Today, I had the pleasure to attend an exhibit on the Life and Work of Leonardo da Vinci at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. During his 67 years on this planet (1452-1519), da Vinci accomplished a great deal in the fields of art, mechanical invention, anatomy and philosophy, most of which was not publicly acknowledged prior to his death.
While most of us are familiar with some of his paintings (especially the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper) and his anatomical drawings, the exhibit expanded on his personal philosophy and how those beliefs impacted his work. Nature was clearly the inspiration for all aspects of his creativity, a source of truth from which, he believed, we must learn and to which we should aspire.
Natural processes inspired his inventions and natural laws governed his view of life and the Universe. Leonardo, a perfectionist himself, believed that perfection only exists in nature and that our capacity to love or hate something is totally dependent upon our ability to fully understand it. In his view, we humans reflect truth only by aligning ourselves with nature, inspirational words of wisdom in the mind of this naturalist.
While most of us are familiar with some of his paintings (especially the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper) and his anatomical drawings, the exhibit expanded on his personal philosophy and how those beliefs impacted his work. Nature was clearly the inspiration for all aspects of his creativity, a source of truth from which, he believed, we must learn and to which we should aspire.
Natural processes inspired his inventions and natural laws governed his view of life and the Universe. Leonardo, a perfectionist himself, believed that perfection only exists in nature and that our capacity to love or hate something is totally dependent upon our ability to fully understand it. In his view, we humans reflect truth only by aligning ourselves with nature, inspirational words of wisdom in the mind of this naturalist.
