Paragone Discussion

‘Paragone’ is defined as a discussion (common in the Italian Renaissance) in which intellectuals debate the superiority of one Liberal Art over another. In the portion of the paragone assigned, Leonardo da Vinci presents his argument that painting is superior to sculpture. While putting forth his reasoning, he also introduces what sculptors have stated as the reasoning for the superiority of sculpting as compared to painting.

The group had some trouble with the Standing in the Shoes assignment, in making the perspective look real. The greatest challenge throughout this assignment was trying to create the vanishing point, and incorporating the aerial perspective in the perfect picture. It was also difficult to narrow down ideas of what to draw. We all gained a newfound respect for the artists in the effort and level of intricacy put into their final masterpiece

As a group, we seemed to agree that Leonardo’s concluding lines made up his strongest argument. On the topic of greater mental or physical fatigue between a painter and a sculptor, neither was seen as superior over the other. A sculptor may have to go through more physical fatigue, in creating a piece of art by shaving at it, and a painter would go through more mental fatigue as he thinks through his painting, and transfers his thoughts onto paper.

The weakest part of Leonardo's argument is his comparison of the environments that painters and sculptors work in. Painting can also be very messy and the environment may not always be calm and relaxing. A painter's work area could have paint flying everywhere, just as the sculptor has dust flying in the air. Also, an excellent point that was brought up was that a sculptor may choose to create pleasant settings by having music playing in the background.

The sculptor’s argument presented also had some flaws. A strong point brought up was that a sculptor has to be extra precise with his work. Once a piece is shaved off, it cannot be added on again. A painter has the advantage in this arena, since he may be able to change things around once finished. The weakest part of his argument was that his work is more enduring than that of the painter. Both put an enormous amount of effort into their work to bring it to perfection. It is not at all valid to argue this point as a level for superiority in the sculptor’s work.