Leonardo da Vinci (b. April 15, 1452 d. May 2, 1519) was arguably the greatest artist and one of the greatest thinkers that ever lived. Many of us know Leonardo for his famous artworks such as Mona Lisa, or the Last Supper, however, Leonardo was much more than just an artist, he was also an inventor, scientist, architect, sculptor, musician, and mathematician. When comparing Leonardo to the people of his time, he was much ahead of the time and had many modern ideas. Even though Leonardo is now dead, his legacy is still alive and well. 2019 marked the 500th anniversary of Leonardo and the presidents of Italy and France paid their respects to the man at his tomb in Amboise, France. Leonardo left a legacy full of knowledge and artwork that was so great that 500 years after his death people still remember him and admire him. Leonardo was a forward thinker and artist that left a lasting impact on the world and is still remembered today for his accomplishments throughout his life.
Many of Leonardo’s creations were advanced and centuries ahead of his time. His theories and creations contained multiple groundbreaking scientific theories, some of which also contained technological inventions. Leonardo designed the armored tank, the portable bridge, and the submarine. Leonardo also attempted to construct a flying machine by creating wings. Due to the fact that Leonardo succeeded in both engineering and art, he was able to produce fancy inventions such as the mechanical lion which was a forerunner to current day robots. The mechanical lion could walk on its own and had a secret compartment that popped open and revealed the fleur-de-lis, a flower-like symbol of the French monarchy. This invention was presented to the king of France in 1515 and amazed onlookers. Leonardo’s advanced inventions/creations proved him to be a great thinker, scientist, and mathematician. He was also knowledgeable in many fields and had accomplishments in many different fields. Leonardo conceived ideas vastly ahead of his own time making him one of the greatest thinkers that ever lived.
Leonardo was an astonishingly forward-thinker who had many modern ideas. His thoughts and ideas were very different from the thoughts of a regular Renaissance man. This led him to create many masterpieces and inventions. Leonardo sketched a drawing of a vertical flying machine well before the first helicopter was created. He was also a vegetarian who was deeply concerned with animal welfare. It is said that Leonardo once bought captive birds from the market so he could set them free. It is believed that he did this either because it pained him to see the birds locked in the cages or because he wanted to scientifically observe their flight up close. However, some of Leonardo’s forward thinking ideas in his codices are backwards in just one respect. Leonardo would write from right to left in a style called mirror writing. Some theories suggest that Leonardo did this so nobody but him could read his ideas and copy it. Leonardo’s highly advanced brain and his forward thinking ideas resulted in many modern inventions/actions. Leonardo’s extremely forward thinking mind allowed him to make many modern inventions and discoveries.
Leonardo left a legacy that influenced many modern thinkers which eventually helped us develop many of the things we have in life today. The legacy Leonardo left behind impacted many people, not just people of his time. Many people in the world do great things, but not all these people are remembered 5 centuries later. The people who leave lasting impacts are the ones who truly influenced the world. The remaining drawings from Leonardo helped us invent the current day parachute, tank, helicopter and many more. Many of his artworks are also preserved today. He was one of the first people that believed art was connected to science and nature. Many of his famous paintings now reside in museums. One of his most famous works, the Mona Lisa, is now located in the Louvre Museum in France. Leonardo left a great impact on the world that even influenced people centuries later. He was remembered by the people and his accomplishments are preserved and observed by the people today. The legacy that Leonardo left is so great that it was able to survive centuries without destruction.
Leonardo, one of the greatest artists and thinkers who ever lived, wasn’t just an artist, but was a forward thinker whose ideas were centuries ahead of their time. There are many other famous artists in the world such as Pablo Picaso, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet… However, none of them also contained traits of an inventor, scientist, architect, sculptor, musician, and mathematician. This is what makes Leonardo unique. He was highly accomplished in many fields, not just art. Many of his accomplishments are still remembered today. The legacy Leonardo left is too great to be forgotten. Through inventions, creations, and artworks, 5 centuries later, we are still able to learn about Leonardo and observe his masterpieces.
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