What contribution Leonardo da Vinci made to science and art, you will learn from this article.
Leonardo da Vinci's contribution to science
The future Italian scientist and artist, inventor and scientist, musician and writer, as well as a representative of Renaissance art, was born in the village of Anchiato near the town of Vinci on April 15, 1452. During his life, he managed to draw many paintings and drawings, create designs for inventions that shocked the world. But let's talk about everything one by one.
Leonardo da Vinci's contributions to biology
He was interested in issues of pathology, or rather the progressive changes that occur under the influence of the disease. The scientist was the first to describe atherosclerosis after autopsying the body of an old man and carefully studying it.
Da Vinci was also interested in such an area of biology as physiology. He studied the principles and causes of coughing, breathing, yawning, heartbeat, vomiting, sneezing, the urinary system and sensory irritations. Leonardo saw the principles of mechanics in the work of muscles; he tried to explain blood circulation through the rules of hydrodynamics. After carefully studying the work of the eye, he created the “Camera Obscura” model, which he never parted with.
Da Vinci also showed particular interest in hemodynamic problems of cardiac physiology. He attempted to create the first prosthetic aortic valve. In addition, he described and sketched the appendix, the vascular system inside the liver and the human speech apparatus, or rather its anomalies.
Leonardo da Vinci's contribution to medicine
Leonardo da Vinci's contribution to anatomy is especially noteworthy. Deep knowledge in this area allowed him to study the human body as much as possible and study it plausibly. His anatomical manuscripts and drawings were discovered in 1778 and became available to the public.
The artist depicted the skeleton to perfection, linking muscles and nerves attached to the bones in the drawing. Leonardo was the first person to accurately and correctly draw the proportions and shapes of the parts of the human skeleton. The scientist was the first to suggest that the sacrum of the ridge consists of 5 vertebrae, and not 3, as previously thought. He also described kyphosis and lordosis of the spinal column, articular surfaces of bones.
Leonardo da Vinci's contribution to culture
Among early works The artist’s paintings were “Baptism” and Madonna with a Flower.” These are deep works with careful detail and generalized forms. But his strong passion for science once distracted him from drawing. And such works as “The Adoration of the Magi” and “Saint Jerome” remained unfinished.
Leonardo da Vinci's contribution to art was especially fruitful during the Milanese creative period of 1482 - 1499. He created the sculptural monument of the equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza and a large number of architectural projects. Unfortunately, they did not reach us: they were either destroyed by enemies or by time. Among paintings, the most popular paintings of the Milanese period are “The Last Supper” and “Madonna in the Grotto”. Another peak of da Vinci’s work was the famous “La Gioconda” or “Mona Lisa”.
Thus, Leonardo da Vinci's contribution to the history of science and culture is so enormous that his research was far ahead of its time. He was an innovator and experimenter, a genius and a fanatic of his craft. His sketches, drawings, and sketches were so accurate and confirmed by modern scientists using the miracle of technology of the 21st century.
We hope that from this article you learned what contributions Leonardo da Vinci made to science and art.
Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
State educational institution
higher professional education
"Tver State Technical University"
(GOU VPO "TSTU")
in the discipline "History of Science"
on the topic: "Leonardo da Vinci - a great scientist and engineer"
Completed: 1st year student
FAS AU ATP 1001
Ivanova Tatyana Lyubomirovna
Tver, 2010
I. Introduction
II. Main part
1. Artist and scientist
2. Leonardo da Vinci - a brilliant inventor
. "It is better to be deprived of movement than to be tired of being useful"
3.1 Aircraft
3.2 Hydraulics
3 Car
4 Leonardo da Vinci as a pioneer of nanotechnology
5 Other inventions of Leonardo
Conclusion
References
Application
I. INTRODUCTION
Renaissance (French Renaissance, Italian Rinascimento) is an era of great economic and social transformations in the life of many European countries, an era of radical changes in ideology and culture, an era of humanism and enlightenment.
This historical period In various areas of human society, favorable conditions arise for an unprecedented rise in culture. Development of science and technology, great geographical discoveries, the movement of trade routes and the emergence of new trade and industrial centers, the inclusion in the sphere of production of new sources of raw materials and new markets significantly expanded and changed man’s understanding of the world around him. Science, literature, and art are flourishing.
The Renaissance gave humanity a number of outstanding scientists, thinkers, inventors, travelers, artists, poets, whose activities made an enormous contribution to the development of human culture.
In the history of mankind it is not easy to find another person as brilliant as the founder of High Renaissance art, Leonardo da Vinci. The phenomenal research power of Leonardo da Vinci penetrated into all areas of science and art. Even centuries later, researchers of his work are amazed at the genius of the insights of the greatest thinker. Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, sculptor, architect, philosopher, historian, mathematician, physicist, mechanic, astronomer, and anatomist.
II. MAIN PART
1. Artist and scientist
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is one of the mysteries in human history. His versatile genius of an unsurpassed artist, a great scientist and a tireless researcher has plunged the human mind into confusion in all centuries.
“Leonardo da Vinci is a titan, an almost supernatural being, the owner of such versatile talent and such a wide range of knowledge that there is simply no one to compare him with in the history of art.”
For Leonardo da Vinci himself, science and art were fused together. Giving the palm in the “dispute of arts” to painting, he considered it a universal language, a science that, like mathematics in formulas, displays in proportions and perspective all the diversity and rational principles of nature. The approximately 7,000 sheets of scientific notes and explanatory drawings left by Leonardo da Vinci are an unattainable example of synthesis and art.
