Giancarlo Prandelli, Leonardo on Wooden Panel, Pencil on Wood, 124x70 cm, (D298)

This exclusive body of work by Giancarlo Prandelli is made in honour of the icon, Leonardo da Vinci. The form in the middle with Leonardo’s enigmatic face, behaves like a vanishing point, drawing the audience’s attention to it. In doing so, Prandelli is emphasising the subject of the work. Prandelli brings together well-known elements of Leonardo’s life. These characteristics are easily recognizable and in the foreground, we notice stationary such as the scale and the protractor that Leonardo might have used for his anatomical and engineering studies. The artist along with these objects has also placed three famous portraits by Leonardo, one is of Isabella D’Este, the second of Cecilia Gallerani and the third is a reproduction of the famous Musician. The lion cub on the left, the horse resting on the chair and the millwheel in the left corner are all symbols that signify the Sforza family of Milan. Prandelli has also made a fascinating choice to portray Leonardo in profile and in the form of half human and half animal. The implementation of shading without clear outlines gives the work a fantastical effect. The artist has signed this work on the lower right corner.