581

General suggestions for historical pictures.

Of composing historical pictures. Of not considering the limbs in the figures in historical pictures; as many do who, in the wish to represent the whole of a figure, spoil their compositions. And when you place one figure behind another take care to draw the whole of it so that the limbs which come in front of the nearer figures may stand out in their natural size and place.

Taken from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci edited by Jean Paul Richter, 1880.

Notebooks of Leonoardo da Vinci

VIII: Botany for Painters and Elements of Landscape Painting.

. . .

On the lighting of the background.

562,

563,

564,

On the lighting of white objects.

The methods of aerial.

567,

568,

569,

Of sketching figures and portraits.

571,

The position of the head.

Of the light on the face.

574,

575,

General suggestions for historical pictures.

577,

578,

579,

580,

How to represent the differences of age and sex.

582,

Of representing the emotions.

Of representing imaginary animals.

The selection of forms.

586,

587,

588,

589,

590,

How to pose figures.

Of appropriate gestures.

593,

594,

595,

596,

597,

598,

599,

Of painting battle pieces.

. . .