Urban representantion systems in the reinaissance: context and innovations in leonardo da vinci`s urban models

Abstract

During the late Middle Ages and the early years of the Renaissance, the ways of representing cities in treatises and manuscripts evolved considerably. This change responded to the need to conceive urban design from a more planned perspective, based on increasingly elaborate technical models. Although perspective and orthogonal projection were already in use earlier, they were reinterpreted in the Renaissance with a more refined character. Some artists combined both approaches and used chromatic variations to reinforce altimetric and structural aspects of urban spaces. Leonardo da Vinci was an essential figure in this renovation. His codices and manuscripts reflect these innovations, which are studied here from the perspective of their contribution to urban representation, a field usually relegated to the background.