Greatest Anatomist

2133 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Contribution of Leonardo da Vinci to science

Leonardo Da Vinci is famous as a painter, sculptor and inventor. In reality he was so much more, with the range of topics in his arsenal of knowledge being anatomy, zoology, botany, geology, optics, aerodynamics and hydrodynamics to name a few. He did play a large role in the development of knowledge about anatomy and the human body. He was one of the greatest anatomists of his time, although unrecognized for it during his lifetime.

Anatomical studies were primarily for the purpose of better depiction of the human body and presumably went no further than a study of the superficial structures. Da Vinci’s acquaintance with anatomy in the beginning would be that of the artist, and it must be remembered that his fame was gained primarily as an artist. Leonardo was different from others of his time not because he was the man who could do all but because of the distances to which he pursued many interests and thereby the contributions which he was sometimes able to make. While it is doubtful that Leonardo ever thought of himself as an anatomist, and certainly he never acquired a discipline in that study, yet it is noteworthy that he pushed his investigation far beyond the point of artistic usefulness; and it is believed that Leonardo thought of these studies as a separate discipline rather than auxiliary to art. (Squeri, 8)

While in Milan, Da Vinci spent a considerable amount of time on a number of dissections of the horse in preparation for a statue. While the bulk of the drawings on the anatomy of the horse are of the surface anatomy, and drawn by Leonardo in the guise of the artist, there are nevertheless some detailed ones illustrating the muscles of the horse's thigh compared to the corresponding muscles of man, suggesting that ...

... middle of paper ...

...he centenarian and Leonardo's statement of having dissected a child of two years, while in Florence; (3) dissection of a human fetus c.7 months; (4) the dissection of the series in Fogli A which seems to have been that of an elderly man and perhaps the body of a younger individual, (5) perhaps a leg.

Works Cited

Ackerman, James. "Leonardo Da Vinci: Art in Science." Daedalus 127.1 (1998): 207-224. Web. 26 May, 2010.

K, A. "Leonardo Da Vinci as Anatomist." British Medical Journal 1.3673 (1931): 950-951. Web. 26 May 2010.

Morley, Brian. "The Illustrations of Leonardo Da Vinci." Burlington Magazine 121.918 (979): 553-562. Web. 26 May 2010.

Ochenkowski, H. “The Quatercentenary of Leonardo Da Vinci.” Burlington Magazine 34.194 (1919): 186-203. Web. 26 May 2010.

Squeri, Robert. "Leonardo Da Vinci: Innovator." Art Education 14.9 (1961): 6-15. Web. 26 May 2010.

Show More
Related

  • Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance Man

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    His incredibly important discoveries would’ve changed the European knowledge on the subject. His papers were untouched and unseen by the outside world for almost 400 years. Leonardo was very interested in the human body. His fascination led him to many hospitals and morgues around Florence. He performed dissections of the human body and even took part in executing criminals. He became incredibly close to revealing how blood circulation worked. One of his most famous anatomical drawings was of a hundred year old man who seemed to be in perfect health just hours before he passed away. The body was then dissected by Leonardo in hopes of determining the cause of death. It was found that the man had cirrhosis of the liver and a blockage in an artery in his heart. This became known as the first description of coronary vascular occlusion.

    Read More

  • Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance Man

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ludwig Heinrich, Heydenreich. "Leonardo Da Vinci." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

    Read More

  • Lamentation and the Evolution of Technique

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...so much that his feet needed to be shrunken in order for the viewer to fully see the body. All of the other details are also severely accentuated, from the drapery that shows an anatomically correct figure to the strikingly realistic stigmata. The emotional quality of this painting is uncontested, and the details that set it apart from other Lamentations are only side notes to the amazing perspective that Mantegna was able to produce.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Julius Tomb And The Medici Tombs

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this work the figure corresponds in all aspects to how the ancient writers would describe it. The figure is standing in one of the art-poses of antiquity; it has ancient proportions but a naturalistic rather than ideal nude body. Between 1501-4, Michelangelo, commissioned by the Overseers of the Office of Works in Florence, created perhaps his most famous sculpture David, here we clearly see his passion and inspiration for the male nude. The figure stands in a version of the famous Greco-Roman pose called contrapposto; it represents the first successful union of antique inspiration with the Florentine celebration of man. We see a continuation of Michelangelo’s fascination with the male anatomy in his 1504 figure studies for The Battle of Cascina.

    Read More

  • The Renaissance Man, Leonardo da Vinci

    679 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people do not realize that a parachute and the Mona Lisa have one common factor—Leonardo da Vinci. His techniques of self-teaching are very impressive and unique from anyone else’s during the Renaissance era. This Renaissance man, Leonardo da Vinci, generously impacted the art and science world by creating new-world inventions, perfecting newly found art techniques, and creating the most famous pieces of art in history.

