20

Necessity of theoretical knowledge.

The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror which copies every thing placed in front of it without being conscious of their existence.

Taken from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci edited by Jean Paul Richter, 1880.

19 * 21
Notebooks of Leonoardo da Vinci
I: Prolegomena and General Introduction to the Book on Painting.
. . .
The author’s intention to publish his MSS.
1
The preparation of the MSS. for publication.
2
Admonition to readers.
3
The disorder in the MSS.
4
subjects..
5,
6,
7,
8
General introductions to the book on Painting.
9,
10,
11,
12,
13
The plan of the book on Painting.
14,
15,
16,
17
The use of the book on Painting.
18
Necessity of theoretical knowledge.
19,
20
The function of the eye.
21,
22,
23,
24
Variability of the eye.
25
Differences of perception by one eye and by both eyes.
26,
27,
28,
29
The comparative size of the image depends on the amount of light.
30,
31,
32,
33,
34,
35,
36,
37,
38,
39
. . .