Long before Bacon, he expressed the great truth that the basis of science is, first of all, experience and observation. A specialist in mathematics and mechanics, he was the first to expound the theory of forces acting on a lever in an indirect direction. Studies in astronomy and the great discoveries of Columbus led Leonardo to the idea of the rotation of the globe. Specifically studying anatomy for the sake of painting, he understood the purpose and functions of the iris of the eye. Leonardo da Vinci invented the camera obscura, conducted hydraulic experiments, deduced the laws of falling bodies and motion on an inclined plane, had a clear understanding of respiration and combustion, and put forward a geological hypothesis about the movement of continents. These merits alone would be enough to consider Leonardo da Vinci an outstanding person. But if we consider that he did not take everything except sculpture and painting seriously, and in these arts he showed himself to be a real genius, then it will become clear why he made such a stunning impression on subsequent generations. His name is inscribed on the pages of art history next to Michelangelo and Raphael, but an impartial historian will give him an equally significant place in the history of mechanics and fortification.
With all his extensive scientific and artistic pursuits, Leonardo da Vinci also had time to invent various “frivolous” devices with which he entertained the Italian aristocracy: flying birds, inflating bubbles and intestines, fireworks. He also supervised the construction of canals from the Arno River; construction of churches and fortresses; artillery pieces during the siege of Milan by the French king; Seriously engaged in the art of fortification, he nevertheless managed to simultaneously construct an unusually harmonious silver 24-string lyre.
"Leonardo da Vinci is the only artist about whom it can be said that everything that his hand touched became eternal beauty. The structure of the skull, the texture of the fabric, a tense muscle... - all this was done with an amazing flair for line, color and illumination turned into true values" (Bernard Berenson, 1896).
In his works, issues of art and science are practically inseparable. In his “Treatise on Painting,” for example, he conscientiously began to outline advice to young artists on how to correctly recreate the material world on canvas, then imperceptibly moved on to discussions about perspective, proportions, geometry and optics, then about anatomy and mechanics (and to mechanics as animate , and inanimate objects) and, ultimately, to thoughts about the mechanics of the Universe as a whole. It seems obvious that the scientist is striving to create a kind of reference book - an abbreviated summary of all technical knowledge, and even distribute it according to its importance, as he imagined it. His scientific method boiled down to the following: 1) careful observation; 2) numerous verifications of observation results from different points of view; 3) a sketch of an object and phenomenon, as skillfully as possible, so that they can be seen by everyone and understood with the help of short accompanying explanations.
For Leonardo da Vinci, art has always been science. To engage in art meant for him to make scientific calculations, observations and experiments. The connection of painting with optics and physics, with anatomy and mathematics forced Leonardo to become a scientist.
2. Leonardo da Vinci - a brilliant inventor
Leonardo da Vinci enriched the Renaissance worldview with the idea of the value of science: mathematics and natural science. Next to aesthetic interests - and above them - he placed scientific ones.
At the center of his scientific constructions is mathematics. “No human research can claim to be called true science unless it makes use of mathematical proof.” “There is no certainty where one of the mathematical sciences does not find application, or where sciences not related to mathematics are applied.” It was no coincidence that he filled his notebooks with mathematical formulas and calculations. It is no coincidence that he sang hymns to mathematics and mechanics. No one sensed more keenly than Leonardo the role that mathematics had to play in Italy in the decades that elapsed between his death and the final triumph of mathematical methods in the works of Galileo.
His materials were collected and largely scientifically processed in a wide variety of disciplines: mechanics, astronomy, cosmography, geology, paleontology, oceanography, hydraulics, hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, various branches of physics (optics, acoustics, theriology, magnetism), botany, zoology, anatomy, perspective, painting, grammar, languages.
In his notes there are such amazing provisions that, in all their conclusions, were revealed only by mature science of the second half of the 19th century and later. Leonardo knew that “motion is the cause of every manifestation of life” (il moto e causa d "ogni vita), the scientist discovered the theory of speed and the law of inertia - the basic principles of mechanics. He studied the fall of bodies along a vertical and inclined line. He analyzed the laws of gravity. He established the properties of the lever as a simple machine, the most universal.
If not before Copernicus, then simultaneously with him and independently of him, he understood the basic laws of the structure of the universe. He knew that space is limitless, that the worlds are countless, that the Earth is the same luminary as the others and moves like them, that it “is neither in the center of the circle of the Sun, nor in the center of the universe.” He established that “the sun does not move”; This position is written down by him, as especially important, in large letters. He had a correct understanding of the history of the Earth and its geological structure.
Leonardo da Vinci had a very solid scientific background. He was, without a doubt, an excellent mathematician, and, what is very curious, he was the first in Italy, and perhaps in Europe, to introduce the signs + (plus) and - (minus). He was looking for the squaring of a circle and became convinced of the impossibility of solving this problem, that is, to be more precise, of the incommensurability of the circumference of a circle with its diameter. Leonardo invented a special tool for drawing ovals and for the first time determined the center of gravity of the pyramid. The study of geometry allowed him to create for the first time scientific theory perspectives, and he was one of the first artists to paint landscapes that somewhat corresponded to reality.
Leonardo da Vinci was more interested in various branches of mechanics than other areas of science. The scientist is also known as a brilliant improver and inventor, equally strong in theory and practice. Leonardo da Vinci's theoretical conclusions in the field of mechanics are striking in their clarity and provide him with an honorable place in the history of this science, in which he is the link connecting Archimedes with Galileo and Pascal.
With remarkable clarity, the scientist-artist sets out in general, large terms, the theory of leverage, explaining it with drawings; Without stopping there, he gives drawings related to the movement of bodies on an inclined plane, although, unfortunately, he does not explain them in text. From the drawings, however, it is clear that Leonardo da Vinci was 80 years ahead of the Dutchman Stevin and that he already knew the relationship between the weights of two weights located on two adjacent faces triangular prism and connected to each other by means of a thread thrown over a block. Leonardo also studied, long before Galileo, the length of time required for the fall of a body descending an inclined plane and along various curved surfaces or cuts of these surfaces, that is, lines.
