Lives of Verrocchio and Leonardo.
In the book Lives of the Artists by Vasari, there are several distinctive qualities Vasari points out in the works of Andrea Verrocchio and Leonardo Di Vinci. Vasari distinguishes the lives of the artists into three parts, the imperfect, to the more observing artist, to excellence and mere perfection in a significant style of art. Vasari includes the work of some of the most prominent artists during the early to high Renaissance. Vasari discusses Verrocchio in part II of his book and Leonardo in part III. He stresses how in part II, the works of the artists are more elegant than earlier works and showed much improvement in the texture of the inventions. However, they lacked order and subtleness to their work unlike the artists in part III. Vasari draws a visual description in part III of how these artists excelled to a higher degree of perfecting different styles of art that reflects the beauty of nature. .
In part II of "Lives of an Artist", Vasari states that artists paid close attention to geometry and the structure. For example, Vasari states that Andrea Verrocchio showed enhancement in design and arrangement of the human form. "There is a manifest improvement both in the inventions and in the execution, with more design, a better style and greater finish" said Vasari. Verrocchio was talented in composing his works of art in sculpting, painting and carving. His manifestation of style was unrefined but yet he mastered the art of design. Because Verrocchio was so proficient in sculpting, he gained much admiration in his work which helped to make him very wealthy. He became well known for his works and developed honor and fame. His distinctive style placed him in part II of Vasari's outlook on the history of these skillful artists. There is a certain power that Verrocchio possessed in his work. For example, the figures in his sculptures are better proportioned to that of reality as in his Beheading of the Baptist.