Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci: a study on the representation of Saint John the Baptist as an adolescent in Renaissance Florence

• Grant number: 22/06277-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History
• Principal Investigator: Angela Brandão
• Grantee: Bianca de Cássia Begliomini
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/00179-5 - Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci: a study on the representation of the young Saint John the Baptist in Renaissence Florence, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to conduct an iconographic and iconological study of the painting Saint John the Baptist (circa 1508-1516) by Leonardo da Vinci - currently on display at the Musée du Louvre in Paris - in an attempt to understand the innovations introduced by the artist as well as the elements of rupture and permanence in this representation of the saint. The painting in question has been subject to divergent analyses and interpretations, mainly due to the enigmatic appearance of John the Baptist: an immature young man, with a mysterious smile and gaze and androgynous physical characteristics. The present research proposal intends to perform a critical analysis of the various interpretations of the work in historiography, considering Leonardo's painting within the political and cultural context of its production and taking into account its relationship with other artistic works, especially those from the Florentine geographical area, which may have constituted an iconographic, ideological and aesthetic reference for the author.