da Vinci Exhibit Continued (3 of 4)
da Vinci Exhibit Continued (3 of 4)
It is worth noting that as extraordinary as Leonardo was, one might not grasp the magnitude of his accomplishments from a mere perusal of his notebooks. The curators of this exhibit brought his genius to life. Hands-on exhibits were scattered throughout the galleries and the many groups of school children we observed were quite captivated.
Perhaps the most impressive part was the fantastic craftsmanship used to make Leonardo's ideas a reality. No doubt hours of patient research, trial and error, and painstaking execution went in to presenting things which, in many cases, had only existed on the pages of the Codex Atlanticus.
The scope and breadth of Leonardo's interests and pursuits is truly remarkable. It was amazing to see how deeply he searched to understand the world around him and record his findings. He applied that level of passion to everything he examined. The power of observation, the ability to decipher what he was learning, and the imagination to envision the possibilities for application of this knowledge were graphically on display in this exhibit.
He had an absorbing interest in flight. Remember, Leonardo (1452-1519) was a Renaissance man, pondering the possibility of flight 400 years before it became a reality!
There were a good many inventions designed as weapons of warfare on display:
He also made contributions in the field of music:
Leonardo was quoted as saying: "Music should not be defined as anything other than the sister of the painting." ( A Treatise on Painting)
Very telling, don't you think? Here he is placing music and painting on the same level, giving them the same weight in thought, and equal attention. In fact, he's rather casual about it; nothing "other than the sister,"- no more, no less. But this quote also implies that painting and music are intimately related. It seems he didn't separate or compartmentalize these two areas of interest. Everything was just a puzzle to explore and master.
It is worth noting that as extraordinary as Leonardo was, one might not grasp the magnitude of his accomplishments from a mere perusal of his notebooks. The curators of this exhibit brought his genius to life. Hands-on exhibits were scattered throughout the galleries and the many groups of school children we observed were quite captivated.
Perhaps the most impressive part was the fantastic craftsmanship used to make Leonardo's ideas a reality. No doubt hours of patient research, trial and error, and painstaking execution went in to presenting things which, in many cases, had only existed on the pages of the Codex Atlanticus.
The scope and breadth of Leonardo's interests and pursuits is truly remarkable. It was amazing to see how deeply he searched to understand the world around him and record his findings. He applied that level of passion to everything he examined. The power of observation, the ability to decipher what he was learning, and the imagination to envision the possibilities for application of this knowledge were graphically on display in this exhibit.
A Wire Controlled Bird
He had an absorbing interest in flight. Remember, Leonardo (1452-1519) was a Renaissance man, pondering the possibility of flight 400 years before it became a reality!
"Keep in mind that the flying machine need imitate nothing but the bat."
There were a good many inventions designed as weapons of warfare on display:
Multi Cannon Gunship, (Scale 1:15) armed with 16 cannons
Multiple Sling
Portable Harpsichord Viola designed to be strapped to the musician.
Leonardo was quoted as saying: "Music should not be defined as anything other than the sister of the painting." ( A Treatise on Painting)
Very telling, don't you think? Here he is placing music and painting on the same level, giving them the same weight in thought, and equal attention. In fact, he's rather casual about it; nothing "other than the sister,"- no more, no less. But this quote also implies that painting and music are intimately related. It seems he didn't separate or compartmentalize these two areas of interest. Everything was just a puzzle to explore and master.
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