Anghiari or the battle of two egos
When it comes to Renaissance's painting, there is a tale of two egos that I find absolutely fascinating.
This is the story that I would like to share with you today.
The protagonists: the 2 famous painters Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Michelangelo (1475-1564)
The location: the Hall of the Five Hundred in the Palazzo Vecchio of Firenze
The date: 1505
The stakes: the two opposing walls of the Hall of the Five Hundred with one commissioned to Leonardo da Vinci and the other to Michelangelo
To understand why this wall painting battle is so fascinating, you have to put in perspective the two characters in place.
Both Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo gain a reputation very early in their careers and both of them have a very strong self-awareness of their geniuses.
They know that they are born to produce the greatest pieces of art of their time, they are convinced that they will contribute to society and they have the conviction that the era they live in is one of the most fertile of humanity. Not the least.
Another point: they cannot stand each other.
Raphael is somewhere in the background but Raphael does not count. He is too good looking, he is too much of a womanizer, he is in favor everywhere he goes and he knows how to accommodate the two other Masters. He will die very tragically more than 15 years later and he will be missed by all the Roman and Tuscanian societies.
In the battle of Anghiari, all the space and time is dedicated to Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci in a climax very close to the best Shakespearian plays.
Leonardo Da Vinci finds shelter in the Basilica Santa Maria Novella and uses it like a bottega, a place to paint his giant cartoons.
He furiously spends one full year on the project with the ambition to prove that he was the greatest painter of his time.
The scene describes a famous battle dating back to 1440 and Leonardo explores new techniques to show the expression of the faces of the soldiers.
At the same time, Michelangelo works on facing wall on the Battle of Cascina. He makes all his drawings in his own bottega.
The two painters make a point never to cross each other.
Around the same time, by avoiding each other on purpose the two great battles are facing each other.
They will be admired almost religiously between 1505 and 1512.
Unfortunately, the battle of Anghiari is today completely lost. One reason partly is the mix of wax and pigment used by Leonardo which melt over the years. The other reason is that Bartolemeo Bandinelli cut the drawing out of jealousy.
I personally always thought that the two painters had committed a "sin" of ego and that the two paintings had been destroyed out of their excessive pride.
Morale: next time you are competing ferociously on a business deal, think of the battle of Anghiari. When too much ego is involved, even the greatest geniuses fail.
PS: for the ones interested in this story, I highly recommend the excellent Michelangelo's biography "The Agony and the Ectasy" of Irving Stone. The biography is a masterpiece in itself too.
Paint Artist at self employed
4 年Thank you, and you can find a part of my drawing the copy of the battle of Angairi here https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/zinedinnezaki_davinci-paintings-anghiari-activity-6706703293768376320-d7L0
Merely Eccentric in a World Gone Mad
8 年I've believed for a while that there's a difference between Pride and Vanity. A martial artist can have pride in his skills, confidence, and know that he's good. He might not take challenges to his skills lightly, and be very competitive, but those urges also push him to improve. A martial artist who is vain, however, will brag about his abilities. He'll be overconfident and sloppy, because "no one could possibly be as good" as him. He might be good, but his vanity is a weakness, and he'll get his butt kicked by a martial artist with pride, but no vanity. I don't read this story as one of vanity. I see it as being two artists with a great deal of pride in their abilities competing with each other... and to an extent, with themselves. They're both geniuses, and know it. The reason they can't stand each other is because they're having to share the same space. Going back to Chinese philosophy, "One mountain cannot contain two tigers" - two strong personalities don't share the same space well, and the "space" in this case is "best painter of his time." Of course, all that said, I've also got a mental image of Da Vinci looking at Michelangelo and saying, "Pardner, this Basilica Santa Maria Novella ain't big enough for the both of us. Go for yer brush!" ;)
Strategic Partnerships l Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences l Business Development l Transformative Leadership
8 年Great one Vanessa, thank you for sharing!
Leadership | Ironist | Misbehaviourist
8 年Great article, Vanessa. Can you draw any interesting parallels to contemporary leadership? Gates v Jobs? Zuckerberg v Page? Musk v Cuban?