Before there were inventors like Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, and the Wright brothers, and artists like Dali, Picasso, and Van Gogh, there was Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo, an Italian artist, inventor, scientist, and engineer, was a polymath who came to define the term “Renaissance man.” In art and history circles, he is known simply as “Leonardo.” As an illegitimate son, he did not have a traditional surname, and “Vinci” referred to his region of origin. His body of art, including iconic paintings such as the “Mona Lisa”, “Vitruvian Man”, and “The Last Supper”, is one of his most famous and famous in history. More than 500 years after his death, his ingenious inventions such as flying machines, exotic musical instruments, and impressive weapons of war still wow in modern classrooms. Through September, visitors to the California Science Center can get to know one of history’s great minds with the museum’s exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci: The Inventor.” artist. You are a dreamer. ”
“He was an artist of science and a scientist of art,” said exhibition co-curator Massimiliano Lisa.
Lisa is the co-founder, CEO and chair of the Leonardo3 Museum in Milan, Italy, which developed the traveling exhibit in collaboration with Running Subway Productions.
The exhibition features over 30 reproductions of Leonardo’s contraptions, many of which were never created by Leonardo due to technical limitations. A visionary ahead of his time, he was able to create wonderful inventions entirely in his head, using only the ink and paper at his disposal, and was a great inspiration for artists and artists seeking to complete Leonardo’s work. It created a unique challenge for engineers.
To create the exhibition, Leonardo3 carefully studied the artist’s countless notebooks and sketches. The team uses an extensive digital library of Leonardo’s manuscripts, including a digital version of Leonardo’s huge Codex Atlanticus, to generate his 3D digital models of his works and learn more about Leonardo’s works. I used that to fill in the gaps.
“These designs of Leonardo were often just notes he drew for himself and were never intended to explain how to build something,” Lisa said. “Having knowledge of all of his work allows us to cross-reference different manuscripts and piece together what he didn’t draw.”
The final product became the first physical model of some of his inventions, including a mechanical lion, a robot soldier, and a musical cannon, all displayed at the science center. For many visitors, stepping into the Leonardo exhibit can feel like stepping into a visionary’s workshop. That is, if Leonardo had access to all modern technological innovations. Visitors can also marvel at his various flying machines suspended in the air and peek inside to see how they work through interactive digital displays.
“Through models, hands-on exhibits and graphic reproductions of da Vinci’s visionary machines, science center visitors will “Through his works, visitors will be able to experience da Vinci’s use of art and science, and his mastery of both.” “We are excited to present an exhibition that perfectly illustrates the importance of both science and art.”
This traveling exhibition details his intricate inventions as well as many of his paintings, including The Last Supper. Visitors can see a large-scale reproduction of this painting in its current state on the wall opposite a restored version of what Leonardo originally intended. Visitors can also learn about the work’s religious iconography and historical context through an interactive touchscreen.
According to Lisa, what sets this exhibition apart is its commitment to presenting Leonardo’s work as he intended, without exaggerating or mythologising the truth. That’s what it means. He said that one of his main goals for Leonardo3 is to dispel common misconceptions about artists and inventors.
“There are many exhibits about Leonardo, but the quality of the research is usually not very high, since most of the research is based on what was done by Mussolini’s engineers before World War II. ” said Lisa. “The story that “Leonardo was a master of everything” started with Mussolini as propaganda…That’s why even today we have so many misconceptions about Leonardo – that he was the inventor of the helicopter, that he was the inventor of this, that he was the inventor of that, They say he was the inventor of that, but that’s incorrect.”
Lisa said the most important thing about Leonardo’s work was his commitment to the scientific method. He always pursued knowledge and was never afraid to make mistakes. His works on display do not necessarily represent groundbreaking technology of the time, but they do demonstrate scientific curiosity and discovery. Take his flying machine for example. Many are not intended to fly and study the science of flight in birds and insects.
“Leonardo’s great lesson is that he continued to experiment throughout his life and was not afraid to make mistakes,” Lisa said.
The exhibit will be on display at the California Science Center until September 2nd. Tickets are $22.95 for adults, with an additional discount if you purchase both the exhibition and the new IMAX movie “Cities of the Future 3D,” also released in March.
For more information, visit californiasciencecenter.org.