DrawingAcademy

Article from Dennis Jarsdel

Born in 1480 Vimercate Italy, Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salai was a pupil of the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci. The nickname Salai meant ‘The Devil’ or ‘The little unclean one’. Although not many people know about him, Salai was an important part of Leonardo da Vincis personal and artistic life.

The son of Pietro di Giovanni, the tenant of Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard near Milan, he joined Leonardo’s household and became his assistant at the young age of 10. Although he was taken in as a youth he stayed with Leonardo for the rest of his life, almost 30 years. At some point it’s safe to say that they became more than pupil and teacher…

Article by Dennis Jarsdel

Arguably the most famous painting the modern world has ever known, yet it’s not how it’s always been. Let alone the possible price of the painting itself, its valued so much that the room in the Louvre that houses and protects this painting costed over $7.5 million.

The Mona Lisa is a portrait of an Italian woman painted by the famous artist and engineer Leonardo da Vinci. The thing that makes this painting so famous is the mystery that comes with it. Who is the woman? Where is the painting set? What is the figure trying to convey? How long did this take Leonardo da Vinci to complete? Why did he decide to paint this mysterious lady?

Article by Dennis Jarsdel

Commonly in religious story-tellings, or in more modern pieces challenging contemporary ideologies, symbolism has been a tool many artist have used yet little perfected to a level of mastery. Symbolism can range from the pinching of female nipples to indicate a pregnancy, such as in the painting Gabrielle d’Estrées et une de ses soeurs (Gabrielle d’Estrées and one of her sister) to the use of the color blue in Picasso’s paintings to show the society’s poor and outcast members and highlight themes of loneliness…

Article by Dennis Jarsdel

We live in a Kaleidoscopic world, but gems and precious stones are more than mere decoration, they carry significant meanings for us all. Gold; a sign of nobility, indication of wealth, and even a badge of never ending love. Unlike the simplicity of itself, gold had a complicated history through which It had been a reason for wars, insanity and death. Through the centuries, although its composition has remained the same, the meaning of its symbolism has remolded to suit people of that time. Gold, which in the hand of artist has stirred our emotions, changed the way we behave and even altered the course of history…