The Legacy of Leonardo da Vinci
When a person hears the word “genius”, the first thought that comes to mind is usually Albert Einstein. What is really genius? According to Wikipedia.com, a genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight. A genius can be a scholar in many subjects or a single subject. A person I feel qualifies as a genius is Leonardo Da Vinci, born as Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci, a master of many fields, is most commonly known for his art. Earning the title of the Renaissance Man, Da Vinci was an Italian polymath as a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, geometer, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer (Leonardo da Vinci) (Leonardo da Vinci Secrets) . Da Vinci is considered to be one of the greatest scientific minds and artists to have existed. Da Vinci's fascination with science and his in-depth study of human anatomy aided him in mastering the realist art form. The “superhuman” that we know began in Italy in 1452.
Although most of Da Vinci’s childhood is unknown, as a young child he had access to academic texts and was exposed to the painting tradition through his father. As a child, he showed astonishing talent, at music, being strong in math, and sketching plants and animals (Leonardo's Life) . Although his education in Latin, geometry, and mathematics was informal, he was intelligent and strong in each area. His father asked him to paint a round shield and in turn received a superb painting of a multi-headed monster which made him realize his true talent. Shortly thereafter, Da Vinci’s father apprenticed him to Verrocchio, a notorious painter, sculptor, and goldsmith. Although the facts are unclear of his apprenticeship, there he had the opportunity to paint an angel in Verrocchio's "Baptism of Christ," and he was so much better than his master's that Verrocchio allegedly resolved never to paint again (Museum of Science) . As a master of arts, Leonardo da Vinci at the age of twenty was accepted into the painter’s guild of Florence. In 1476, he was accused of sodomy; this incident made others wonder of his sexuality. In 1478 is when he really began his career as an artist, creating some of the most famous paintings known today like the Mona Lisa.
Over time he traveled mostly for working purposes. There were multiple occasions where he was hired by the government to design intricate state buildings or churches or to conceive of new weaponry that if ever used would have taken the enemy by great surprise. He designed many inventions, practical and impractical, that projected modern technology, like the helicopter, tank, use of solar power, and the calculator (Leonardo da Vinci Secrets) . Ironically, he designed a bridge that was seen as impossible until May of 2006 when it was created. He kept journals of drawings that merged art with natural philosophy and notes written in mirror-image cursive. Although he uses an observational approach to science, scholars mostly ignored him as a scientist because he had no formal education in mathematics and Latin. He created detailed drawings of human and animal anatomy.
If observed closely, Da Vinci used science in his art. He kept his private life mostly a secret. Leonardo always tried to combine movement and expression into his paintings. He experienced a very extensive career that was occupied with times during which he was celebrated, but at times he was also humiliated and cast away (Leonardo Da Vinci's Life) . His life influenced his work, and surprisingly, many of his paintings were never completed. Many of his inventions went unrecognized, but all in all, he is a scholar of many subjects. He is still considered one of the greatest minds in different aspects. His legacy is well-known of arts and sciences.
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