The interesting life of Leonardo inspires the life of the many people in the world who would love to discover the wonders of science and art. The life of Leonardo is just like any ordinary person who love to go to an academic institution to learn and study the combination of arts and science in relation to the natural selection of the overall ecosystem. Many scientist and philosophers are inspired by the journals written by Leonardo during his time in his famous notebook. Many of the scholars today and even Bill Gates are so interested in the notebooks that Leonardo kept with him during his intellectual odyssey in Florence and the entire Mediterranean. So why Leonardo is so famous for his arts and scientific findings. His imagination is limitless that engineering and military in Florence utilized his concepts in designing the war machines and in connection with the tactical strategy in war defense and offense.
Professor Walter Isaacson, CEO Aspen Institute (Leonardo Da Vinci, The Biography)
His interest in arts and science allows him to explore more not only in the field of military engineering but moreover to the Aristocrats in Italy. But first and foremost is to ask the question who is Leonardo and how did the entire world respect his journals and unfinished designs in terms of arts and sciences applied to the civilization during that time. The writings of Walter Isaacson portrays the chronographic history of Leonardo since his birth last April 15, 1452. His imaginative mind allows him to print things either from his imagination or the things he saw in places he traveled or in his dreams. Those concepts all together created a logical concept of design to create things or should I say military infrastructure that made Florence victorious during the wars in the Mediterranean. Da Vinci is born in out of wedlock but in the world of arts and science, the world is so lucky that we have Leonardo to create concepts for our world to ponder and contemplate to achieve the wonders of arts and science.
The reason why Leonardo is so relevant in his ideas before and even up to this very moment is for the reason that his ability to connect the concepts of the natural things in this world towards arts and science. Likewise, he was so fascinated to draw human bodies that connects arts to human anatomy. During the renaissance one of his painting is connected with anatomy in the arguments and theory of Windsor, Martin Clayton that painting is vividly related to the design of the human muscles and the study later of the muscles and the components of the human anatomy. The dual neck muscles were argued that later that dual neck muscles were not part of the original underdrawing and that they were painted with a technique different from the other parts. With this concept we can reconcile that painting is not only ordinary painting during the Renaissance era.
When Arts Meets Human Nature, Expressions Beyond Colors, Lights, and Hue
Both Leonardo from Vinci and Hollywood use painting to print human emotions using color and light with a combination of adjusting the hue contrast.
Lucrezia the Beautiful Evil (Leonardo's Demon) in Earth Color
Every painting during that time is inspired by emotion that will inspire the public or either create horror and fear like the painting and imagination of Dante in his imaginative painting of the “Inferno”. Thus, painting during Leonardo’s time gave meaning and emotion not only in Florence but across the Mediterranean. The famous painting of Leonardo the “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper” are all called the subchapter entitled “Motions of the Mind” Imaginative creation of the painting drives the modern civilization today as to how Leonardo depict the emotion and character of the painting the last supper. The movement and gestures should relate to the characters of the inside of the painting of the last supper. In my silly imagination now, what if the little dragon is part of the last supper painting, what would be the character that Leonardo will apply in painting the little dragon.
What color and hue and the mixture of light that can define the little dragon’s character of conspiracy and betrayal, she is worst than the character portrayal of Judas? Note that Judas betrayed one man, but the little dragon betrayed one nation. Maybe if the little dragon is in the characters of the last supper Peter inside the painting needs a dozen rooster to warn Jesus Christ the intensity of betrayal carried by the character of the little dragon. Well, imagination and more imagination will play the mind of Leonardo that in the historic painting the Mona Lisa, created a great controversy during the renaissance era. Actually, Leonardo’s paintings and painting jobs are not his main job. His main fascination is designing engineering machines related to military arts and design that later I will discuss in the next few paragraphs.
Going back to Mona Lisa’s painting the famous artwork of Leonardo began in 1503 when he returned from Florence after serving Cesare Borgia. But he had not finished it when he moved back to Milan in 1506. In fact, he carried it with him and continued to work on it, throughout his second period in Milan and then during his three years in Rome. He would even take it to France on the final leg of his life journey, adding tiny strokes and the light layers through 1517. It would be in his studio there when he died. The poplar panel with multiple layers of light oil glazes, applied over the course of many years, exemplifies the multiple layers of Leonardo’s genius. But to some historian and historical analyst, why Leonardo was so fascinated in his “Mona Lisa” painting? Some will argue that Mona Lisa is the depiction of the real persona of Leonardo.
