“All our knowledge
has its origin
in our perceptions.”
(Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519)
Who was the greatest genius ever? Buzan and Keene, (1994), authors of “The Book of Genius – and how you can become one”, rated the greatest geniuses of history, by : originality, versatility, dominance in their field, universality of vision and strength and energy - an interesting array of categories to say the least. The diversity of these criteria demonstrates that genius can’t be ranked or captured by one single measure.
So who were the greatest geniuses of all time according to Buzan and Keene? Starting in ascending order at number ten was Albert Einstein, then Phidias (architect of ancient Athens), Alexander the Great, Thomas Jefferson, Sir Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great Pyramid Builders, William Shakespeare and coming in at number one, as the greatest genius of all time, was Leonardo da Vinci.
Fifteenth century painter, sculptor, scientist, architect and visionary, Leonardo da Vinci was an extraordinary man by anyone’s definition. He had an intense curiosity, an insatiable inquisitiveness about all manner of things. His desire to understand how things worked led him to ask confounding questions all of his life. The width and depth of his knowledge and his life- long quest to uncover the secrets of a wide range of topics, as diverse as natural world, flight, science, weapons, art, astronomy, human anatomy and the daily experiences of the world around him, was unparalleled.
In his gr
ound-breaking book, “Think Like Da Vinci”, author, personal and organisational development expert, Michael J. Gelb writes at length about Da Vinci’s life and his genius – his achievements in art, his inventions, his skill as a military engineer, his work as a scientist in anatomy, botany, geology, and physics. Gelb notes that two of the greatest paintings ever produced were Leonardo’s Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. He was a renowned sculptor and architect too.
Leonardo was incredibly innovative and is credited for making plans for a flying machine, helicopter, parachute and hundreds of other amazing inventions, all recorded meticulously in his journals, which totalled over 7000 pages and estimated to be closer to 14,000 pages at the time of his death. Interestingly, Leonardo wrote all of these notes backward and they were designed to be read in a mirror and much speculation continues to this day about why Leonardo did this. Don’t you think this amazing? Why is it so?
What makes Leonardo so extraordinary? According to Gelb, Leonardo’s incredible inquisitiveness led him on a life- long quest for knowledge about every conceivable concept. He questioned everything and developed a systematic and rigorous investigative approach to his study. For example, not content with drawing his anatomical dissections from one perspective, Leonardo drew them from three different perspectives. Yes it’s true to say that Leonardo was a perfectionist when it came to detail – whether it was in his study of flight of birds, or in his artistic achievements - he was rigorous in every aspect of his investigative studies and drawings.
Gelb identifies seven “Da Vincian Principles” which could easily be used and applied by every person today. The key words were originally Italian but I have loosely translated these with the meaning conveyed by the descriptions of each of Gelb’s, Seven Principles of da Vinci.
• Curiosity – an insatiable curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
• Demonstration – a commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes (even da Vinci made many mistakes along the way).
• Sensation – the continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience.
• Ambiguity – a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox and uncertainty.
• Artistic and scientific balance – the development of a balance between science and art, logic and imagination, or ‘whole brain’ thinking.
• Grace and poise – the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness and poise.
• Interconnectedness – the recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena or ‘systems’ thinking.
I list these principles of thinking because many of us who are in total awe of Leonardo’s intellect, seriously doubt that we could ever emulate his outstanding, ‘off the scale’ intellectual capacity. How could any of us mere mortals compare or aspire to be like Leonardo da Vinci? (Some of you may be even thinking at this point, “You have to be joking”.) Surprisingly though, many experts, including Leonardo, would argue that while fifty percent of our intellectual power is genetic, the other fifty percent is due to our own environmental circumstances and our willingness to expand and develop our level of thinking and our intellectual capacity.
What resonates most for me in reading Gelb’s book and Leonardo’s biography, was the rigorous questioning of even the smallest detail by Leonardo and his search for answers; his insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding. All of us, including our inquisitive children, learn by asking questions and by exploring the possibilities of our imaginative and creative thinking.
In a time of instant information, have we somehow lost this capacity to think creatively and to think ‘outside the box’? My challenge to all teachers this term has been to “Imagine, Inspire, Innovate and Implement”. Not only do educators - and all adults for that matter - need to imagine more, inspire more, innovate more and implement more. We need to create a culture where our young people are confident to question the status quo and explore new possibilities. Surely this is the essence of education – to learn from those who have gone before us and to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ so that we might continue to learn and add to the knowledge and wisdom of the world in which we live.
As Gelb so eloquently notes:
“The essence of Leonardo’s legacy is the inspiration for wisdom and light to triumph over fear and darkness. In his never-ending quest for truth and beauty, art and science were married through the ministry of experience and perception.”
What finer quest can there be?
has its origin
in our perceptions.”
(Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519)
Who was the greatest genius ever? Buzan and Keene, (1994), authors of “The Book of Genius – and how you can become one”, rated the greatest geniuses of history, by : originality, versatility, dominance in their field, universality of vision and strength and energy - an interesting array of categories to say the least. The diversity of these criteria demonstrates that genius can’t be ranked or captured by one single measure.
So who were the greatest geniuses of all time according to Buzan and Keene? Starting in ascending order at number ten was Albert Einstein, then Phidias (architect of ancient Athens), Alexander the Great, Thomas Jefferson, Sir Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great Pyramid Builders, William Shakespeare and coming in at number one, as the greatest genius of all time, was Leonardo da Vinci.
Fifteenth century painter, sculptor, scientist, architect and visionary, Leonardo da Vinci was an extraordinary man by anyone’s definition. He had an intense curiosity, an insatiable inquisitiveness about all manner of things. His desire to understand how things worked led him to ask confounding questions all of his life. The width and depth of his knowledge and his life- long quest to uncover the secrets of a wide range of topics, as diverse as natural world, flight, science, weapons, art, astronomy, human anatomy and the daily experiences of the world around him, was unparalleled.
In his gr
ound-breaking book, “Think Like Da Vinci”, author, personal and organisational development expert, Michael J. Gelb writes at length about Da Vinci’s life and his genius – his achievements in art, his inventions, his skill as a military engineer, his work as a scientist in anatomy, botany, geology, and physics. Gelb notes that two of the greatest paintings ever produced were Leonardo’s Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. He was a renowned sculptor and architect too.Leonardo was incredibly innovative and is credited for making plans for a flying machine, helicopter, parachute and hundreds of other amazing inventions, all recorded meticulously in his journals, which totalled over 7000 pages and estimated to be closer to 14,000 pages at the time of his death. Interestingly, Leonardo wrote all of these notes backward and they were designed to be read in a mirror and much speculation continues to this day about why Leonardo did this. Don’t you think this amazing? Why is it so?
What makes Leonardo so extraordinary? According to Gelb, Leonardo’s incredible inquisitiveness led him on a life- long quest for knowledge about every conceivable concept. He questioned everything and developed a systematic and rigorous investigative approach to his study. For example, not content with drawing his anatomical dissections from one perspective, Leonardo drew them from three different perspectives. Yes it’s true to say that Leonardo was a perfectionist when it came to detail – whether it was in his study of flight of birds, or in his artistic achievements - he was rigorous in every aspect of his investigative studies and drawings.
Gelb identifies seven “Da Vincian Principles” which could easily be used and applied by every person today. The key words were originally Italian but I have loosely translated these with the meaning conveyed by the descriptions of each of Gelb’s, Seven Principles of da Vinci.
• Curiosity – an insatiable curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
• Demonstration – a commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes (even da Vinci made many mistakes along the way).
• Sensation – the continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience.
• Ambiguity – a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox and uncertainty.
• Artistic and scientific balance – the development of a balance between science and art, logic and imagination, or ‘whole brain’ thinking.
• Grace and poise – the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness and poise.
• Interconnectedness – the recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena or ‘systems’ thinking.
I list these principles of thinking because many of us who are in total awe of Leonardo’s intellect, seriously doubt that we could ever emulate his outstanding, ‘off the scale’ intellectual capacity. How could any of us mere mortals compare or aspire to be like Leonardo da Vinci? (Some of you may be even thinking at this point, “You have to be joking”.) Surprisingly though, many experts, including Leonardo, would argue that while fifty percent of our intellectual power is genetic, the other fifty percent is due to our own environmental circumstances and our willingness to expand and develop our level of thinking and our intellectual capacity.
What resonates most for me in reading Gelb’s book and Leonardo’s biography, was the rigorous questioning of even the smallest detail by Leonardo and his search for answers; his insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding. All of us, including our inquisitive children, learn by asking questions and by exploring the possibilities of our imaginative and creative thinking.
In a time of instant information, have we somehow lost this capacity to think creatively and to think ‘outside the box’? My challenge to all teachers this term has been to “Imagine, Inspire, Innovate and Implement”. Not only do educators - and all adults for that matter - need to imagine more, inspire more, innovate more and implement more. We need to create a culture where our young people are confident to question the status quo and explore new possibilities. Surely this is the essence of education – to learn from those who have gone before us and to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’ so that we might continue to learn and add to the knowledge and wisdom of the world in which we live.
As Gelb so eloquently notes:
“The essence of Leonardo’s legacy is the inspiration for wisdom and light to triumph over fear and darkness. In his never-ending quest for truth and beauty, art and science were married through the ministry of experience and perception.”
What finer quest can there be?
Karon Graham
Principal CCPS
Principal CCPS
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