Leonardo da Vinci. Der Impetus der Bilder

Power is of fundamental importance in Leonardo da Vinci's paintings and drawings. In his written records, Leonardo goes further by making the power of representation itself a subject of discussion. Time and again, the physicist Leonardo grapples with the "four powers of nature" that he conceived: force, motion, impact, and weight. In doing so, he develops a model of a cyclical relationship, where the focus is less on the exhaustion of power and more on its inexhaustible transformation. Frank Fehrenbach explores how Leonardo conceptualizes art—specifically painting—within the context of natural, cosmic power transfer and from the perspective of a dynamic increase between nature and culture. What significance does painting hold within the entirety of dynamic nature, in the horizon of power? And what does this mean for the dynamic relationship between nature and culture? With his theory of the image, which also incorporates anthropological questions, Leonardo occupies a unique position in the Renaissance.