Investigation & anatomy

[Iasha Patel]

Leonardo Da Vinci pushed understanding of the body further than anybody else in the Renaissance.  Leonardo’s interest in anatomy was not unique among artists, but his scalpel-sharp observation, coupled with the lucid presentation of his findings, set him apart from his peers.

The findings from these studies were recorded in the famous anatomical drawings, which are among the most significant achievements of Renaissance science.  Although Leonardo's was  an artist, it was largely through his scientific approach to the art of painting, and his style. As a scientist, Leonardo had no formal education in Latin and mathematics and did not attend a university. Because of this, his scientific studies were largely ignored by other scholars. Leonardo's approach to science was one of intense observation and detailed recording, his tools of investigation being almost just his eyes. His journals gave an insight into his investigative processes.

Human fetus, studies of Da Vinci

Leonardo combined anatomical with physiological research. From observing the static structure of the body, Leonardo proceeded to study the role of individual parts of the body in mechanical activity. 

The drawings are based on a connection between natural and abstract representation; he represented parts of the body in transparent layers that afford an “insight” into the organ by using sections in perspective.

 Da Vinci study of a nude man; sepia drawing 

 Leonardo demonstrated that the ideal proportion of the human figure corresponds with the forms of the circle and the square. In his illustration of this theory, the so-called Vitruvian Man, Leonardo demonstrated that when a man places his feet firmly on the ground and stretches out his arms, he can be contained within the four lines of a square, but when in a spread-eagle position, he can be inscribed in a circle.

Vitruvian Man; a figure study

The study of motion of an arm

The study of proportions of the head

The study of a leg of a man and a dog

A journal entry by Da Vinci

“Those who are in love with practice without knowledge are like the sailor who gets into a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain whether he is going. Practice must always be founded on sound theory, and to this Perspective is the guide and the gateway; and without this nothing can be done well in the matter of drawing.”

Leonardo kept a series of journals in which he wrote almost daily, as well as separate notes and sheets of observations, comments and plans. He wrote and drew with his left hand, and most of his writing is in mirror script, which makes it difficult to read. Much has survived to illustrate Leonardo's studies, discoveries and inventions.