Insight into Leonardo da Vinci's inventiveness: His drawn journals

In the annals of history, few names resonate as profoundly as that of Leonardo da Vinci. A true Renaissance man, his brilliance spanned across various domains, from painting and design to construction and invention. This article will delve into some of his most celebrated works, as documented in his notebooks.

One such notebook, the Paris B Codex, was created in 1505 and is renowned for containing two of Leonardo's most celebrated designs for flying machines. Another, the Codex Atlanticus, compiled by Pompeo Leoni, is preserved in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana of Milan. It houses over a thousand folios of Leonardo's drawings, reflecting his many different interests at all stages of his career.

Leonardo's talent took him to many different cultural centers of Renaissance Europe. In Florence, he apprenticed under artist Andrea del Verrocchio for seven formative years. His journals reveal his deep well of talent, with drawing being a vital part of his process of sketching, recording, revising, and theorizing.

Under the job title of ducal painter and engineer, Leonardo served Ludovico Sforza, ruler of Milan. This period saw him create masterpieces like "The Last Supper" for the refectory of the city's Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery. The Codex Windsor, held in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle in England, contains the most complete series of Leonardo's anatomical drawings, including studies of human joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and a detailed depiction of a human fetus.

The Codex Leicester, made up of 18 pages folded in two, contains sketches made by Leonardo between 1508 and 1510 and is dedicated to the study of water. It contains 72 pages of scientific notes and diagrams, featuring observations on topics such as water, astronomy, and natural phenomena, all written in mirror script. The Codex Leicester has an interesting history, having been owned by the sculptor Guglielmo della Porta, a disciple of Michelangelo, and later by American oil tycoon Armand Hammer and Bill Gates.

Many of Leonardo's manuscripts and diaries survived through luck and the intervention of those who saw their worth, and are now preserved in the collections of libraries and museums across Europe. The Codex Arundel, preserved in the British Library in London, contains Leonardo's design for a prototype of a diving suit, likely devised with some military function in mind.

Scholars have wondered what Leonardo's laconic note about his father's passing in the Codex Arundel reveals about his feelings, and whether a certain indifference is expressed toward his father's passing. This enigmatic aspect of Leonardo's personality adds to the allure that surrounds his life and work even today.

In conclusion, Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks offer a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of history's greatest polymaths. They serve as a testament to his boundless curiosity, his intellectual prowess, and his unparalleled creativity. These notebooks, now preserved in various institutions, continue to inspire and captivate scholars and enthusiasts alike.