A few excerpts from Rudolf Wittkower‘s important essay “Individualism in Art,” published in Journal of the History of Ideas 22 (1961), 291-302. From guild monopolies to individual entrepreneurism: “It would seem that with the breaking of the guild monopoly in the course of the XVth century the artist’s attitude to his work changed. Instead of […]
“Individualism in Art” — Wittkower essay Read More »
“A contemporary who saw Leonardo working on the Last Supper describes how he stayed on the scaffolding from dawn to dusk without putting down his brush, forgetting to eat and drink, painting all the time. Then for two, three, or four days he would not touch his work and yet be staying there, sometimes an
How artists work: Leonardo anecdote Read More »
While in Paris to film for the Artistic Genius documentary, I visited the Eiffel Tower near sunset. This time I noticed a bust of Gustave Eiffel under the northwest leg of the tower. Portraits of great individuals are usually not made until they are old or even from memory after they are dead. As a