Leonardo da Vinci: Fulfilling His Dream to Fly
Aerial Screw (Vite Aerea)
Though this machine has been identified as the ancestor of today's helicopter, this probably have never flown, though.
During the medieval times, children used to play with 'whirligigs', where the blades on a central threaded shaft can whirl around and move upwards into the air. Leonardo perhaps obtained his idea from this ancient toy.
Flying Machine (Macchina Volante)
Considered as one of Da Vinci's most famous drawings about human flight, this human-powered machine mimics the bird's way of flight by having the pilot lie his face down while is being held in position by the strap. To move the wings go up and down, the pilot must put his feet in stirrups at the back of the machine and must move them to engage the cables and pulleys.
The Flying Wing (Studio d'Ala Batiente)
It's another bizarre piece Da Vinci has designed to fulfill his fantasies of flight.
Leonardo da Vinci: Dissecting the Human Body
In Da Vinci's notebooks, his drawings and sketches include his studies about the human body... both inside and out.
He dissected and drew the bodies of more than thirty men and women of all ages in order to understand the beauty of human proportions and the way muscles and tendons work when the body is in motion.
He is also the first one to discover atherosclerosis which is the hardening of the arteries. All his detailed anatomical drawings were indeed an amazing achievement.
Leonardo da Vinci: On Architecture and Visual Arts
The Ideal City (Citta Ideale)
Leonardo believed that an ideal city should be less crowded to avoid the quick spread of diseases as what happened during the plague in 1484.
In his architectural plan, he designed houses that were placed higher than the roads and drew wide streets and storey buildings too. He also planned to have navigable canals that can connect the city to the sea.
His Paintings
Aside from inventing machines that astonished everyone during his time, Leonardo da Vinci was also admired because of his contributions to the world of visual arts via his high quality paintings that took him some painstaking years to finish.
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| A replica of the Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world. There are over 6 million people who visit Louvre every year where this is currently being displayed, and primarily, to see the painting sometimes the only reason why they go there. |
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| Annunciation, painted between 1472–1475 |
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| A closer look to the Virgin of the Rocks. This was painted between 1483–1486 |
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| ... And some of his paintings |
Summary
Leonardo da Vinci once lived more than 500 years ago, but his incredible crafts and artworks still have this ability to knock my feet off. His inventions and ideas were all nothing but a product of a rich imagination and fantasies.
His lack of formal education has never become a hindrance rather it motivated him to work and study endlessly just to quench his constant thirst of science and information. His curiosity about how the nature works pushed him to go farther until suddenly he ended up thinking about aviation and marine science.
Another great character he has shown is his passiveness towards work by avoiding to rush things up. When it took him years to finish a painting, I never perceived this as his waterloo. Instead, I noticed his patience towards producing a high quality of work.
Moreover, though Leonardo might have not lived a beautiful life since he grew up without a mother, his inventions and discoveries tell us that we can still live better. The time he spent to think about all these things was never just for his own benefit, but he aimed to share all his works with the growing society during the Renaissance. Indeed, a very selfless attitude.
Above all this, I would like to thank the Mind Museum for reliving Leonardo da Vinci's legacy. I guess their time and effort that they spent in this exhibit have finally paid off. Sadly, this exhibit has finally closed on Nov 30 and lasted for just three months. But at least, the message Da Vinci would want us to hear was now conveyed more precisely and clearly.
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