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matconnor 's review for:
Leonardo Da Vinci
by Walter Isaacson
Leonardo Da Vinci left behind thousands of pages of notes and sketches. Walter Isaacson acknowledges early on that, despite their frequent brilliance, these notebooks lack many “intimate personal revelations.” Da Vinci was much more likely to write down his to-do or grocery list than he was to note what paintings he was working on at any given time or how he felt at the death of his father. Da Vinci’s biographers have had to fill in a lot of gaps and rely on sources like Vasari, who was only 8 years old when Da Vinci died. For this reason, Isaacson has chosen an episodic approach, with chapters centered around Da Vinci’s major works or interests (Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Anatomy, Engineering, ect).
Da Vinci’s best quality was his insatiable curiosity. This biography is a treasure trove of interesting facts and anecdotes. My favorite is that he once met a man who claimed to be 100 years old—imagine how mind blowing that would have been in the 16th century—and once the man passed away of natural causes Da Vinci proceeded to dissect the man’s body to learn how bodies age. Da Vinci dissected 30+ bodies—one of his notebooks list a reminder to “acquire a skull”—and his anatomical drawings are still respected for their accuracy.
He designed plans for parachutes and diving suits. Wondered aloud like a child why the sky is blue. Tried to draw a woodpecker’s tongue. Concluded that fish fossils found on mountain tops and caves were not swept there by Noah’s Flood but were there because sea levels had fallen in these places long ago.
He wanted to know everything about everything.
Da Vinci’s best quality was his insatiable curiosity. This biography is a treasure trove of interesting facts and anecdotes. My favorite is that he once met a man who claimed to be 100 years old—imagine how mind blowing that would have been in the 16th century—and once the man passed away of natural causes Da Vinci proceeded to dissect the man’s body to learn how bodies age. Da Vinci dissected 30+ bodies—one of his notebooks list a reminder to “acquire a skull”—and his anatomical drawings are still respected for their accuracy.
He designed plans for parachutes and diving suits. Wondered aloud like a child why the sky is blue. Tried to draw a woodpecker’s tongue. Concluded that fish fossils found on mountain tops and caves were not swept there by Noah’s Flood but were there because sea levels had fallen in these places long ago.
He wanted to know everything about everything.