Even more curious are the general principles, or axioms, of mechanics that Leonardo is trying to establish. Much here is unclear and directly incorrect, but there are thoughts that are positively amazing from a writer of the late 15th century. “No sensually perceived body,” says Leonardo, “can move by itself. It is set in motion by some external cause, force. Force is an invisible and incorporeal cause in the sense that it cannot change either in shape or in tension. If a body is moved by a force at a given time and passes a given space, then the same force can move it in half the time to half the space. Every body exerts resistance in the direction of its movement (Newton’s law of action equal to reaction is almost guessed here). a falling body at each moment of its movement receives a certain increase in speed. The impact of bodies is a force acting for a very short time.”
Leonardo da Vinci's views on wave-like motion are even more distinct and remarkable. To explain the movement of water particles, Leonardo da Vinci begins with the classical experiment of modern physicists, that is, throwing a stone, producing circles on the surface of the water. He gives a drawing of such concentric circles, then throws two stones, gets two systems of circles and wonders what will happen when both systems meet? "Will the waves be reflected under equal angles? - Leonardo asks and adds. “This is a most magnificent (bellissimo) question.” Then he says: “The movement of sound waves can be explained in the same way. Waves of air move away in a circular pattern from their place of origin, one circle meets another and passes on, but the center always remains in the same place."
These extracts are enough to convince oneself of the genius of the man who, at the end of the 15th century, laid the foundation for the wave theory of motion, which received full recognition only in the 19th century.
3. "It is better to be deprived of movement than to be tired of being useful."
Leonardo da Vinci is a genius whose inventions belong entirely to both the past, present and future of humanity. He lived ahead of his time, and if even a small part of what he invented had been brought to life, then the history of Europe, and perhaps the world, would have been different: already in the 15th century we would have driven cars and crossed the seas by submarines.
Historians of technology count hundreds of Leonardo's inventions, scattered throughout his notebooks in the form of drawings, sometimes with short expressive remarks, but often without a single word of explanation, as if the inventor's rapid flight of imagination did not allow him to stop at verbal explanations.
Let's look at some of Leonardo's most famous inventions.
3.1 Aircraft
“The big bird begins its first flight from the back of a gigantic swan, filling the universe with amazement, filling all the scriptures with rumors about itself, filling the nest where it was born with eternal glory.”
The most daring dream of Leonardo the inventor, without a doubt, was human flight.
One of the very first (and most famous) sketches on this topic is a diagram of a device that in our time is considered to be a prototype of a helicopter. Leonardo proposed making a propeller with a diameter of 5 meters from thin flax soaked in starch. It had to be driven by four people turning levers in a circle. Modern experts argue that the muscular strength of four people would not be enough to lift this device into the air (especially since even if lifted, this structure would begin to rotate around its axis), but if, for example, a powerful spring were used as an “engine” , such a “helicopter” would be capable of flight - albeit short-term.
Leonardo soon lost interest in propeller-driven aircraft and turned his attention to the flight mechanism that had been working successfully for millions of years - the bird's wing. Leonardo da Vinci was convinced that “a person who overcomes air resistance with the help of large artificial wings can rise into the air. If only its members were of greater stamina, able to withstand the swiftness and impulse of descent with ligaments made of strong tanned leather and tendons made of raw silk. And let no one fiddle with iron material, because the latter quickly breaks at bends or wears out.”
Leonardo thought about flight with the help of the wind, that is, about soaring flight, rightly noting that in this case less effort is required to maintain and move in the air. He developed a design for a glider that was attached to a person's back so that the latter could balance in flight. The drawing of the device, which Leonardo himself described as follows, turned out to be prophetic: “If you have enough linen fabric sewn into a pyramid with a base of 12 yards (about 7 m 20 cm), then you can jump from any height without any harm to your body.” .
The master made this recording between 1483 and 1486. Several centuries later, such a device was called a “parachute” (from the Greek para - “against” and the French “chute” - fall). Leonardo’s idea was brought to its logical conclusion only by the Russian inventor Kotelnikov, who in 1911 created the first backpack rescue parachute attached to the pilot’s back.
3.2 Hydraulics
Leonardo da Vinci began to become interested in hydraulics while working in Verrocchio's workshop in Florence, working on fountains. As the Duke's chief engineer, Leonardo da Vinci developed hydraulics for use in agriculture and providing energy for machines and mills. “Water moving in a river is either called, or driven, or moves itself. If it is driven, who is the one who drives it? If it is called or demanded, who is the demander.”
Leonardo often used wooden or glass models of canals, in which he painted the created flows of water and marked them with small buoys to make it easier to follow the flow. The results of these experiments have found their practical application in solving sewerage problems. His drawings include ports, closures, and sluices with sliding doors. Leonardo da Vinci even planned to dig a shipping canal diverting the river. Arno to connect Florence with the sea through Prato, Pistoia and Serraval. Another hydraulic project was conceived for Lombardy and Venice. He assumed the flooding of the Isonzo Valley in the event of a Turkish invasion. There was also a plan for draining the Pontine swamps (which Medici Pope Leo X consulted with Leonardo da Vinci about).
Leonardo da Vinci created lifebuoys and gas masks for both military and practical needs. Imitating the outlines of a fish, he improved the shape of the ship's hull to increase its speed; for the same purpose, he used a device on it that controlled the oars. For military needs, Leonardo da Vinci invented a double hull for the ship that could withstand shelling, as well as a secret device for anchoring the ship. This problem was solved with the help of divers who went underwater in special suits or in simple submarines.
To speed up swimming, the scientist developed a design of webbed gloves, which over time turned into the well-known flippers.
One of the most necessary things for teaching a person to swim is a lifebuoy. This invention of Leonardo remained virtually unchanged.
