Thoughts About Art On Leonardo’s Birthday

Without a doubt, Leonardo da Vinci was one of the world’s greatest artists and visionaries. He has been the subject of many essays, books, films, and other intellectual studies. What can I say about him that has not been explained by scholars and experts? Nothing, really. I can only offer my deep admiration for his creativity and wisdom. Leonardo’s work extended far beyond our basic concept of art. I believe that da Vinci approached all of his masterworks, inventions, and ponderings in the spirit of art, because all of his surviving artifacts and writings contain the element of elegance.

My paternal grandmother, who was artistically gifted, once said that art is the ability to express what is invisible to others. As a budding adolescent, I believed she was telling me a riddle. My teenaged mind knew grandma J had said something profound but her words didn’t click right away.

Then one day, I read a short quote in the “Reader’s Digest” magazine attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, “There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.” At that instant, I finally understood grandma J’s statement. It was also around that period of time that I became interested in the Italian Renaissance Period. In those days, well before the Internet, I couldn’t get enough information about da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, and other exceptionally talented artists who are highly esteemed in our global society.

I share the opinion of many others that da Vinci was probably the single most diversely talented human being to have ever walked upon the Earth. Nobody else manifested the Renaissance humanist mindset to the extent that da Vinci naturally did. When we envision the ideal “Renaissance Man”, we imagine someone who is endlessly curious about the Universe; someone who ceaselessly investigates the mysteries; and someone who possesses boundless imagination.

The levels of da Vinci’s logic, reasoning, and analytical investigation were without equal for his times. The depth and scope of his intellectual and artistic capabilities seem superhuman and mysterious. Scholars have pointed out that da Vinci’s world vision only seem mysterious to most of us because his use of logic and empirical reasoning was far and away unusual for people alive during the 15th and 16th centuries. Indeed, his visionary abilities and skills remain peerless in today’s society.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes activist, columnist, novelist, playwright, and poet, Langston Hughes. “An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose.”