In Leonardo’s work, as well as in Cusanus’, there is an exaltation of the practical knowledge of the illitterate man, i. e. the mechanical arts, where humility and admission of ignorance are the heart of a practical knowledge originated in experience and simplicity of spirit. The same “culture of the shop” from which Leonardo used to draw, often reworked into exempla books useful to the planning of artworks and engineering works, refers to graphic intuitions in which art and science converge; these conjectural notions, transformed into figures, are easily adopted and comprehensible to everyone. The same applies to enigmas devised by Cusanus, performative schemata of symbolic geometry able to exemplify the soul’s path to God, the mystic vision of the divinity, and the hidden mechanism of divine life. These exempla, in the case of Leonardo, are sketches, quick notes to refer to in case of need, a sort of manual-inventory –in the form of brief philosophical sketches– of technical solutions that may come in handy in more ways than one. The most surprising result of these experiential guides is without a doubt the portrait of Monna Lisa del Giocondo: a representation in which the natural landscape on the background and the enigmatic face of the lady –separate but irresistibly attracted to each other– remind to every looker the artist’s main job and challenge: enchant the entropic processes of nature into the plasticity of the beautiful form.

Natura, sapere profano e immagine in Nicola Cusano e Leonardo da Vinci

CUOZZO, Gianluca
2015-01-01

Abstract

In Leonardo’s work, as well as in Cusanus’, there is an exaltation of the practical knowledge of the illitterate man, i. e. the mechanical arts, where humility and admission of ignorance are the heart of a practical knowledge originated in experience and simplicity of spirit. The same “culture of the shop” from which Leonardo used to draw, often reworked into exempla books useful to the planning of artworks and engineering works, refers to graphic intuitions in which art and science converge; these conjectural notions, transformed into figures, are easily adopted and comprehensible to everyone. The same applies to enigmas devised by Cusanus, performative schemata of symbolic geometry able to exemplify the soul’s path to God, the mystic vision of the divinity, and the hidden mechanism of divine life. These exempla, in the case of Leonardo, are sketches, quick notes to refer to in case of need, a sort of manual-inventory –in the form of brief philosophical sketches– of technical solutions that may come in handy in more ways than one. The most surprising result of these experiential guides is without a doubt the portrait of Monna Lisa del Giocondo: a representation in which the natural landscape on the background and the enigmatic face of the lady –separate but irresistibly attracted to each other– remind to every looker the artist’s main job and challenge: enchant the entropic processes of nature into the plasticity of the beautiful form.
2015
La cuéstion del hombre en Nicolás de Cusa
Editorial Biblos
Colecc ión Presencias Medievales, Serie Estudios
3
199
227
978-987-691-337-9
http://www.editorialbiblos.com.ar/ficha-de-libro/?bid=12200
Disegno, sapere artigianale, natura, esempi pratici, teoria della conoscenza, ritratto
Gianluca Cuozzo
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2318/1524225
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