Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci: a study on the representation of the young Saint John the Baptist in Renaissence Florence

• Grant number: 24/00179-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: May 25, 2024
• End date: August 24, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History
• Principal Investigator: Angela Brandão
• Grantee: Bianca de Cássia Begliomini
• Supervisor: Stefano Cracolici
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Durham University (DU), England
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/06277-3 - Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci: a study on the representation of Saint John the Baptist as an adolescent in Renaissance Florence, BP.MS

Abstract

The objective 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 -, seeking 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 was subjected to divergent analyzes and interpretations, mainly due to the enigmatic appearance of John the Baptist: a beardless young man, with a mysterious smile and gaze and androgynous physical characteristics. This research proposal intends to carry out a critical analysis of the different interpretations of the work in historiography, considering Leonardo's painting within the political and cultural context of his production and bearing in mind its relationship with other artistic works, especially those from the Florentine geographic scope. , which may have constituted an iconographic, ideological and aesthetic reference for the author.