Skip to main content

Leonardo da Vinci






At the suggestion of my friend Gail, I am reading the biography of Leonard da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.  While only 150 pages into the 525-page book, I am overwhelmed by the many aspects of his life that are new to me.  The book covers the many facets of da Vinci’s life, each more fascinating than the next.  The book is based on the many notebooks da Vinci kept as a recording of his thoughts and curiosities.  Before reading the book I knew of da Vinci simply from his artwork The Last Supper and Mona Lisa.  I also knew that he was fascinated by mechanical drawings and drew what some believe to be the prototype of the first helicopter.

Leonard was not simply a man of amazing artistic ability he was also an innovator in anatomy, fossils and bird study, studies of the human heart, flying machines, botany, geology, and weaponry. To be inspired by his life is to question our own lives and to be as imaginative and creative as possible.

Throughout the book, Isaacson guides us to understand that we can learn from the life of Leonardo on this the 500th Anniversary of his birth. We can learn to develop a passion for being curious, questioning life and observing our daily existence.  Dedicating ourselves to an insatiable curiosity will allow us to celebrate the life of this brilliant man.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Read to Them

One of the quotes that I often think about is Emily Buchwald’s “ Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Teaching reading is very difficult and reading to a child that has never been read to makes the job seem impossible.   Today it made me think about what made me a reader. As a child, my mother, who taught reading for years, read to my brothers and I  every Box Car Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner.   I do not remember the stories exactly but I remember loving the stories and cherishing our special time together.   Later in life, my father and I did a book study for religious education on the book Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Harnard.   Again, I do not remember much about the book but I remember the time we spent together and the close bond that I felt.    Today I decided to look at a review of Harnard’s book.   The review states that over 2 million copies were sold.   “It is a timeless story of Go...
1 comment
Read more

Alma

Today I read a charming children’s book written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal called Alma and How She Got Her Name. It is a 2019 Caldecott Honor Book.   It is a sweet story about how Alma doesn’t like her name because it is too long.   Her name, to be exact is Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela.   Six names!   Six very long names she tells her father.   As her father tells her the story behind each of her names she realizes that her name is perfect for her.   She learns that her special name will one day provide her with the opportunity to share her story with the world. This story made me think about how as a child I too did not like my name.   My name was different, there was never anyone else with my name and at times I wished for a more traditional name.   So tonight I decided to call my parents, both of whom are now in their 80’s and ask about my name.  I had heard stories about why the named me but honestly, I ne...
2 comments
Read more

Gloria

Hoy quiero escribir sobre Gloria Anzaldúa.   Un poeta, una feminista y un erudito. Hoy leí una cita de ella que nunca antes había notado escrita en una pared en mi trabajo. Esta noche encontré una poema que toca mi alma. Gloria escribió que el lenguaje es una frontera para todos. Una frontera que todos debemos cruzar para definir quiénes somos. Los libros salvaron mi cordura, el conocimiento me abrió lugares que había cerrado y me enseñó primero a sobrevivir y luego a cómo volar.
2 comments
Read more