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. He also made a beard and horns for it, and kept it in a box to show his friends when they visited. They were so terrified that they ran for the door.
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., written by Giorgio VasariA 16th Century Italian painter, architect and biographer. and published in 1550. He has fascinated people ever since - and now a four-hour documentary series, Leonardo da Vinci, is turning the spotlight on him again.
Leonardo's interests and achievements were incredibly wide-ranging. He first made his name as an artist and is best-known for paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But he was also in demand as an architect and engineer - particularly for military purposes. One of his projects was to defend VeniceA seaport in Italy. It is built on many small islands. from a naval attack.
As an inventor he came up with early designs for an aeroplane and a helicopter. And his interest in the human body led him to dissect corpses and make extraordinarily detailed anatomical drawings.
Vasari's biography looks at him under various different headings, such as "Leonardo's character drawings" and "Anatomical studies".
But the veteran documentary-maker Ken Burns argues that Leonardo's work should not be divided up like this: "The Mona Lisa's a great work of science and some of the anatomies are great works of art."1
Painting the Mona Lisa involved more than placing a woman against a landscape. "In order for him to be a great painter, he has to understand the circulatory system. He has to understand about hair. He has to understand about geography and rock formations and mist and how atmosphere works."2
In The Last Supper, Leonardo divides Jesus's 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, had he lived in our time."
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 multiverse - 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.
Giorgio Vasari - A 16th Century Italian painter, architect and biographer.
Venice - A seaport in Italy. It is built on many small islands.
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.
Giorgio Vasari - A 16th Century Italian painter, architect and biographer.
Venice - A seaport in Italy. It is built on many small islands.