    Read More

  • How Did Leonardo Da Vinci Contribute To Human Anatomy

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    One area that he paid particular attention to, was the human anatomy. During his life, Leonardo Da Vinci study around 30 corpses, both unhealthy and healthy, he did this to better understand how the human body worked. "Others such as Plato and Aristotle had studied the topic too, but Da Vinci was one of the first to give both correct drawings and reports of the anatomy. This is shown in Da Vinci's drawings of the Vitruvian Man"(Medical Impact Leonardo DA Vinci). "The Vitruvian Man is a drawing of a man who is standing in the middle of a circle and a square. This man is shown in two different positions, which shows an exact depiction of the parts of the human body" (Medical Impact Leonardo DA Vinci). The Vitruvian Man is just one page in a notebook that was full of information about the human body. Leonardo Da Vinci wanted these notebooks to be used in the medical field. But, these books didn’t really get any uses until the 1900s, when two of Da Vinci’s notebooks were found in 1965, and in them were Da Vinci’s drawings and

    Read More

  • Renaissance Venice

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    Partridge, Loren. The Art of Renaissance Rome 1400-1600. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1996.

    Read More

  • Michelangelo's Motivation

    1901 Words  | 4 Pages

    The masculine and idealized form of the human body is an ever-present characteristic of Michelangelo’s sculpture. Many people over the years have speculated why this may be, but there has never been a definitive answer, and probably never will be. Through all of his sculpture there is a distinct classical influence, with both his subject matter and his inclination to artistically create something beautiful. In most cases, for Michelangelo, this means the idealized human figure, seeping with contraposto. This revival of classical influences is common for a Renaissance artisan, but the new, exaggerated form of the human body is new and unique to Michelangelo’s artistic style.

    Read More

  • Condivi Ascanio And Hellmut Wohl

    391 Words  | 1 Pages

    Condivi, Ascanio, and Hellmut Wohl. Life of Michelangelo. 2nd. University Park: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr, 1999. Print.

    Read More

  • Influence On Peter Paul Rubens

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ruben’s used Da Vinci’s technique in his anatomy studies and drawings which were to fo with mostly human figures. However, he was more focused on the clear portrayal and efficiency of his works, which was opposite to Leonardo Da Vinci. (Tsaneva 2013)

    Read More

  • Leonardo Da Vinci’s Inventions and Other Contributions to Civilization

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cenedella, Marc. 29 Jan. 2010 "Leonardo Da Vinci’s Resume." Cenedella RSS. Cenedella. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Leonardo Da Vinci: The Mono Lisa And The Last Supper

    1851 Words  | 4 Pages

    Leonardo da Vinci was known as one of the greatest painters ever along with being a painter, he had many other skills and traits that made him unique. Leonardo excelled in almost all the fields of arts and science: in physics, mechanics engineering, mathematics, geometry, in anatomy, geology, botany and geography, in music, architecture, sculpture, and last but not least painting (Hohenstatt 6).He was born in Vinci near Florence Italy born on April 14, 1452. He grew up in the Renaissance Period a time where many people became more interested in the arts. He was the illegitimate son of Ser Pireo Frusiono di Antonito, a Florentine notary and a peasant girl Catarina (Herbert 1). For a time over twenty years Leonardo was the only child but by the time of his death, he had seventeen half-siblings (Douglas 2-3). Leonardo’s

    Read More

  • Art Conservation and Restoration

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clearly, the piece is not in its original form, nor was it even twenty years after completion. However, due to the concern, care, diligence, and expertise of many art lovers, there remains at least a remnant of da Vinci’s masterpiece to be studied and enjoyed by future scholars and visitor.

    Read More

  • An Essay About Leonardo Da Vinci

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonardo’s first work of art is assumed to be a shield painted with a dragon using lizards and insects as paradigms. Leonardo learned to paint and draw realistic folds while also mastering the art of blurring contours and edges. At the age of twenty, especially in the period of time when he moves to Milan, Leonardo devises costumes, machinery, stage effects, and more. This period was an enjoyable way for him to combine his interests and develop his personality. While working as a master painter, Leonardo collaborates with Verrocchio on paintings such as “Tobias and the angel” and “Baptism of Christ” to prove what he has learned and how he has surpassed Verrocchio. In addition to these works, he also paints multiple other paintings by himself such as “The Madonna” and “Ginerva de’ Benci”. On April 1476, when Leonardo was 24, he was accused of engaging in sodomy with a male prostitute. The allegation put him in jail before the crime was dropped. Leonardo was attracted to men and unlike other people in his time, he seemed to accept it. By the age of thirty, Leonardo knew what it was like to be regarded as

    Read More

  • An Essay About Leonardo Da Vinci

    870 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most well-known geniuses in human history. This man masters knowledge of all kind: painting, architecture, music, geology, philosophy, biology, math, physics, chemistry, etc. His probably most famous painting, Mona Lisa, fascinated millions of people around the world and the amazing and mysterious details in the painting attracted a number of scientists and scholars to devote their whole career in studying them. Born and lived in Italian Renaissance age, which is a period of time when arts flourished and knowledge was valued, Leonardo was surrounded by many great contemporary artists and a perfect creative environment. These favorable factors supported him to fully exercise his talents.

    Read More

More about Greatest Anatomist

Open Document