Macroinsight: On "The Annunciation"
Written by :
John Kilhefner
Posted on :
04.24.2023
Tags :
Organic Growth | Audience Development | Search Engine Optimization
What we can learn from leonardo da vinci's "the annunciation"
Could Leonardo da Vinci be flawed?
It’s tempting to think of Leonardo da Vinci, one of the world’s greatest artists and scientific minds, as beyond reproach.
But he was not born a “genius.”
He dedicated himself to his craft through intense observation, experimentation and innovation. He was not afraid to challenge himself or to fail.
In the 1470s, while working in Andrea del Verrocchio’s workshop, Leonardo painted the angel Gabriel telling the Virgin Mary of her fate — it’s called “The Annunciation”.
It is one of the earliest works attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, who was then a young apprentice in Florence. And it’s one of Leonardo’s earliest extant major works, showing his interest in perspective, light and nature.
But the painting was flawed. So flawed that many believe it is not one of Leonardo’s…
Glaring Flaws
The garden wall is too high and blocks the river and mountains, which ruins the depth and perspective…
The lectern is too close and too big for Mary’s book. While the book is too small and crooked…
The lectern’s shadow is wrong, and Mary’s pose and expression are stiff and dull…
Leonardo was still learning himself as an artist… experimenting with different techniques and methods, such as oil paint, which was relatively new at the time, and anamorphosis — a technique in which elements are distorted from certain angles but appear correct from another angle.
The Final Word
The idea of “genius” does not mean that everything one does is perfect.
The truth is more attainable…
Leonardo, like modern writers and artists, was flawed.
Or, as he described himself, he was an “unlettered” person. But in his dogged pursuit of mastery through innovation, experimentation, and observation, Leonardo turned his flaws into strengths.
I’m far from the only writer who’s ever been paralyzed by fear.
“What if this article stinks?”
“What if I lose my audience?”
Those swirling doubts have killed many careers.
What would Leonardo have become if he let The Annunciation ruin him? Would he have continued on this path, never immersing himself in perspective and optics?
Would he have played it safe, relegating himself to a career and life of mediocrity?
Leonardo did not let this painting discourage him. He continued to hone his skills and refine his style, culminating with “The Last Supper”, the “Mona Lisa”, and the “Virgin of the Rocks”.
Achieving greatness isn’t an overnight phenomenon. It is an iterative phenomenon.
In the process, you will make mistakes. Some of those mistakes may be published. But how will you respond to your shortcomings? Will you dare to continue experimenting, innovating?
I hope you will. I know I will.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Kilhefner is a writer, editor and digital native focused on creating content within the attention economy. He is the co-founder and managing partner of DC creative agency Skellator, serving as the director of content. He is also a senior managing editor at InvestorPlace Media and a freelance writer with bylines in The Hill, Entrepreneur, Yahoo Finance, MSN Money, Kiplinger, Benzinga, Rent., Spiceworks and many more. Check out his portfolio on Muckrack.
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