3.3 Car
It was in the head of Leonardo da Vinci that the idea of a car was born. Unfortunately, the body drawings were not fully drawn out, because during the development of his project the master was very interested in the engine and chassis.
This famous drawing shows a prototype of a modern car. The self-propelled three-wheeled cart is propelled by a complex crossbow mechanism that transmits power to actuators connected to the steering wheel. The rear wheels have differentiated drives and can move independently. In addition to the large front wheel, there was another small one, rotating, which was placed on a wooden lever. This vehicle was originally intended for the entertainment of the royal court and belonged to the range of self-propelled vehicles that were created by other engineers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Today, the word “excavator” will not surprise anyone. But hardly anyone thought about the history of the creation of this universal machine. Leonardo excavators were designed more for lifting and transporting excavated material. This made the workers' work easier. The excavator was mounted on rails and, as work progressed, moved forward using a screw mechanism on the central rail.
3.4 Leonardo da Vinci as a pioneer of nanotechnology
artist screw hydraulic saw
A group of researchers from the laboratory of the Center for Research and Restoration of Museums in France, led by Philippe Walter, once descended on the Louvre and, pushing the museum workers aside, conducted an X-ray fluorescence analysis of the works of Leonardo da Vinci. Seven portraits by the great master, including the Mona Lisa, were exposed to the rays of a portable X-ray machine.
The analysis made it possible to determine the thickness of individual layers of paint and varnish in the paintings and to clarify some features of the sfumato painting technique (sfumato - “vague, blurred”), which made it possible to soften the transition between light and dark areas in the picture and create believable shadows. Actually, sfumato is da Vinci’s invention, and it was he who achieved the greatest heights in this technique.
As it turned out, Leonardo used varnish and paint with unique additives. But most importantly, da Vinci was able to apply glaze (glaze) in a layer 1-2 microns thick. The total thickness of all layers of varnish and paint in portraits by Leonardo does not exceed 30-40 microns; however, the refraction of light rays in various transparent and translucent layers creates a powerful effect of volume and depth. It is curious that modern screen coatings that create a stereoscopic effect are designed according to the same principle (see Appendix).
The study left open the question of how Leonardo managed to apply paint and varnish in such a thin layer (up to 1/1000 of a millimeter!). An additional intriguing fact is that no traces of brush strokes, much less fingerprints, were found in any layer of the paintings.
3.5 Other inventions of Leonardo
Leonardo's theoretical contributions to science are contained in his studies of "gravity, force, pressure and impact... the children of motion...". His drawings of the components of mechanisms and devices for transmitting motion remain. Five main types of mechanisms have been known since ancient times: winch, lever, block (gate), wedge and screw. Leonardo used them in complex devices that automate various operations. Special attention he devoted to screws: “On the nature of the screw and its use, how many eternal screws can be made and how to supplement them with gears”
The problem of motion transmission is closely related to friction research, which led to the appearance of bearings that are still used today. Leonardo tested bearings made of antifriction material (an alloy of copper and tin), and ultimately settled on a variety of ball bearings - the prototypes of modern ones.
Let us also mention Leonardo’s most famous inventions: devices for converting and transmitting motion (for example, steel chain drives, still used in bicycles); simple and interlaced belt drives; various types clutches (conical, spiral, stepped); roller bearings to reduce friction; double connection, now called "universal joint" and used in cars; various machines (for example, a precision machine for automatic marking or a hammering machine for forming gold bars); a device (attributed to Cellini) to improve the legibility of coinage; bench for experiments on friction; suspension of the axles on movable wheels located around it to reduce friction during rotation (this device, reinvented by Atwood in the late 18th century, led to modern ball and roller bearings); a device for experimentally testing the tensile strength of metal threads; numerous weaving machines (for example, shearing, twisting, carding); power loom and spinning machine for wool; combat vehicles for waging war (“the most severe madness,” as he called it); various intricate musical instruments.
Oddly enough, only one invention of da Vinci received recognition during his lifetime - a wheel lock for a pistol that was wound with a key. At first, this mechanism was not very widespread, but by the middle of the 16th century it had gained popularity among nobles, especially in the cavalry, which was even reflected in the design of the armor: for the sake of firing pistols, armor began to be made with gloves instead of mittens. The wheel lock for a pistol, invented by Leonardo da Vinci, was so perfect that it continued to be found in the 19th century.
But, as often happens, recognition of geniuses comes centuries later: many of his inventions were expanded and modernized, and are now used in everyday life.
Archimedean screws and water wheels
Hydraulic saw
CONCLUSION
In the history of science, which is the history of human knowledge, people who make revolutionary discoveries are important. Without this factor, the history of science turns into a catalog or inventory of discoveries. The most striking example of this is Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci - Italian artist, sculptor, architect, scientist, engineer, naturalist. His extraordinary and versatile talent aroused amazement and admiration of his contemporaries, who saw in him the living embodiment of the ideal of a harmoniously developed, perfect person. In all his endeavors he was an explorer and pioneer, and this had a direct impact on his art. He left behind few works, but each of them was a stage in the history of culture. The scientist is also known as a versatile scientist. The scale and uniqueness of Leonardo da Vinci’s talent can be judged by his drawings, which occupy one of the honorable places in the history of art. Not only manuscripts dedicated to the exact sciences are inextricably linked with Leonardo da Vinci's drawings, sketches, outlines, and diagrams. Leonardo da Vinci owns numerous discoveries, projects and experimental studies in mathematics, mechanics, and other natural sciences.
The art of Leonardo da Vinci, his scientific and theoretical research, the uniqueness of his personality have passed through the entire history of world culture and science and had a huge influence on it.
The legendary glory of Leonardo has lived for centuries and still not only has not faded, but is burning brighter: discoveries modern science again and again fuel interest in his engineering and science fiction drawings, in his encrypted notes. Particularly hotheads even find in Leonardo’s sketches almost a prediction of atomic explosions.
