Here comes an article about one of my favourite 15th century polymaths, Leonardo da Vinci. The other one would be Michelangelo. If you have the time to read Walter Isaacson’s book about his life, it is well worth it. I’m not going to go into details about his work, his achievements, personal life, etc. All of these are very interesting topics, but Isaacson’s book details it on 624 pages, so it would be foolish to attemp replicating it in a blog post. I will write about one very small detail that caught my attention, and that is how he involved his apprentices into his work and how he transferred his knowledge, while making sure the quality of the end product is high. This is something we could all benefit from in today’s world.

Background

Back in the middle ages it was difficult to acquire new knowledge, skills, etc. One would learn a particular job or set of skills from his father, or would become an apprentice at somebody’s workshop. These workshops were organized around professions like commerce, banking, carpentry, painters, etc. Joining one of these workshops was difficult, one would have to pay for it, sometimes even a lot. Leonardo da Vinci also ran a workshop where young kids were learning how to paint. For years they would copy earlier masterpieces of his, this way getting better and better at what they were doing. They would then get some small jobs on the side, with which they could perfect their skills. Some would develop unique touches if they had the will and skill to do so.

Being a painter back then in Florence was a pretty good job. Rich people often assigned works to painters and pay them well, if the quality was good. Therefore well known professionals could make a lot of money and the market would fight for them. They church was one of the best customers and Leonardo did his fair share in painting religious topics in churches or properties owned by the church. He wasn’t doing it all by himself though. He used his apprentices to do parts of the job. This sharing was benefitial to both, as the masterpiece was ready faster and apprentices gained skills better on the job.

The method

So imagine a church or a villa, the owner of which orders you to paint several paintings, among which an extensive one, 5 by 2 metres. Let’s say there will be one main character, lots of other small ones, background, foreground, river, forest, mountain, etc. To me it would be impossible to even imagine how to start. Leonardo would first imagine and design in his mind. Then would draw some sketches in small scale. Apprentices would then be used to “blow the image up”, make a sketch, which is 5 by 2 metres, directly on the wall. Leonardo would guide this procedure and request corrections if necessary. Important pieces of work were given to more experienced apprentices, easier and less important ones to younger ones. Once the sketch is on the wall, with most of the details worked out, Leonardo would come in and make corrections himself, if necessary, because this is the last point in time when you can change the basic setup.

Then a deep breath, and colouring would start. This is where some of the magic is added. Back then you didn’t go buy paint, you made it yourself, using materials like egg yolk, beetroot and a number of others. You had to be very careful how to use them, and most importantly how to make sure they don’t fade or fall off the wall. This is where Leonardo’s mastery showed. He spent a lot of time and effot early on his career to test these materials and combinations. Measuring was difficult, so you had to be very careful. If you’ve messed up, you had to get new materials again, which was costly and difficult. This is something he has done himself, or supervised very closely, while teaching it to his followers.

You had to be very careful about timing as well, taking into consideration drying time of the wall and the paints as well. This was again a key skill he mastered over time and through trial and error. Large portion of the painting was less important, like the river in the background or the colour of the dirt. Secondary characters on the image would already be a lot more important, whereas the main character was the thing the customers really paid for and had to be perfect. This was something Leonardo usually kept for himself. Even when his apprentices were well trained, he would be the one putting the final touches on the main character. Many elements of his style distinguished his paintings. For example he was a leftie, so his strokes went into the opposite direction compared to artists of his era. Or used certain types of hand movements that were difficult to mimic. I’m not going into details on this one, but this is how actually they certify the origin of paintings these days. Some people can recognize the special direction and style of these strokes and ascertain it was made by a certain artist. Once the work of the others was done, he would often add his final touches on the other characters, background, etc., which would make the work stand out. This is for regular jobs, not the Mona Lisa obvoiusly. That was done all by himself, even though it took 16 years and he actually never considered it to be finished.

What can we learn from this

First of all, once you are good enough, you have to show your work to others, explain in details and let them try to copy it. This way you can transfer knowledge and bring others to your level. As you are probably the most experienced in the team, dedicate time to sketch and initiate the works that needs to be done. Guide them along the way, provide feedback and put your final touches on the work, so when the point of no return comes, you are sure the design is going to be fine. If your name sells your team’s work, add your trademark, so the product or service will be requested in the future as well. Treat your apprentices well, so they will also spread the word about your workshop and more and more potential prodigys will like to join this well performing team.

Conclusion

The 15th century is long gone, but the above story could easily be applied to teams in the modern world. We all have juniors in our team, who can help us delivering great projects if we dedicate the time to teach them and don’t shy away from involving them in our work. But also make sure the customer gets that magic touch, that trademark he is really paying for. I see it way too often that top tier companies deliver a bad job because they used only juniors without experience and proper preparation.