Acute observation of nature and Man united with experimenting and use of mathematics makes Leonardo an anticipator of modern science. Who best than him embodies renaissance man’s desire to penetrate the secrets of the cosmos and understand its workings?

The starting point to explore scientist Leonardo’s figure and therefore be able to answer these questions lies in the pages he himself has left us: thousands of drawings and comments (written with his characteristic inverted calligraphy) which are now gathered in the famous codes scattered over the most famous European libraries.

From Leonardo’s codes therefore a series of inventions take place, designed to give an answer to many queries: construction site machines, mobile bridges, flying and war machines (and many others), provided with innovative characteristics but also natural technological limitations. The rational and method processes with which Leonardo studies Nature’s phenomena are found among others in his flight machines. Starting from the observation of birds’ flight, Leonardo analyses their wings’ anatomy and the nature of air, formulating extremely advanced theories on flight’s physics.

These theories find their application in machines of which many drawings bear witness, such as the famous Vite Aerea and the Aliante, which anticipate more modern inventions such as the helicopter and the hang glider. Unfortunately the energy sources and materials he had available did not allow them to work. Despite this, the ideas that are yielded by Leonardo’s drawings are so modern that they find no equal in any other inventor of his time. After all, it was impossible that he could encompass within himself all the technological progress of four centuries!

March.2003

Leonardo da Vinci Museum 
National museums of Science and Tehcnology - Milan
Uffizi Gallery - Florence
National Gallery - London
Louvre - Paris