Leonardo believed in the idea of homo faber, man - the creator of new tools, new things that did not exist in nature. This is not man’s resistance to nature and its laws, but creative activity on the basis of the same laws, for man is the “greatest instrument” of the same nature. River floods can be counteracted by dams, artificial wings are destined to lift a person into the air. In this case, it can no longer be said that human strength is wasted and drowns without a trace in the stream of time, the “destroyer of things.” Then, on the contrary, it will be necessary to say: “People unfairly complain about the passage of time, blaming it for being too fast, not noticing that it is passing quite slowly.” And then the words of Leonardo, which he wrote on the 34th sheet of the Codex Trivulzio, will be justified:
A life well lived is a long life.
La vita bene spesa longa`e.
REFERENCES
1. Arshinov, V.I., Budanov V.G. Cognitive foundations of synergetics. Synergetic paradigm. Nonlinear thinking in science and art. - M., 2002, pp. 67-108.
2. Voloshinov, A.V. Mathematics and art. - M., 1992, 335 p.
Gasteev A.A. Leonardo da Vinci. Life wonderful people. - M.: Young Guard, 1984, 400 p.
Gnedich P.I. History of art. High Renaissance. - M.: Eksmo Publishing House, 2005, 144 p.
Zubov V.P. Leonardo da Vinci. - L.: Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1962, 372 p.
Cuming R. Artists: the life and work of 50 famous painters. - M., 1999, 112 p.
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Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the small village of Anchiano LU, located near the town of Vinci FI. He was the illegitimate son of a wealthy notary, Piero da Vinci, and a beautiful village woman, Katarina. Soon after this event, the notary entered into marriage with the girl noble birth. They had no children, and Piero and his wife took their three-year-old child with them.
The Birth of an Artist
The brief time of childhood in the village is over. Notary Piero moved to Florence, where he apprenticed his son to Andrea del Veroccio, a famous Tuscan master. There, in addition to painting and sculpture, the future artist had the opportunity to study the basics of mathematics and mechanics, anatomy, working with metals and plaster, and methods of tanning leather. The young man greedily absorbed knowledge and later used it widely in his activities.
Interesting creative biography The maestro was written by his contemporary Giorgio Vasari. In Vasari's book "Life of Leonardo" there is brief history about how (Andrea del Verrocchio) attracted a student to carry out the order “The Baptism of Christ” (Battesimo di Cristo).
The angel painted by Leonardo so clearly demonstrated his superiority over his teacher that the latter threw down his brush in frustration and never painted again.
The qualification of a master was awarded to him by the Guild of St. Luke. Leonardo da Vinci spent the next year of his life in Florence. His first mature painting is “The Adoration of the Magi” (Adorazione dei Magi), commissioned for the monastery of San Donato.
Milanese period (1482 - 1499)
Leonardo came to Milan as a peace envoy from Lorenzo di Medici to Lodovico Sforza, nicknamed Moro. Here his work received a new direction. He was enrolled in the court staff first as an engineer and only later as an artist.
The Duke of Milan, a cruel and narrow-minded man, had little interest in the creative component of Leonardo’s personality. The master was even less worried about the duke's indifference. Interests converged in one thing. Moreau needed engineering devices for military operations and mechanical structures for the entertainment of the court. Leonardo understood this like no one else. His mind did not sleep, the master was sure that human capabilities are limitless. His ideas were close to the humanists of the New Age, but in many ways incomprehensible to his contemporaries.
Two important works belong to the same period - (Il Cenacolo) for the refectory of the monastery of Santa Maria della Grazie (Chiesa e Convento Domenicano di Santa Maria delle Grazie) and the painting “Lady with an Ermine” (Dama con l’ermellino).
The second is a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, the favorite of the Duke of Sforza. The biography of this woman is unusual. One of the most beautiful and learned ladies of the Renaissance, she was simple and kind, and knew how to get along with people. An affair with the Duke saved one of her brothers from prison. She had the most tender relationship with Leonardo, but, according to contemporaries and the opinion of most researchers, their brief relationship remained platonic.
A more common (and also not confirmed) version is about the master’s intimate relationship with his students Francesco Melzi and Salai. The artist preferred to keep the details of his personal life a deep secret.
Moro commissioned the master to create an equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza. The necessary sketches were completed and a clay model of the future monument was made. Further work was prevented by the French invasion of Milan. The artist left for Florence. He will return here again, but to another master - the French king Louis XII.
Again in Florence (1499 - 1506)
His return to Florence was marked by his entry into the service of Duke Cesare Borgia and the creation of his most famous painting, Gioconda. The new work required frequent travel; the master traveled around Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria on various assignments. His main mission was reconnaissance and preparation of the area for military operations by Cesare, who planned to subjugate the Papal States. Cesare Borgia was considered the greatest villain of the Christian world, but Leonardo admired his tenacity and remarkable talent as a commander. He argued that the Duke's vices were balanced by "equally great virtues." The ambitious plans of the great adventurer did not come true. The master returned to Milan in 1506.
Later years (1506 - 1519)
The second Milanese period lasted until 1512. The Maestro studied the structure human eye, worked on the monument to Gian Giacomo Trivulzio and his own self-portrait. In 1512 the artist moved to Rome. Giovanni di Medici, the son of Giovanni di Medici, was elected pope and was ordained under the name of Leo X. The pope's brother, Duke Giuliano di Medici, highly appreciated the work of his compatriot. After his death, the master accepted the invitation of King Francis I (François I) and left for France in 1516.
Francis turned out to be the most generous and grateful patron. The maestro settled in the picturesque castle of Clos Lucé in Touraine, where he had every opportunity to do what was interesting to him. By royal commission, he designed a lion from whose chest a bouquet of lilies opened. The French period was the happiest of his life. The king assigned his engineer an annual annuity of 1000 crowns and donated land with vineyards, ensuring him a peaceful old age. The maestro's life was cut short in 1519. He bequeathed his notes, instruments and estates to his students.
