Leonardo da Vinci - the Man Of Renaissance - Essay Example

? LEONARDO DA VINCI-----THE MAN OF RENAISSANCE Module Submitted Submitted by: The present paper aims to appraise and evaluate the remarkable works produced, as well as the splendid services rendered by the wonderful Renaissance personality Leonardo da Vinci in multiple fields and disciplines, which not only prove him as far ahead than his contemporaries in knowledge, wisdom, foresight, creativity, imagination and productivity, but also make the great scientist, artist, writer, astronomer, mathematician and much more as one of the greatest humans the Nature has ever produced. Though these few pages are unable to cover the long list of his achievements and accomplishments, yet the following lines are determined to gather courage to briefly throw light on the life, successes and attainments of this exemplary and matchless visionary personality, triumphs of which can only be dreamed by the ordinary humans at large. THE ESSAY “Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation… even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” (Leonardo da Vinci) The name and fame of the mighty intellectual giant, who has left long-lasting impact of his talent on all disciplines related to arts, science, philosophy and literature Leonardo da Vinci is not dependent of any introduction at all. On the contrary, the marvelous accomplishments made by him within short life span startle human wit, and force the individuals to contemplate how one single human can make such tremendous services in the long list of quite divergent disciplines and fields on individual basis without seeking help or assistance from the fellow humans on the one hand, and on the basis of the insufficient and embryonic tools and techniques available in his age, which is famous as the Renaissance Era in human history, on the other. It is therefore, his contemporary intellectuals, inventors and artists including Giotto di Bondone, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and Galileo could come close to the wide range of fields that Leonardo asserted his genius upon; even all of them had dexterity and command over their respective fields. Born on 15th April, 1452 in Vinci, the suburbs of the fabulous Italian city of Florence, as the illegitimate son of a Florentine notary ser Piero da Vinci and a local peasant woman Caterina, Leonardo received his early education and training in Florence under the supervision of his father. (Classic Literary Library) It is observed that he had developed great taste for paintings and drawing in his early childhood, and even his most initial sketches were extremely captivating, eye-catching and surprising ones, which immediately captured the attention of the viewers. Hence, no one could refrain himself from admiring the gifted talent of the dexterity and command of the little painter over fine arts. Consequently, his father, Ser Piero, sought the services of the renowned contemporary Florentine painter Andrea del Verrocchio to coach his son in order to polish his talent in this field. Leonardo worked very hard while learning from his teacher, and applied his splendid intellect in the creative activities, which earned unabated fame and respect for the young artist. The history reveals that he had developed his personal art gallery at the age of twenty-four years only, where he got orders for the preparation of portraits and paintings independently from the local community. Somehow, Leonardo’s interests were so broad, and he was so often compelled by new subjects, that he usually failed to finish what he started. This lack of “stick-to-it-ness” resulted in his completing only about six works in these 17 years, including “The Last Supper” and “The Virgin on the Rocks,” and he left dozens of paintings and projects unfinished or unrealized. Being the true follower of the prevailing Christian mythology, Leonardo selected Biblical stories as the topic of his paintings and drawing. He drew the sketches including the adoration of Magi at the eve of the Christ’s birth, Christ’s baptism at the hands of John the Baptist, the child Christ along with Holy Virgin Mary, St. Anne and John the Baptist, Christ’s Last Supper with his companions and much more. Adoration of Magi by Leonardo All these paintings endorse Leonardo’s great reverence and devotion for Holy Jesus Christ as well as for other Biblical characters in general. Apparently, painting the religious personalities of one’s liking looks an ordinary thing; somehow, in reality such a refined imagination and acting upon the same in order to shape it into a practical form certainly requires unwavering will, strong determination, gorgeous imagination, plenty of time and unconditional dedication for creating these images by putting aside all activities and engagements. It is therefore his works not only witnessed tremendous applause and appreciation, but also his paintings, sculptors and scientific works are still alive and revered by millions of his Christian fans and admirers for the future generations to come. It is therefore the copies of the paintings, depicting Christ, Mary, John and other Biblical themes are still in demand in all countries and regions of the globe without discrimination. Furthermore, Leonardo also constructed sculptors and statues, among which the statue of a horse looks astonishingly real, which proves the skill and dexterity of the artist in constructing the statues. Leonardo’s artistic talent is not impounded to the depiction of religious themes; on the other hand, he was the lover of beauty, which he has exercised in his artistic activities with its full swing. His illustrious Mona Liza is still considered as one of the most remarkable and evergreen paintings drawn by the artists of all ages. Her alluring and tempting smile, sketched by Leonardo, bewitches the feelings and sentiments of the viewers; it is therefore, the future artists have strived to depict the same beauty in the same lines observed by the painter belonging to all times. Mona Liza by Leonardo Being the intellectual of all ages and regions, Leonardo da Vinci also introduced the principles for making rapid progress in career and professional life on both individual and collective basis. Presented by Gelb (1998) in his book under the title “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci”, the book concentrates upon the seven rules defined by Leonardo for the growth and progress of trade, commerce and industry at large, which simply reveal the command of the outstanding visionary