I didn’t know much about Leonardo Da Vinci when I purchased a copy of his biography by Walter Isaacson. To be honest, I didn’t have any interest in him either. I stumbled across a social media post by Bill Gates, who was recommending the biography.
I figured that if a guy like Bill gates is obsessed with Leonardo Da Vinci, then there’s probably something worth knowing about, so I grabbed a copy.
Wow! What a man.
I doubt there was anything that Leonardo Da Vince didn’t accomplish in his lifetime:
- painter
- architect
- inventor
- showman
- advisor to nobility and even a king
- so much more.
He was a self-taught (and incredibly good) scientist who was willing to dump his own theories in the face of evidence to the contrary, an attitude many people have too much pride to do. He looked into everything from why sky was blue to how blood flowed through arteries. In many cases, he made discoveries centuries before they were ‘rediscovered’ by others.
We’ll probably never know how much he accomplished and discovered though, as many of his notes are lost.
The book also explores the common misconception that people like Leonardo Da Vinci are gifted in some way, that they’re blessed beyond the rest of us and achieve greatness because of that; touched by divinity.
Walter Isaacson argues against this point, but without diminishing Leonardo’s true greatness. Instead, he explains it clearly and succinctly, claiming Leonardo’s genius was driven by an intense curiosity, not divinity, and anyone can achieve such things if they really want to.
Isaacson claims Leonardo Da Vinci was passionate and curious about everything around him, from optics to the wings of dragonflies to how muscles cause lips to move. 
Da Vinci used his unquenchable curiosity to study light and how it reflected off surfaces, applying this knowledge when he painted his great masterpieces, including the Mona Lisa, a painting which I’d seen on display and at the time thought: ‘What’s all the fuss about?’.
This book has given me a totally new appreciation for the Mona Lisa and Leonardo’s other accomplishments. I understand now why the Mona Lisa is a masterpiece. If I ever see it again, I’ll look at it completely differently.
Overall, a very worthwhile read. I highly recommend it.
You can get a copy on Amazon or wherever else you like to shop for books.