Paintings
Inventions and works
Most of the master's inventions were not created during his lifetime, remaining only in notes and drawings. An airplane, a bicycle, a parachute, a tank... He was possessed by the dream of flight, the scientist believed that a person can and should fly. Studied bird behavior and sketched wings different forms. His design for a two-lens telescope is surprisingly accurate, and in his diaries there is a brief entry about the possibility of “seeing the Moon big.”
As a military engineer he was always in demand; the lightweight saddle bridges he invented and the wheel lock for a pistol were used everywhere. He dealt with the problems of urban planning and land reclamation, and in 1509 he built the St. Christopher, as well as the Martesana irrigation canal. The Duke of Moreau rejected his project " ideal city" Several centuries later, the development of London was carried out according to this project. In Norway there is a bridge built according to his drawing. In France, already an old man, he designed a canal between the Loire and Saône.
Leonardo's diaries are written in easy, lively language and are interesting to read. His fables, parables and aphorisms speak of the versatility of his great mind.
The secret of genius
There were plenty of secrets in the life of the Renaissance titan. The main one opened relatively recently. But has it opened? In 1950, a list of Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion (Prieuré de Sion), a secret organization created in 1090 in Jerusalem, was published. According to the list, Leonardo da Vinci was the ninth of the Grand Masters of the Priory. His predecessor in this amazing post was Sandro Botticelli, and his successor was Constable Charles III de Bourbon. The main goal of the organization was to restore the Merovingian dynasty to the throne of France. The Priory considered the offspring of this family to be the descendants of Jesus Christ.
The very existence of such an organization raises doubts among most historians. But such doubts could have been sown by members of the Priory who wished to continue their activities in secret.
If we accept this version as the truth, the master’s habit of complete independence and the strange attraction to France for a Florentine become clear. Even Leonardo's writing style - left hand and right to left - can be interpreted as an imitation of Hebrew writing. This seems unlikely, but the scale of his personality allows us to make the most daring assumptions.
Stories about the Priory cause distrust among scientists, but enrich artistic creativity. Most shining example– Dan Brown’s book “The Da Vinci Code” and the film of the same name.
- At the age of 24, together with three Florentine youths was accused of sodomy. The company was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
- Maestro was a vegetarian. People who consume animal food were called “walking cemeteries.”
- He shocked his contemporaries with his habit of carefully examining and sketching the hanged in detail. He considered studying the structure of the human body to be the most important activity.
- There is an opinion that the maestro developed tasteless and odorless poisons for Cesare Borgia and wiretapping devices made of glass tubes.
- Television mini-series "The Life of Leonardo da Vinci"(La vita di Leonardo da Vinci), directed by Renato Castellani, received a Golden Globe award.
- named after Leonardo da Vinci and is decorated with a huge statue depicting a master with a model of a helicopter in his hands.
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Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in the village of Anchiato near the city of Vinci (hence the prefix to his surname). The boy's father and mother were not married, so Leonardo spent his first years with his mother. Soon his father, who served as a notary, took him into his family.
In 1466, da Vinci entered as an apprentice in the studio of the artist Verrocchio in Florence, where Perugino, Agnolo di Polo, Lorenzo di Credi also studied, Botticelli worked, Ghirlandaio and others visited. At this time, Leonardo became interested in drawing, sculpture and modeling, studied metallurgy, chemistry , drawing, mastered working with plaster, leather, and metal. In 1473, da Vinci qualified as a master at the Guild of St. Luke.
Early creativity and scientific activity
At the beginning creative path Leonardo devoted almost all his time to working on paintings. In 1472 - 1477 the artist created the paintings “The Baptism of Christ”, “The Annunciation”, “Madonna with a Vase”. At the end of the 70s he finished “Madonna of the Flower” (“ Madonna Benoit"). In 1481, the first major work in the work of Leonardo da Vinci was created - “The Adoration of the Magi”.
In 1482 Leonardo moved to Milan. Since 1487, da Vinci has been developing a flying machine that was based on bird flight. Leonardo first created a simple apparatus based on wings, and then developed an airplane mechanism with full control. However, it was not possible to bring the idea to life, since the researcher did not have a motor. In addition, Leonardo studied anatomy and architecture, and discovered botany as an independent discipline.
Mature period of creativity
In 1490, da Vinci created the painting “Lady with an Ermine”, as well as the famous drawing “Vitruvian Man”, which is sometimes called “canonical proportions”. In 1495 - 1498 Leonardo worked on one of his most important works - the fresco “The Last Supper” in Milan in the monastery of Santa Maria del Grazie.
In 1502, da Vinci entered the service of Cesare Borgia as a military engineer and architect. In 1503, the artist created the painting “Mona Lisa” (“La Giaconda”). Since 1506, Leonardo has served under King Louis XII of France.
Recent years
In 1512, the artist, under the patronage of Pope Leo X, moved to Rome.
From 1513 to 1516 Leonardo da Vinci lived in the Belvedere, working on the painting “John the Baptist”. In 1516, Leonardo, at the invitation of the French king, settled in the castle of Clos Lucé. Two years before his death, the artist’s right hand became numb and it was difficult for him to move independently. Last years spent his short biography of Leonardo da Vinci in bed.
Died great artist And scientist Leonardo da Vinci on May 2, 1519 at the castle of Clos Luce near the city of Amboise in France.
Other biography options
Biography test
An interesting test for knowledge of the biography of Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci, whose years of life and death are known to the whole world, is perhaps the most mysterious figure of the Renaissance. Many people care about where Leonardo da Vinci was born and who he was. He is known as an artist, anatomist and engineer. In addition to numerous discoveries, this unique man left behind huge amount various mysteries that the whole world is trying to solve to this day.
