Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath. He studied various subjects but his paintings and inventions have affected us after five hundred years. His most famous paintings have been studied and still cause great controversy. Da Vinci’s inventions were somewhat impractical but have been used as guides today.
Leonardo di ser da Piero da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Florence, in Italy. He lived with his father, grandparent, and uncle until he became an apprentice to Andrea di Cione (Verrocchio) at age fourteen. He was a polymath; he studied different fields and subjects instead of just one. Leonardo studied many fields of science, including the human anatomy, botany, optics, civil engineering, hydrodynamics, and flight. He was also an inventor that created things that were not feasible at his time period. Da Vinci created contraptions like airplanes, helicopters, bridges, and musical instruments. To me, they were possible; except people back then did not have knowledge about flight, and thought Leonardo’s ideas were strange.
Leonardo da Vinci was an artist. His paintings have impacted us for over five hundred years! When he painted the Baptism of Christ, it is legend that his mentor, Verrocchio, was so amazed by it, that he never picked up a paintbrush again. Da Vinci’s paintings and sketches are still being studied and reproduced today. For example, the Mona Lisa’s smile has people intrigued. They question if it is even a smile, what is her real name, who she is or if it is a self-portrait of da Vinci as a woman! Studies today show that there is about a ninety-seven percent match between them.
Da Vinci made most of his discoveries by simply observing. He recorded notes and observations in journals daily during his life and travels. Leonardo’s journals were filled with notes about all subjects; from people who owed him money to sketches of wing designs and shoes made for walking on water. Leonardo had about thirty scientific journals in total; his journal, the Codex Leicester, includes various topics in science. It illustrates how science and art are linked together, and the creativity of the scientific process.
Da Vinci as a scientist studied in many fields and made various discoveries. He invented impractical flying machines that defied the laws of sound of aerodynamics. Leonardo had studied the human body when he was an apprentice at Verrocchio’s workshop. He needed to know how the body looked so he could sketch, paint, etc. it. He also studied the human anatomy, along with the anatomy of animals and plant life. Da Vinci concentrated solar energy, created a calculator, came up with a theory for plate tectonics. He knew a lot about optics and civil engineering too. He created bridges, cannons, and barricades for protect Venice from attack. He also invented hang-gliders, helicopters, and airplanes. In addition, he was able to teach himself Latin because he lacked a formal education in mathematics and Latin. Most scholars had ignored him as scientist. To me, it is ironic how those “formal educated” scholars turned their backs to someone that was so far ahead of them. They probably never imagined that da Vinci was going to be a famous polymath for over four hundred years…..
Leonardo was a very interesting man in so many ways. He loved animals and was noted as a vegetarian; he refused to eat meat and live entirely on vegetables. He even refused to drink milk! He loved nature; during his childhood, he lived around mountains and many animals. In my point of view, the most interesting fact about Leonardo da Vinci is his mirror handing writing. He was left-handed; it is believed that it was easier for him to right from right to left. He has been falsely accused of trying to protect his work by writing in his “mirror” style writing. It has been written that he may be the most universally recognized left-handed artist of all time. Early Italian specialists argued if he drew with his right hand but now, historians have suggest the idea of ambidexterity (the state being able to write with both appendages).
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, an interesting polymath, a great artist, and so many other things, died on May 2, 1519. He was only sixty-seven years. Da Vinci was staying at Clos Lucé, a mansion used by King François I, in Amboise, France. He died because he wasn’t in the best health condition and the right side of his body had been paralyzed since 1517. Da Vinci was buried in the heart of the king castle in the cloister San Fiorentino at first, however, it was torn down. Then Leonardo da Vinci’s remains were sent to the Chapel of St. Hubert.
Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. He has influenced us for over five hundred years with his paintings, journals, inventions, discoveries, and overall with himself. I think his discoveries are as important as the light bulb, the cell phone, or the Internet. He found out why some parts of our world are the way they are. Da Vinci came a long way from his rough beginning.
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