Leonardo da Vinci: Background
The following information is from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ EDSITEment article on Leonardo da Vinci.
RENAISSANCE MAN - One of history’s most imaginative geniuses, Leonardo was born at the right time and in the right place. Western Europe’s Renaissance was an exciting period of discovery and invention, of exploration and creation. The rediscovery of the philosophical and scientific ideas of classical Greece and Rome had changed the way scholars and artists thought about the universe. After centuries of domination by the Catholic Church, focus shifted to the power of reason and the potential of man. The medieval period gave way to eager investigation, and a revolution began in the realms of art, architecture, technology, engineering, and science.
ARTIST - Leonardo was a mirror of the age in which he lived. Artist, scientist, engineer, architect, musician and courtier par excellence, he embodied what came to be known as the multi-talented Renaissance Man. Leonardo carefully studied the world around him. He believed that art should clearly reflect the wonders of the natural world. But his works also contained a certain mystery. His Mona Lisa, perhaps the world’s most famous painting, is known for her haunting smile.
SCIENTIST - Leonardo was also fascinated by the way things worked. He mused endlessly about cause and effect, filling thousands of pages of his famous notebooks with sketches and commentary dealing with subjects as diverse as the anatomy of a horse and the design of a hydraulic pump.
INVENTOR - Leonardo was equally intrigued about the possibilities of locomotion, and he designed a number of machines that would enable man to get around faster. Specifically, he was fascinated by the possibilities of human flight. He captured birds and studied their feathers and skeletal systems to puzzle out the secrets of aerodynamics. He studied the flow of water in rivers and streams as well as the effects of tides in order to better understand wind currents. Using what he observed in nature, he designed some very ingenious flying machines.
RENAISSANCE MAN - One of history’s most imaginative geniuses, Leonardo was born at the right time and in the right place. Western Europe’s Renaissance was an exciting period of discovery and invention, of exploration and creation. The rediscovery of the philosophical and scientific ideas of classical Greece and Rome had changed the way scholars and artists thought about the universe. After centuries of domination by the Catholic Church, focus shifted to the power of reason and the potential of man. The medieval period gave way to eager investigation, and a revolution began in the realms of art, architecture, technology, engineering, and science.
ARTIST - Leonardo was a mirror of the age in which he lived. Artist, scientist, engineer, architect, musician and courtier par excellence, he embodied what came to be known as the multi-talented Renaissance Man. Leonardo carefully studied the world around him. He believed that art should clearly reflect the wonders of the natural world. But his works also contained a certain mystery. His Mona Lisa, perhaps the world’s most famous painting, is known for her haunting smile.
SCIENTIST - Leonardo was also fascinated by the way things worked. He mused endlessly about cause and effect, filling thousands of pages of his famous notebooks with sketches and commentary dealing with subjects as diverse as the anatomy of a horse and the design of a hydraulic pump.
INVENTOR - Leonardo was equally intrigued about the possibilities of locomotion, and he designed a number of machines that would enable man to get around faster. Specifically, he was fascinated by the possibilities of human flight. He captured birds and studied their feathers and skeletal systems to puzzle out the secrets of aerodynamics. He studied the flow of water in rivers and streams as well as the effects of tides in order to better understand wind currents. Using what he observed in nature, he designed some very ingenious flying machines.