Would he be a Hollywood director today? Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest artists and inventors of all time. A new documentary promises to shed unexpected light on him.
New film to unveil the real Leonardo
Would he be a Hollywood director today? Leonardo da Vinci was one of the greatest artists and inventors of all time. A new documentary promises to shed unexpected light on him.
The lizard looked very strange - but Leonardo decided it could look stranger still. So he made some wings for it out of the skins of other lizards, which he filled with mercuryDaniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury-in-glass thermometer in 1714. For 250 years it was the most precise way to measure temperature. so that they trembled when it ran along.
This story comes from an early biography of Leonardo da VinciAn Italian artist and inventor (1452 - 1519), considered to be one of the world's greatest geniuses. He painted the Mona Lisa and designed an early flying machine.. Now a documentary series, Leonardo da Vinci, is turning the spotlight on him again.
He is best known for paintings such as the Mona Lisa. But he also came up with early designs for an aeroplane and made highly detailed drawings of the human body.
The documentary-maker Ken Burns argues that "The Mona Lisa's a great work of science and some of the anatomies are great works of art."1
He points out that in The Last Supper, Leonardo divides Jesus's disciplesFollowers. In the Bible, dedicated followers of Jesus were known as disciples. into groups:
"One is putting his hand over his eyes, another is reaching for a knife - and so it becomes a painting that feels like seconds unfolding. And it makes me feel like he would have been a filmmaker today."
Here are seven surprising things we learn about Leonardo:
Would he be a Hollywood director today?
Yes: Leonardo was fascinated by every art form - he was a sculptor, musician and poet as well as a painter - and would have been thrilled by the opportunities that cinema provided.
No: He would be too distracted by ideas for improving cameras and special effects to complete a film. And he would resist a producer's demands to make one that was commercial.
Or... He would find film too limiting. He would be much more interested in interactive video games or 3D dramas set in the multiverseThe idea that there may be many universes, and ours is just one of them. - or designing a colony for Mars and a spaceship to go there.
Keywords
Mercury - Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury-in-glass thermometer in 1714. For 250 years it was the most precise way to measure temperature.
Leonardo da Vinci - An Italian artist and inventor (1452 - 1519), considered to be one of the world's greatest geniuses. He painted the Mona Lisa and designed an early flying machine.
Disciples - Followers. In the Bible, dedicated followers of Jesus were known as disciples.
Decomposed - When something starts to rot or decay.
Multiverse - The idea that there may be many universes, and ours is just one of them.
New film to unveil the real Leonardo
Glossary
Mercury - Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the mercury-in-glass thermometer in 1714. For 250 years it was the most precise way to measure temperature.
Leonardo da Vinci - An Italian artist and inventor (1452 - 1519), considered to be one of the world's greatest geniuses. He painted the Mona Lisa and designed an early flying machine.
Disciples - Followers. In the Bible, dedicated followers of Jesus were known as disciples.
Decomposed - When something starts to rot or decay.
Multiverse - The idea that there may be many universes, and ours is just one of them.