As
a Leonardo da Vinci enthusiast, I think it is good if I’m gonna make an article
about Leonardo da Vinci, so I give you here some facts about the great painter.
Francesco Melzi’s portrait of Leonardo da Vinci
1. Leonardo
da Vinci was speculated to be gay. There was a historical
document that tells that Leonardo was charged of sodomy (was then an illegal
act punishable by death) with a male artist’s model Jacopo Saltarelli and three
other men. The anonymous accusation was left in a tamburo or “letter box.” However, the charges upon the five men were
dismissed. (Spoiler alert: Eminem is gay). It’s also been speculated that he
had homosexual relationships with his apprentice Salai. Moreover, Leonardo
himself said that when he was still an infant he had a dream that a bird of
prey stuck its tail inside his lips again and again. Sigmund Freud in his 1910
paper Leonardo da Vinci, A Memory of His
Childhood said that this dream was a sign of homosexuality. Furthermore,
Leonardo’s drawing The Incarnate Angel
has a large erecting penis, suggesting homosexuality.
The Incarnate Angel with a large erecting penis—a drawing
by Leonardo da Vinci
2. Leonardo
da Vinci could write with his left hand and draw with the right hand at the
same time. Seven words: Leonardo da Vinci was so f*cking
awesome.
3. Leonardo
da Vinci mostly wrote in mirror script. Scholars say that
Leonardo wrote in mirror script (you could only read his writings using a
mirror) because he don’t want anyone to steal his ideas. But some scholars say
that he did it because he’s left handed and if he writes with the normal
script, the ink would stick in his hand. (The ink in those days takes time to
dry.)
The word “Wikipedia” in Leonardo’s style
4. Leonardo
da Vinci did not have a role in Titanic.
I
have to say that.
5.
Leonardo da Vinci was a polymath. Leonardo was not only a
renowned painter and sculptor, but also an expert in civil engineering,
chemistry, geology, geometry, hydrodynamics, mathematics, mechanical
engineering, optics, physics, pyrotechnics, botany, zoology, anatomy,
cartography, architecture, writing and aeronautics. Scholars regard him as the
epitome of the Renaissance Man.
6. Leonardo
had an advance scientific knowledge. Leonardo’s scientific
knowledge was so advance that if he had the opportunity to publish his works
during his lifetime, the science of the Renaissance would be dramatically revolutionized.
He had advance knowledge of fossils, plants, tectonic plates, animals, optics,
astronomy and anatomy. He also formulated a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics even before Alfred Wegener developed his own. This advance scientific knowledge could also be seen in
his paintings. The plants you see in his painting Virgin of the Rocks were amazingly classifiable to the modern
botanist. Moreover, the effects of light in his paintings, notably in the Lady with an Ermine, was also
extraordinarily accurate.
Virgin
of the Rocks
Lady
with an Ermine
7. Leonardo
was a futurist. Leonardo was also a prolific inventor,
that the Italian Duke Cesare Borgia hired him as a military engineer. He
visualized the concepts of tanks, helicopter, parachute, car, an underwater breathing device and a robot before they were even invented. He also visualized
a large crossbow weapon, an early machine gun, a scythe chariot and an ornithopter.
Leonardo’s concept of tank
An early concept of a helicopter
Parachute
Self-propelled car
Breathing apparatus
Huge cross bow with wheels
Machine gun
Scythe chariot
Leonardo da Vinci’s ornithopter being used by Ezio
in the videogame Assassin’s Creed II. Leonardo also appeared in the game.
Leonardo’s robot built based faithfully on Leonardo’s
design
8. He’s Vegan. Yes, because he love animals so much. But he’s not a member of PETA and he never go outside naked and urge people not to eat meat.
9. He
had a life long quarrel with Michelangelo. The reason why
Leonardo never stayed in Florence and spent most of his life traveling is
because he had a long time quarrel with Michelangelo, who was based in Florence.
Michelangelo (the sculptor of the famous David and painter of the Sistine Chapel
ceiling) and Leonardo da Vinci were mortal enemies.
10. He was a bastard child. The phrase “da Vinci” in the name “Leonardo da Vinci,” means “of Vinci” in Italian. It’s actually not a surname but only a phrase that tells the birthplace of that person common in many Italian names. (Like “Ezio Auditore da Firenze.”) The reason why Leonardo had no surname is because he was a bastard child of the Florentine legal notary Messer Piero Fruosino di Antonio da Vinci to peasant named Caterina. Leonardo’s full name was “Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci” (literally means “Leonardo [son] of Piero [from the town] of Vinci”).
References:
1. wikipedia.org (once again)
2. tomduhamel.wordpress.com
3. leonardodavincisinventions.com
4. pixgood.com
5. theinventors.org
6. wikiart.org
7. pikdit.com
8. scarleteen.com
9. drheckle.net
10. assassinscreed.de
12. curiosidades.batanga.com
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