Da Vinci DeCoded
- "Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor,
Genius" -
The
ANNOTICO Report
Leonardo da Vinci is justifiably celebrated for his masterpieces
— "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper"
and others, but what is even more astounding is the versatility and
expanse of his creative practical mind, far beyond mere beauty, all without a
formal education.
His
designs of 500 years ago, allowed humans to walk on water and under the sea,
soar above the Earth and even change how they fought wars. He not only
"envisioned" but designed Helicopters, Scuba Gear, Parachutes, Hang
gliders, Paddle boats, Bike chains, and Battle Reaping Machines, among a host
of others.
Da Vinci
outside the box
From the
Associated Press
April 15, 2006
CHICAGO -- When Leonardo da Vinci died nearly 500
years ago, his masterpieces — "Mona Lisa" and "The Last
Supper" — were among the dozens of paintings he left behind.
His sketches, however, numbered in the thousands.
In his drawings, he imagined designs for creations that would allow humans to
walk on water and under the sea, soar above the Earth and even change how they
fought wars.
It's those designs and contraptions that are the focus of "Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius," a new exhibit at the
"He is the very spirit of inventive genius that this museum looks to
inspire people with," said John Beckman, the museum's manager of temporary
exhibits.
Many of Da Vinci's creations did not get built in his lifetime — they
were either impractical or impossible based on the technological expe! rtise
of the day. But 60 wooden models in the show, made by a father and son team in
His underwater breathing device, a predecessor to scuba gear, consisted of
animal skins that would serve as a sack around the swimmer's head, connected to
a tube to the surface.
The helicopter owes a debt to Da Vinci's "air screw," while he also
envisioned parachutes, hang gliders, paddle boats and bike chains that look
remarkably similar to models used today.
He even envisioned a turtle shell-shaped tank that would shield eight soldiers
inside while allowing them to fire at the enemy from cannons around the shell's
ring. The tank, like some of Da Vinci's other sketches, was an improvement of
an existing design.
Another example is his addition of a locking function to the catapult when
previously a soldier had to hold a leve! r to keep the weapon from firing too early. Two life-size
models in the exhibit will let museum visitors fire
foam balls across the huge main gallery, which is designed to look like a
Renaissance workshop.
Many of Da Vinci's designs had a military function because they were
commissioned by patrons, Beckman said. Perhaps his most gruesome creation was
"a reaping wagon" pulled by a horse and featuring rotating blades
that would cut off the legs of anyone unfortunate enough to be within its
reach. Diagrams for the machine are on display.
The exhibit features just one original Da Vinci sketch — a piece on loan
from a private collection known as "The Theatre Sheet" on which he
worked out possibilities for a staging of the play "Orpheus" in
Milan.
Using pen, pencil and crayon, Da Vinci made studies for a contraption (which
was actually used during performances) that allowed the god of the underworld,
Pluto, to rise from under the stage. Alongside the sketches an! d on the back of the page are Da Vinci's notes — in
the backward script he favored — on the unrelated subjects of hydraulics
and the law of dynamics.
But though just one sketch is on view, the exhibit provides several ways for
visitors to interact with Da Vinci's drawings.
At computer stations resembling easels, visitors can try to build Da Vinci's
machines using components from his sketches.
At another display, visitors can immerse themselves in 100 pages from the
notebook known as the "Codex Atlanticus"
that an Italian company was allowed to scan using high-resolution technology.
Visitors can zoom in on sketches to see Da Vinci's notes or details or prompt
the inventions to be turned into moving, 3-D displays.
A small section of the exhibit will be devoted to research and theories on the
enduring myths and mysteries of Da Vinci, such as why did he write backward,
who was Mona Lisa and — most current — exactly what in the blockbuster
novel "The Da ! Vinci Code" is really
accurate?
Beckman said he hopes the book and the upcoming movie inspire people to come
see the exhibit and learn more about Da Vinci.
As an out-of-wedlock child born in 1452, he did not take the name of his father
and was instead known as Leonardo "from Vinci" or "da Vinci." He never received a formal education, yet
became one of history's most enduring figures "who has enough mystery in
his background to inspire the stories in the book," Beckman said.
The final portion of the exhibit is devoted to "Modern-Day Leonardos." Some are working on inventions that appear
as fantastical as Da Vinci's "flying machines" did in his lifetime —
such as a physicist leading a project to develop an elevator that could
transport people and supplies to space over a thin cable.
"These are all people who are thinking way outside the box," Beckman
said. "Leonardo invented the box, and these people are really pushing the
edges of it in everything th!
ey do."
The exhibit will be on display through Sept. 4. It will not tour.
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