philosopher over economics and strategic planning. The first one of these seven rules, elaborated by Leonardo, lays stress upon exceptional curiosity and thirst for learning something new, fresh and innovative, related to the job, business or career, without which no one can climb the ladder of professional growth on permanent foundations. Second principle, described by Leonardo, looks for seeking more and more experience in the respective field, in the light of which the future decisions could be made for the best interest of the individual and organization as well. Similarly, the third da Vinci principle demands for applying intellect and senses in order to make critical examination of the entire state of affairs for the long term prosperity of the corporate firm. Fourth rule, related to business ventures, exclaims the willingness of the entrepreneurship for keeping an eye of the always changing corporate environment and accepting the magnitude of change with complete enthusiasm in order to embrace the positive effects of the alterations about to take place in business culture. Preserving the equilibrium between arts and science is the fifth of the da Vinci principles. It does not mean that scientific formulae should be applied in the same proportion while creating an artistic work. Rather, it simply means that every creative activity demands for the balanced proportion in its composition. The same can be witnessed in Leonardo’s personal life, where he not only rendered exceptional services in both the fields, but also the decorum and equilibrium can easily be felt in the achievements made by him in science and arts. Sixth rule determined by Leonardo argues in the strict and unconditional observance of dignity, on which no compromise could be made altogether. Since dignity is the identity mark of individuals and organizations, putting it at stake simply means crushing one’s honor and prestige under the chariot wheels of humiliation and failure. Seventh da Vinci principle lays stress upon the cemented connection between all business phenomena due to the very fact that all steps taken towards business venture are dependent of one another, and any contradiction or conflict between these components may put the entire business venture into grave jeopardy. Consequently, the business plan will meet severe fiasco even lot of time, resources and energies have been wasted in the analysis and development of strategic schemes. Hence, the great Renaissance man has left the indelible imprints of his wisdom and foresight on business ventures too, which his contemporaries fail to do under such a wide range of fields and subjects. Though Leonardo was blessed with marvelous talent for paintings, and he also earns fame and respect for the same in his life time, the great brain containing pageant ideas and sonorous imagination could not resist his charm for natural philosophy, biological sciences, geology, geography and other subjects. Leonardo Da Vinci, Bay & Bay submit, was not only a gifted artist in his early years, but he took a keen interest in technology and music. He was an expert at playing the lyre and apart from constructing his own lyre; he also invented other musical instruments that intrigued those who saw them. (2010, p. 2) Thus, instead of confining his talent in the drawing of sketches and preparing portraits only, Leonardo displayed deep interest in the art of sculpture, music, astronomy and architecture along with seeking knowledge of military engineering, astrology, mathematics, physics and other disciplines that helped him in developing his career in multiple fields. Leonardo was fond of mathematics and geometry. According to Vasari he made rapid progress in the short time he gave the study of arithmetic that he often confounded the master who was teaching him by the perpetual doubts he started, and by the difficulty of the questions he asked. (Cook, 1878, p. 2) Being the most outstanding personality of his time, Leonardo showed aptitude for poetry and literature. He produced both poetry and prose, which reveal his deep insight and observation about social and natural environment. His remarkable sayings ratify the very fact that his literary developments also witnessed tremendous growth with the passage of time. His works, written of different topics including botany, zoology, astronomy and architecture, won unflinching applause all over the world, which are still being taught at various levels to the students of science and arts. Moreover, he also had also displayed curiosity for philosophy and human anatomy. His drawing and studying the inner part of human skull, structure and functions of different organs of human body and blood circulation system serve as the unbelievable achievements made by this marvelous Renaissance man during the era when science and technology were in their budding. His talent as an engineer turned out to be highly supportive in designing the image of a flying machine, which was mere a dream and impossibility in its crude sense. His mastery in several fields and professions ratified the notion about him as the most eminent and stupendous human of all times and all regions of the globe. His profound investigation of human anatomy, skull, bones and even child’s growth in the womb (i.e. human fetus) during the 15th and 16th centuries are really amazing and astounding for the researchers and readers alike, and the scientists of contemporary era of technological advancement startle at the accomplished made by this innate intellectual of all times. It is therefore, his contemporaries, purported rivals and competitors appear to be limited to one or two specific fields; as Michelangelo is particularly famous as an artist, while Galileo is remembered as the great astronomer and scientist. However, the attributes of being involved in countless disciplines of knowledge, wisdom, intellect, creativity and scientific inventions undoubtedly and unanimously proved Leonardo da Vinci as the Renaissance man. REFERENCES Bay, NSY & Bay, BH (2010) Da Vinci’s Anatomy J. Morphol. Sci., 2010, vol. 27, no. 1, p. 11-13 Retrieved from http://jms.org.br/PDF/v27n1a04.pdf Cook, Clarence (1878) Biography of Leonardo da Vince Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/3241053/Biography-Of-Leonardo-Da-Vinci-By-Clarence-Cook Gelb, Michael J. (1998) How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci New York: Dell Classic Literary Library Leonardo Da Vinci Biography Retrieved from http://italian.classic-literature.co.uk/leonardo-da-vinci/leonardo-da-vinci.asp Read More