Aspect Art | art history, info & news

To say Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a genius is falling short of the praise he deserves. He was an artist, engineer, architect, mathematician, anatomist, musician, and inventor. He was able to change the world as we know it with his inventions such as the machine gun, the parachute, and the calculator. But despite his genius in so many areas of science and engineering, da Vinci is most well known for his paintings.

He kept his private life very secret, which is something many famous people attempt to do. However, da Vinci’s sexuality has been questioned and still is so he may have had to keep his life secret out of necessity, for the sake of his life and his career. Despite this, we see much evidence of his possible homosexuality in his paintings.

The paintings of da Vinci frequently depict both the male and female anatomy, although the female anatomy is often… However, there is much evidence to support his gay lifestyle, in his apprenticeships and his art. His most notable apprenticeship was with a young man, Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, whom he called Salai, which meant little Devil or unclean one. This youth was more trouble than he was worth, although a beautiful youth, and he stayed apprenticed to da Vinci for 30 years. Salai was the subject of at least two of da Vinci’s erotic homosexual paintings including one that was on the verso of a foglio and showed Salai’s behind being approached by many penises walking on two legs.

There were presumably many homo-erotic paintings including paintings depicting homosexual intercourse that were destroyed by a priest who found them after da Vinci’s death. The fact that homosexuality was prominent in much of his work, that he was accused of sodomy with a youth that was known for such acts, and that his “apprentice” of 30 years really did not make a name for himself as an artist leads one to believe that the allegations that da Vinci was gay are well-founded. After all, it is no secret that artists portray what they know in their work and that their work is a part of who they are. It also makes sense considering the fact that if da Vinci was not gay, why would he bring about the speculation that he was through his work at a time in which that type of lifestyle could have brought death.

Of course, the church did not approve of homosexuality, but somehow, da Vinci’s life remained somewhat of a mystery. It may well be that he was so influential that he could “get away” with it. He is certainly honored by today’s gay community as being a “gay hero”. Whether he was indeed gay or not is, at this point, still speculated despite the evidence in favor of this. It is known that da Vinci generally kept company with men and did not approve of the concept of heterosexual relations leading to procreation. He never sired any children and he left his estate to his two apprentices, Francesco Melzi and Salai. Gay or not? You decide.