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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.








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