Leonardo used assistants shock
November 7 2011
Picture: Telegraph
There was a curious story in the papers recently about a 'new' theory that Leonardo used assistants. This, it is claimed, explains why both versions of the Madonna of the Yarnwinder, above, could be by Leonardo.
The findings were published by Leonardo scholar, Martin Kemp, ahead of publication of a new book on Leonardo. According to The Telegraph, Kemp announced that both pictures (called The Buccleuch Madonna and The Lansdowne Madonna):
"...are not iffy. They are not right up there with the Mona Lisa but they are certainly the next rung down."
He added that the research would challenge art experts' ideas on what makes an "original" artwork, showing similarities between da Vinci and modern artists such as Damien Hirst and Marc Quinn, who are known to have outsourced some of their work to assistants.
"The trade, the galleries and our own romantic idea of these artists as passionate creators working in a fire of creative genius works against our acknowledging that they were picture producers and that most of them were trying to make a good living," Professor Kemp told the newspaper.
He said da Vinci is unlikely to have been the only Italian Renaissance or Baroque painter who used apprentices to help speed up their commercial projects.
"Not iffy" is a good one - I love it when art historians get all technical. However, I find it hard to believe that anyone can claim the fact that artists, even great ones, used assistants is somehow 'new'. With the reference to Hirst et al, the story feels more like a press release than a piece of research. I'm sure the book, when it is published, will be more illuminating. In the meantime, the Buccleuch version of the Yarnwinder will be on display in the National Gallery's Leonardo exhibition. There it is called 'Leonardo and an unknown artist', presumably on account of the rather weak background.
