An unparalleled genius.
That’s right. There has been no match for his type of vision and wisdom in so many different areas.
I’m talking about Leonardo da Vinci. A man born in Italy in born on April 15, 1452. He would stay on this Earth, living and breathing for 67 years. On May 2, 1519, he died, most likely, from an acute stroke.
There have been other great minds throughout history, all in their unique ways. Albert Einstein. Isaac Newton. Galileo Galilei. Charles Darwin. Marie Curie. And more.
But Leonardo da Vinci was this iconic polymath of the Renaissance era.
Sidebar. Polymath is a funny word to me. First of all, it seems like an oxymoron, what with putting Polly and math together in the same word and all. However, the true definition is “a person of wide-ranging knowledge or learning.” I get the “poly” part. Poly means many. But the “math” part must be the root of some Latin craziness or something. Polymath.
So.
Question: What is the square root of 5,438?
Answer: “No freaking clue.”
And that right there is Polly Math.
Anyway. Back to da Vinci. His name is most commonly associated with masterworks like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But da Vinci’s talents spanned numerous areas. He lent genius to everything he touched.
He did all of this despite having a “tainted” start in life. Leonardo Da Vinci was an illegitimate child. He was the son of a wealthy Florentine notary named Ser Piero and a young peasant woman named Caterina. His mother gave birth to him in a humble farmhouse near Tuscany. But she would go on to marry some other artist, dude. So little Leo was raised as Ser Piero’s (his real dad) legitimate son on the family estate.
Despite that, Leonardo never attended formal school. Now that is something.
He started having an interest in things on his own. So he taught himself Latin, for one thing. It was the scholarly language of the time. And Leonardo was in his thirties when he became interested in advanced mathematics. Passionately. Big time.
But this guy was diverse. Like this. He had a huge fascination with the mysteries of the human body. To try an figure things out, he would routinely dissect corpses and animal carcasses for study. Now, that, to me, is kind of “out there.“ Was he sitting around the kitchen one day and decided, I’m going to go dig someone up to find out how breathing works.
One thing I love about him, is that he had a deep love for animals and nature. Multiple historical sources give evidence of his strong affinity for wildlife.
Leonardo would purchase caged birds to set them free, demonstrating his commitment to animal welfare.
Back to his artwork. Unfortunately, Leonardo’s later artistic career was cut short by a stroke. The biggest repercussion is that the stroke paralyzed his right hand. This was thought to have happened sometime between 1515 and 1517. And it prevented him from completing his paintings. Like the Mona Lisa.
As a result, only 15 paintings can definitively be attributed to him, either in their entirety or in significant parts. I never realized it was so few.
Leonardo passed away on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67, within the confines of Clos Lucé. It is believed that his demise was a result of a stroke.
The sad thing is this. In his final moments, Leonardo expressed regret and remorse. He said, out loud, that he had not fully dedicated himself to his artistic pursuits. He thought he had failed in life. He believed to have disappointed both God and his fellow men. What a sad thing, I think.
To sum it up. He was a true genius in so many areas of his life. I’ve only touched on a few. But I am most struck by his own regret at the time of his passing. I only wish he could have seen the amazing person that he was.
And with that. I have to say this. We may not be painters of the masterpiece. Or world-class musicians. Or star athletes. Maybe we fix cars. Maybe we work in a bank. Maybe we teach young students. Maybe we open doors for people and smile for no reason. It doesn’t matter what we “do” so much as “how we are.” At least, that is what I think.
It is the goodness in our hearts that guides us in life. In whatever form that takes. And for that, we should be content that we are on this Earth for a very good reason.
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“It is not that I’m so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.”
– Albert Einstein
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“Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, stupid people already have all the answers.”
– Socrates
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“The smartest person in the room is not the one who knows all the answers, but the one who asks the most questions.”
– Unknown
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