“ Where natural vivacity is lacking it must be supplied by art. ”
Leonardo da Vinci, The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (1478 – 1519). copy citation
| Author | Leonardo da Vinci |
|---|---|
| Source | The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci |
| Topic | art supply |
| Date | 1478 – 1519 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by Jean Paul Richter in 1888 |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5000/pg5000-images.html |
Context
“In that at Pavia the movement is more to be admired than any thing else.
The imitation of antique work is better than that of the modern things.
Beauty and utility cannot exist together, as seen in fortresses and in men.
The trot is almost the nature of the free horse.
Where natural vivacity is lacking it must be supplied by art.
[Footnote: Quel di Pavia_. Pavia is possibly a clerical error for Padua, and if so the meaning of the passage is easily arrived at: Quel di Padua would be the bronze equestrian statue of Gattamelata, on the Piazza del Santo at Padua executed by Donatelle in 1443”
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