Leonardo DaVinci

Every so often, someone comes along who people say; he or she defines their generation. Well, Leonardo DaVinci not only defined his generation, but pretty much defined every generation. Everyone has heard of Leonardo DaVinci, but not many people understand just how much of a genius he was. Besides being one of the greatest artists of all time, he was also an engineer, architect, astronomer, mathematician, geologist, botanist, inventor, and even a musician. DaVinci did just about everything there is to do and he did it exceptionally well. As far as engineering goes, you could argue he was the greatest of all time. His ideas and inventions were centuries ahead of his time. Among his many contributions was one of the first models for human flight. It's almost sickening how much of a genius he was. When he was my age he was spending his time creating world-class masterpieces, while I spend a good majority of my time drinking beer on my couch. I figure he had to be an alien. DaVinci once said, "Things of the mind left untested by the senses are useless." Well, Leonardo left just about nothing untested. Let's now delve into the life and mind of this fascinating man.

Leonardo DaVinci was born in 1452 in the small village of Vinci. His family soon moved to Florence and DaVinci was given the best education that Florence, the intellectual and artistic center of Italy, could offer. He rapidly advanced socially and intellectually. At about the age of sixteen, his father began to realize he had extraordinary artistic talents, so he was sent to apprentice with Andrea del Verrocchio, one of the leading painters and sculptors of his day. For the next six years or so, Leonardo trained and honed his artistic skills under Verrocchio, but it wasn't long before the student surpassed the teacher. He quickly developed his own artistic style, which was unique and contrary to tradition. In 1472 DaVinci was enrolled as a master in the Company of Painters, and he began to create his own masterpieces.

Just as Leonardo began his work as an independent master, it seems he lost interest in painting. Almost all of his early works were left unfinished, and he turned his attention to engineering. This was something that happened frequently in DaVinci's life. It seems he could never hold his attention on one project for very long. There was so much that he was interested in, he couldn't focus on one particular area for a long time. DaVinci entered the service of the Duke of Milan as a military engineer and architect. During this time Leonardo had ideas and designs for many fortifications, bridges, buildings, weapons, and river diversions, all while continuing his artistic career. In 1500, after many years in Milan, Leonardo returned to Florence. By this time he was a celebrated artistic and engineering genius. Leonardo spent his remaining years dividing his time between Florence and Milan. He continued his work on his inventions, the pursuit of scientific knowledge, and created some of the greatest masterpieces of all time, such as the Mona Lisa. In 1516 he was invited into the service of the King of France, Francois I, where he was given the title of first painter, engineer, and architect to the king, which is where he remained until his death in 1519.

While Leonardo DaVinci may be remembered most for his art, it is his work in science and engineering that stick out most in my mind. He was so far ahead of his time, that it would be 300 to 400 years before his ideas were improved upon or even fathomed. No one could pick up his work where he left off because he never published his works, and wrote all his notes in code. No one is quite sure why he did this, but some feel that he was afraid his ideas would upset certain people of his time, such as the Roman Catholic Church.

DaVinci made incredible advances in many different areas. At a time when not much was known about human anatomy, DaVinci created elaborate, detailed drawings of bone and muscle structure, and organ-system observations and sketches. In his work in military engineering, a couple of his many designs were early prototypes for machine guns and tanks. He made advances in hydraulics, optics, and mathematics. DaVinci had hundreds of designs and inventions: a submarine, a deep sea diving suit, parachutes, drilling machines, labor saving devices involving cranes and pulleys, as well as self propelled land and water vehicles.

Some of DaVinci's most famous designs are those for human flight. DaVinci was fascinated by the prospect of human flight and he spent much of his time attempting to master this subject. He once said, "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will long to return." While Leonardo never did make it into the skies in one of his flying machines, his designs were sound, and he most likely inspired future inventors. You also have to remember that he was making his investigations in a time when virtually nothing was known about the principles of aerodynamics and flight. DaVinci had many different designs most of which were gliders or machines that tried to imitate the flight of the bird. Most of his designs had one major flaw. He assumed that man had sufficient coordination and strength to copy bird-flight. Only a man with super human strength could have operated most of his flying machines. DaVinci's most well known flying machine was the helical screw. The helical screw has the same basic design as the helicopter and is considered an ancestor to the modern day helicopter. The helical screw was never tested in DaVinci's time and most likely would not flown, but it was an inspiration for future working designs.

Leonardo DaVinci was a true pioneer. He questioned everything and left nothing unexplored. DaVinci led the way in a time when so much of world had yet to be discovered and the world changed because of him. He had a whole truckload of talent and he didn't waste any of it. It's pretty amazing what one man can do when he puts his mind to it. It makes me wonder what I myself could accomplish if I didn't have a TV to watch. If there is one lesson you could take out of Leonardo DaVinci's life, I'd say instead of watching that rerun of the Simpsons for the eighth time, try putting your mind to something and see what you can accomplish.

Sources

http://library.thinkquest.org/3044/

http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/index.shtml

http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/vinci/index.htm

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/