Most literate, and perhaps some not so literate, people around the world know Leonardo daVinci for his two most famous paintings…….The Last Supper, and Mona Lisa, but there was so much more to be learned about this complex genius. As with most extremely creative people, DaVinci had an insatiable curiosity for just about everything. He used his curiosity about many subjects….. anatomy, engineering, the heart, flying, machines, botany, geology, weaponry……. just on and on……to give a dimension to his art work that very few other artists, if any, could accomplish. He was much ahead of his time displaying just as much interest in science and technology as he did in his art. Being able to stand at the crossroads of the humanities and the sciences, which was illustrated by his famous drawing of Vitruvian Man, led his critics to think of him as one of history’s most creative geniuses.
How many times do you hear children ask inquisitive questions such as where does rain come from? But, as children grow older, that inquisitiveness seems to lessen and lessen until it all but disappears. Isaacson found that the childlike trait in Leonardo daVinci never did disappear. DaVinci kept many notebooks about all of his thoughts on subjects, and all of his drawing collections, making a perfect source for Isaacson’s biography. He found him to be a very complex man, but very comfortable in his own skin. He was born illegitimate and was known to be homosexual, so it was used to his advantage. Nobody had set ideas that he was expected to live within or parameters that he was expected to honor. He was very at ease with himself, and gave himself the freedom to take his imagination in many directions. The biography of DaVinci is the newest for author Isaacson who is well-known for his acclaimed best sellers…….Steve Jobs, Einstein, and Benjamin Franklin. It is a lengthy, beautifully illustrated book that should be savored.
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