Abstract

MENDEZ, Sigmund. Leonardo da Vinci's theoretical reflections on "fantasia". An. Inst. Investig. Estét [online]. 2013, vol.35, n.103, pp.35-97. ISSN 0185-1276.

This article offers a panoramic study of the subject of fantasia in the theoretical texts of Leonardo da Vinci. In the first place it underlines the singularity of his conceptions regarding the "internal senses" and their hypothetical localization in the brain and, on the basis of the predominance of the visual, the relief acquired by the senso comune and its latent identity with the fantasia. It then analyzes the specular quality of the latter, its convergence with the ingegno and its functions in the context of the Paragone of the arts, setting in relief its quality as the source of artistic inventio. The article also explores the meaning of the interior and "ideal" dimension of painting accepted by the artist and the philosophical orientation of his thought. Finally, it points to two facets of the "fantastic Leonardo" reflected in both the opinions of his contemporaries and in his own work and some practices that illustrate the dynamism and the multiple dimension of the Leonardian fantasia.

Keywords : Leonardo da Vinci; fantasia; ingengno; internal senses; Paragone; idea.

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