Da Vinci

Visiting the hometown of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Tuscan countryside was equally as informative as it was beautiful. It was incredible to see the hills and trees he was so fond of. The scenery is beautifully and accurately portrayed in his paintings, but it was breathtaking to see it in person. Although the hologram of Leonardo was cheesy, it shed light on his troubled family life and I learned things I never knew about him. I’m so glad I was able to see the humble beginnings of one of the world’s most famous geniuses.

            Inside the museum, you’re able to see how Da Vinci was truly a master of many trades with numerous models of the inventions that were found in his sketchbooks. We see that he was passionate about art, anatomy, and engineering. Its mind blowing that he was able to create these machines in a time with such limited resources and technology.  

My favorite invention was his flying machine. He was truly excited about the possibility of people soaring through the skies. Da Vinci found much of his inspiration in nature. He wrote in his sketchbooks that birds, bats, and kites were a source of inspiration.  The flying machine had a wingspan of about 33 feet and was made out of pieces of pine and raw silk, materials that were light yet sturdy. While the machine would probably be able to fly once it was in the air, Da Vinci didn’t have enough power to get it off the ground. So many of Da Vinci’s inventions could have worked if only he would have had a fuel source. I can only imagine what he would be able to create if he was alive in today’s time.

Abel told Emma and me that Da Vinci really wanted to design and invent things for military use. We saw many models in the museum for cannon-like weapons, cross bows, and even bridges that were designed to be built quickly during war times. I think it’s fascinating how Da Vinci was a master of beautiful artwork, yet pursued his passion for war machines. It just shows how wide his range of talent was.

For mine and Tessa’s project, we drew inspiration from many of his inventions. Our toy car was the trigger of our machine and it mimicked Di Vinci’s idea for using oxen as the horsepower for one of his pulley systems. The car was connected to a set of wheels, which are present in many of his inventions. On the wheel was a picture of the Vitruvian man, which paid tribute to Da Vinci’s passion for anatomy, and his mastering of proportions. The string connected to the wheel was in turn supposed to trigger a sling slot, which was inspired by Da Vinci’s mutte device. The sling shot was then supposed to propel a bouncy ball which would hit another bouncy ball, sending it through a tunnel of paint. The tunnel was inspired by Da Vinici’s pyramid machine, which slightly resembled a seesaw.  We tried to use many of the mechanisms that inspired us from the museum. Although our machine did not work, we were able to experience how frustrating it is to work with no fuel source and limited resources, just like Da Vinci did, which makes me appreciate his genius even more.