Da Vinci's War Machines contributed to Military Arts
Actually, in the writings of Walter Isaacson, Leonardo is homosexual in his sexual preferences. All his famous associates in his artworks are actually his lovers. But what amazed me in terms of the character of Leonardo that he never blatantly criticized the church in terms of his sexual preference comfort. He understood society’s ever-varying beliefs and cultures depicted in various religions. In fact, he did not know that his military art designs are being copied by enemies of Florence that during one of the battles in Florence when they were attacked, he noticed that the military machines used by the enemies came from his designs written in sketches in his notebook. No internet platform during that time that he can blog or vlog the events he encountered every day in his career as a Maestro and an innovator. The notes he kept are the blueprints of his imagination. Thus, he never criticizes the church like a desperate extremist.
Furthermore, during that time in Europe, the holy war between Islam and Christians are used to pacify their political motives both in Florence and the Turks. But Leonardo understood the conflict in a mature way that civilization will grow in evolution according to the perceived beliefs of the general public at the moment. Instead, he helped the church and the city of Florence with his innovative mind and imagination. Thus, his connection with the aristocrats like Vasari and the famous Francesco del Giocondo in which he depicts his painting Mona Lisa to serve the wants of the wife of Francesco, Lisa del Giocondo.
But in the painting created a controversy regarding the inspiration of Leonardo during the long period of finishing the painting. Is it really Lisa del Giocondo in the mind of Leonardo or the unspoken persona of Leonardo that he cannot express in the detailed hue and lighting in his painting. Emotions depicted in colors and lighting are vague in terms of the inner self of Leonardo at that time when understanding himself is the most difficult character to understand. In fact, during the time when he noticed that the new military machines of the enemies of Florence are from his own design he cannot fight his own design because he knows that to surpass his own imagination is difficult compared in competing with other immature minds in terms of academic imagination and concepts.
Another wrinkle in the narrative is that the name Mona Lisa, a contraction “Madonna (Madam) Lisa,” which was widely adopted based on Vasari’s account. Many are deciphering the real meaning of Mona Lisa but only Leonardo knows the meaning of the portrait and of course the natural background behind the painting of Mona Lisa. Nature in the midst of culture and religion during the Renaissance time made the mind of Leonardo understand the fullness of society as a whole. On the contrary, his designs and contributions in his fundamental academic background from the famous Roberto Valturio mind his fundamental concept in military arts more vivid in the fundamentals of the many machineries during that time.
The scythed Chariot is one of his many artistic designs that gave an advantage to the warfare technology during that time. The giant crossbow is his iconic model that will give massive devastation during war encounter. Many academic journals also prove that most of his designs in the military are from the designs of the Chinese empire in Asia and other Kingdoms in Euro Asia. War intelligence during that time is already global that even the Khans in Mongolia are so eager to collect intellectual properties from different kingdoms around the world in order to dominate in war and politics. Thus, the imaginative mind of Leonardo is both helpful and threat in terms of the political and military war in Europe.
But on the sideline the fascination of the aristocrats specifically Isabella d’ Este is so fascinated with the paintings of Leonardo that she always requested the skills of Leonardo in painting to print the right colors and lights in relation to her character. Do you think that Isabella’s unpainted portraits are the reason because of the presence of Lucrezia Borgia? The evil but beautiful Lucrezia made Leonardo imagine the beauty and seduction of mankind. Her smile made Leonardo play his imagination printed with the mixture of light and color defining the right character of Lucrezia. Though Lucrezia is evil she is beautiful, but how about the little dragon? Not so beautiful and evil what could Leonardo portray in his mixture of light and earth colors to define the unseductive looks of the little dragon.
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)
Do you think part of the character of Mona Lisa is also Lucrezia or the self of Leonardo? The notebook of Leonardo will tell more were in Bill Gates and other prominent and intelligent people in the world are continuing to ponder and interpret the meaning of the paintings, sketches, and designs of Leonardo that is deemed relevant in our society today. The Vitruvian man that portrays the balance of human system and the flying machines that will relate to our high-tech flying war machines of today will always relate to the renaissance imagination of Leonardo a long time ago. What more can we get from the notebook of Leonardo? How can we paint our own Mona Lisa? Is our Mona Lisa inspired by the little dragon or the cry of humanity at present…. or it is only a simple work of art.
Italiana Instrumental (Bonus Track)
Italiana Instrumental (Bonus Track)
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