiny, a lot about the lady in the portrait can be deciphered. Her expression on her face seems to tell more about what is in her mind especially her thought about her future. From the fact that she was preparing for