Biography
When was Leonardo da Vinci born? He was born on April 15, 1452. It is interesting to know where Leonardo da Vinci was born, and specifically in which city. Nothing could be simpler. His surname came from the name of his place of birth. Vinci is an Italian city in the then existing Florentine Republic.
Leonardo was the illegitimate child of an official and an ordinary peasant girl. The boy grew up and was brought up in his father's house, thanks to whom he received a good education.
As soon as the future genius turned 15 years old, he became an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio, who was a talented sculptor, painter and representative of the Florentine school.
One day Leonardo's teacher took on one interesting job. He agreed to paint an altarpiece in the church of Santi Salvi, which depicted the baptism of Christ by John. Young da Vinci participated in this work. He painted only one angel, which turned out to be an order of magnitude more beautiful than the entire image. This circumstance was the reason that I decided never to pick up brushes again. His young but incredibly talented student was able to surpass his teacher.
After another 5 years, Leonardo da Vinci becomes a member of the guild of artists. There, with particular passion, he began to study the basics of drawing and many other required disciplines. A little later, in 1476, he continued to work with former teacher and mentor Andrea del Verrocchio, but already as a co-author of his creations.
Long-awaited glory
By 1480, the name Leonardo da Vinci became famous. I wonder when Leonardo da Vinci was born, could his contemporaries have imagined that he would become so famous? During this period, the artist receives the largest and most expensive orders, but two years later he decides to leave hometown and moves to Milan. There he continues to work, painting several successful paintings and the famous fresco “The Last Supper”.
It was during this period of his life that Leonardo da Vinci began to keep his own diary. From there we learn that he is no longer just an artist, but also an architect-designer, hydraulic engineer, anatomist, inventor of all kinds of mechanisms and decorations. In addition to all this, he also finds time to write riddles, fables or puzzles. Moreover, his interest in music awakens. And this is only a small part of what Leonardo da Vinci became famous for.
Some time later, the genius realizes that mathematics is much more exciting than painting. He is so keen on exact science that he forgets to even think about painting. Even later, da Vinci begins to show interest in anatomy. He leaves for Rome and stays there for 3 years, living under the “wing” of the Medici family. But very soon joy gives way to sadness and longing. Leonrado da Vinci is upset due to the lack of material for conducting anatomical experiments. Then he tries various experiments, but this also leads to nothing.
Life changes
In 1516, the life of the Italian genius changed dramatically. The king of France notices him, truly admiring his work, and invites him to court. Later, the sculptor would write that although Leonardo’s main job was the very prestigious position of court advisor, he did not forget about his creativity.
It was during this period of life that da Vinci began to develop the idea aircraft. At first he manages to come up with a simple design based on wings. In the future, it will serve as the basis for a completely crazy project at that time - an airplane with full control. But even though da Vinci was talented, he was never able to invent a motor. The dream of an airplane turned out to be unrealistic.
Now you know exactly where Leonardo da Vinci was born, what he was interested in and what life path he had to go through. The Florentine died on May 2, 1519.
Painting by a famous artist
The Italian genius was very versatile, but most people think of him solely as a painter. And this is not without reason. Leonardo da Vinci's painting is true art, and his paintings are true masterpieces. Above the mysteries of the most famous works, which came out from under the brush of the Florentine, are fought by thousands of scientists from all over the globe.
It is quite difficult to choose a few paintings from the whole variety. Therefore, the article will present the top 6 most famous and earliest works of the author.
1. First job famous artist- "A small sketch of a river valley."
This is a really neat drawing. It shows a castle and a small wooded hillside. The sketch is made with quick strokes using a pencil. The entire landscape is depicted in such a way that it seems as if we are looking at the picture from some high point.
2. “Turin Self-Portrait” - created by the artist at about 60 years old.
This work is interesting to us primarily because it gives us an idea of what the great Leonardo da Vinci looked like. Although there is an opinion that a completely different person is depicted here. Many art historians consider the “self-portrait” to be a sketch for the famous “La Gioconda”. This work is considered one of best works Leonardo.
3. “Mona Lisa” or “La Gioconda” - the most famous and, perhaps, the most mysterious picture Italian artist, painted around 1514 - 1515.
This in itself is the most interesting fact about Leonardo da Vinci. There are so many theories and assumptions associated with the picture that it is impossible to count them all. Many experts argue that the canvas depicts an ordinary landscape against the backdrop of a very unusual landscape. Some believe that this is a portrait of the Duchess of Costanza d'Avalos. According to others, the wife of Francesco del Gioconda is in the picture. But there is also a more modern version. It says that the great artist captured the widow of Giovanni Antonio Brandano named Pacifica.
4. “Vitruvian Man” - a drawing created as an illustration for a book approximately in 1490-1492.
It shows a very nice naked man in two slightly different positions, superimposed on top of each other. This work received the status of not only a work of art, but also a scientific work.
5. The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci - a painting that shows the moment Jesus Christ announced to his disciples that he would be betrayed by one of them. Created in 1495-1498.
This work is as mysterious and enigmatic as La Gioconda. Perhaps the most truly amazing thing about this picture is the story of its composition. According to many historians, Leonardo da Vinci could not write Judas and Christ for a long time. Once he was lucky enough to find a beautiful young man in the church choir, so spiritual and bright that the author’s doubts disappeared - here he is, the prototype of Jesus. But the image of Judas still remained unfinished. For three long years Leonardo walked through the seedy alleys, looking for the most degraded and vile person. One day he found one like this. It was a drunk in a gutter. Da Vinci brought it to his workshop and painted Judas from it. How unimaginable was the author’s surprise when it turned out that he based Jesus and the disciple who betrayed him on the same person, simply met in different periods the life of the latter.
The Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci is famous for the fact that right hand from Christ the master depicted Mary Magdalene. Because he placed her this way, many began to claim that she was the legal wife of Jesus. There was even a hypothesis that the contours of the bodies of Christ and Mary Magdalene represent the letter M, which means “Matrimonio”, that is, marriage.
6. “Madonna Litta” - a painting dedicated to the Mother of God and the Child Christ.
On hand, this is a very traditional religious plot. But it was Leonardo da Vinci’s painting that became one of the best in this subject. In fact, this masterpiece is not very large size, only 42 x 33 cm. But it still truly amazes with its beauty and purity. This painting is also notable for its mysterious details. Why is the baby holding a chick in his hand? For what reason is his mother's dress torn in the place where the baby is pressed to her chest? And why is the picture so dark?
The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci are not just beautiful canvases, they are a whole separate species art, striking the imagination with its indescribable splendor and bewitching secrets.
What did the great creator leave to the world?
What was Leonardo da Vinci famous for besides his paintings? Undoubtedly, he was talented in many areas that, it would seem, cannot be combined with each other at all. However, despite all his genius, he had one interesting character trait that did not really fit with his work - he liked to abandon the work he had begun and leave it like that forever. But nevertheless, Leonardo da Vinci still completed several truly brilliant discoveries. They changed the then ideas about life.
Leonardo da Vinci's discoveries are amazing. What can we say about a man who created an entire science? Are you familiar with paleontology? But it was Leonardo da Vinci who was its founder. It was he who first made an entry in his diary about a certain rare fossil that he managed to discover. Scientists are still wondering what they were talking about. It is only known rough description: a kind of stone that looks like a fossilized honeycomb and has a hexagonal shape. Leonardo also described the first ideas about paleontology as a science in general.
Thanks to da Vinci, people learned to jump out of airplanes without crashing. After all, it was he who invented the parachute. Of course, initially it was only a prototype of a modern parachute and it looked completely different, but this does not diminish the importance of the invention. In his diary, the master wrote about a piece of linen fabric, 11 meters long and wide. He was confident that this would help the person land without any injury. And as time has shown, he was absolutely right.
Of course, the helicopter was invented much later than Leonardo da Vinci died, but the idea of the flying machine belonged to him. It doesn't look at all like what we now call a helicopter, but rather resembles an inverted round table with one leg to which the pedals are screwed. It was thanks to them that the invention was supposed to fly.
Incredible but true
What else did Leonardo da Vinci create? Incredibly, he also had a hand in robotics. Just think, back in the 15th century he personally designed the first model of the so-called robot. His invention had many complex mechanisms and springs. But most importantly, this robot was humanoid and could even move its arms. Besides this, Italian genius came up with several mechanical lions. They could move on their own using mechanisms like sentries.
Leonardo da Vinci made so many discoveries on earth that he became interested in something new in space. He could spend hours looking at the stars. And although it cannot be said that he invented a telescope, in one of his books you can find instructions for creating something very similar to it.
We even owe our cars to Da Vinci. He came up with a wooden model of a car with three wheels. This entire structure was driven by a special mechanism. Many scientists believe that this idea was born back in 1478.
Among other things, Leonardo was also interested in military affairs. He came up with a multi-barrel and rapid-fire weapon - a machine gun, or rather, its prototype.
Of course, Leonardo da Vinci could not help but come up with something for painters. It was he who developed an artistic technique in which all distant things appear blurry. He also invented chiaroscuro.
It is worth noting that all of Leonardo da Vinci’s discoveries turned out to be very useful, and some of his developments are still used today. They are only slightly improved.
Yet we cannot help but admit that Leonardo da Vinci, whose contribution to science was enormous, was a real genius.
Water is Leonardo da Vinci's favorite element
If you love diving or have dived to significant depths at least once in your life, then thank Leonardo da Vinci. It was he who invented scuba gear. Da Vinci designed a kind of floating cork buoy that held a reed tube above the water for air. It was also he who invented the leather air bag.
Leonardo da Vinci, biology
The genius was interested in everything: the principles of breathing, yawning, coughing, vomiting, and especially the beating of the heart. Leonardo da Vinci studied biology, closely linking it with physiology. It was he who first described the heart as a muscle and almost came to the conclusion that it was it that pumped blood in the human body. Yes Vichni even attempted to create a prosthetic aortic valve through which the blood flow passed.
Anatomy as art
Everyone knows that da Vinci was interested in anatomy. In 2005, researchers discovered his secret laboratory, where he allegedly dissected bones from corpses. And it apparently had an effect. It was Da Vinci who accurately described the shape of the human spine. Among other things, there is an opinion that he discovered diseases such as atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. The Italian also managed to distinguish himself in dentistry. Leonardo was the first person to depict the correct structure of teeth in the oral cavity, describing in detail their number.
Do you wear glasses or contacts? And for this we should thank Leonardo. In 1509, he wrote down in his diary a certain model of how and with what help the optical power of the human eye can be changed.
Leonardo da Vinci, whose contribution to science is simply invaluable, created, studied or discovered so many things that it is impossible to count. The greatest discoveries definitely belong to his ingenious hands and head.
He was a very mysterious figure. And, of course, to this day there are various interesting facts about Leonardo da Vinci.
It is known for certain that he was a cryptographer. Leonardo wrote with his left hand and in very small letters. And he did it from right to left. But by the way, Da Vinci wrote equally well with both hands.
The Florentine always spoke in riddles and even made prophecies, most of which came true.
It is interesting that a monument to him was erected not where Leonardo da Vinci was born, but in a completely different place - in Milan.
It is believed that the Italian was a vegetarian. But this did not prevent him from being the manager of court feasts for thirteen years. He even came up with several culinary “helpers” to make the chefs’ work easier.
Among other things, the Florentine played the lyre incredibly beautifully. But even this is not all the interesting facts about Leonardo da Vinci.