Research Paper On Leonardo Da Vinci's Notebooks

When analyzing Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, we can see the different aspects of his personality that allowed him to be so successful. His curiosity, patience, drive, and independent way of thought are the characteristics that made him such an eminent Renaissance man. Having a deep sense of curiosity allowed him to use the world around him to make many discoveries. His patience gave him the ability to create elaborately detailed, intricate works of art, weaponry, and other experiments. What da Vinci envisioned and was determined to create nearly 500 years ago came to fruition years later. Being a visionary, he thought outside of the box, quite independently, and made discoveries that were of great success. A true Renaissance man is a man of

Although da Vinci is known for only a few finished works, this is not an accurate portrayal of his great skill. The story is in his exquisitely detailed notebooks, a large volume of which show the time and effort he put into each piece and tell the story of a genius at work. Leonardo's most well-known and admired paintings are: The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vitruvian man, Head of Christ, and the Virgin of the Rocks. In Leonardo’s masterpiece, The Last Supper, he was able to vividly portray each person’s gestures, body language, and personality traits. For instance in this piece, da Vinci displayed Peter’s hasty spirit, John's gentle attributes, and Juda’s mean disposition (Brauner, 372). This was quite an advancement from the primitive ways of art that the Medieval age produced. Leonardo also was one of the first artists that had the ability to demonstrate human expression in his pieces of artwork (Shlain, 71). This set him apart from the artists around him who still struggled to create a sense of gesture in their characters. Leonardo had great interest in human expression. He would always have his sketchbook with him. Then, as his curiosity piqued, he would follow people

He constructed the reflecting telescope along with many architectural inventions and new concepts for traveling over water. He was among the first to dream up ways to see the stars and planets with the reflecting telescope. “In order to observe the nature of the planets, open the roof and bring the image of a single planet on the base of a concave mirror. The image of the planet reflected by the base will show the surface of the planet much magnified,” he stated (Shlain, 124). Using mirrors, he was able to make the reflecting telescope. The fact that Leonardo could make this discovery at such an early time was remarkable. The credit usually goes to Hans Lippershey for the creation of reflecting telescopes. He lived in 1608 about 100 years after Leonardo (Shlain, 124). In terms of architectural inventions, he was able to make many improvements. For instance, “Leonardo designed and greatly improved pontoon bridges, collapsible bridges, and swing bridges,” (Shlain, 127). “His most ambitious project was the bridge across the Bosphorous, designed for the Ottoman Empire,” (Shlain, 127). Although it is not commonly known, “He invented life preservers, webbed gloves, and the snorkel to improve the performance and safety of swimmers,” (Shlain, 127-128). Not only that but he also designed the diving suit, mask, and even ideas for a submarine (Shlain, 127-128). He had a remarkable talent for seeing the