Jim is the mechanical genius in our relationship. I can operate a can opener, but only if it’s electric.
Jim has a gift for all things that move, driven by an insatiable curiosity (as a kid, he would take apart old watches and radios, then put them back together; remember, this was pre-video games) and the patience of a saint to tackle the tedious task that comes with understanding the mechanics of all those moving parts. Okay, it’s tedious to some of us; exciting to others.
Jimmy’s eyes were burning with excitement perusing the 60 machines that were part of the Da Vinci Machines Exhibition at the Denver Pavilion in Colorado’s mile-high city. Okay, maybe I should accept a little bit of the credit. These days, the boy is definitely all man.
Jim has a gift for all things that move, driven by an insatiable curiosity (as a kid, he would take apart old watches and radios, then put them back together; remember, this was pre-video games) and the patience of a saint to tackle the tedious task that comes with understanding the mechanics of all those moving parts. Okay, it’s tedious to some of us; exciting to others.
Jimmy’s eyes were burning with excitement perusing the 60 machines that were part of the Da Vinci Machines Exhibition at the Denver Pavilion in Colorado’s mile-high city. Okay, maybe I should accept a little bit of the credit. These days, the boy is definitely all man.
Leonardo Da Vinci was definitely the Renaissance Man! He was artist, architect, designer, engineer, philosopher, and scientist. His prolific body of amazing work is undoubtedly the inspiration for my really, really voluminous post today. The Exhibit does that to you; it grabs you and doesn't let go for hours. I promise; five minutes max to read my post; three if you're a speed reader.
Self portrait, 1512.
Three generations of Florentine artisans worked painstakingly to bring to life the creations of this brilliant scientist, inventor and artist. The creations we got to see in Denver’s Pavilion were on loan from the Museum of Leonardo Da Vinci in Florence, Italy, one of just three exhibits traveling throughout the world highlighting the genius of the illegitimate son of Piero da Vinci, a prominent Florentine notary, and Caterina, a household servant.
Lunch was the only way to entice Jimmy and my brother Chris to leave the Da Vinci Exhibition.
Leonardo was certainly a genius!
Few painters of the 15th century had his skill for depicting human emotion in expression and gesture. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is undoubtedly the most famous example of his skill in using subtle graduation of tone to create the mystery behind that enigmatic smile. I studied those eyes, that smile, for several minutes, hoping to discover the source of her divine expression. I came away empty handed, but not without something to emulate the next time I determined Jimmy might need a little mystery (and fun) in his life.
Few painters of the 15th century had his skill for depicting human emotion in expression and gesture. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is undoubtedly the most famous example of his skill in using subtle graduation of tone to create the mystery behind that enigmatic smile. I studied those eyes, that smile, for several minutes, hoping to discover the source of her divine expression. I came away empty handed, but not without something to emulate the next time I determined Jimmy might need a little mystery (and fun) in his life.
I know I can do the hands.
We were all having fun tinkering with those exhibits that allowed a hands-on approach to becoming better acquainted with da Vinci’s genius. This was the best field trip ever!
That's my daughter Laura pulling out all the stops when it comes to one of da Vinci's pulleys.
My guy was tickled to be tinkering with the likes of Leonardo da Vinci.
I'm using da Vinci's universal screw mechanism to keep up with the crowd at The Last Supper.
My brother Chris knows all about da Vinci's clever use of mechanics to lift heavy objects.
We’d all opted to forgo the tour-guide approach available, given the 30 minute wait that option entailed and blazed our own trail through the magnificant machines.
We soaked up all things da Vinci on our own, reading the placard with each machine to gleen all we needed to know. The place was flooded with paintings and inventions. This guy was a one-man think-tank. My all-time favorite exhibit was the Chamber of Mirrors. Da Vinci was truly a genius given his ability to make me look 30 pounds lighter (without a single day at the gym)!
I like the front view much more than the back view.
The exhibits devoted to da Vinci’s ideas on flight included the Airscrew, an early prototype for today’s helicopter . . .
Even Superman would have been impressed.
. . . and a glider that would have left the Wright brothers green with envy.
Up, up and away!
There was a tank capable of firing cannonballs in almost every direction that looked like a tortoise when closed. Scholars apparently deduced Leonardo intentionally incorporated a few design flaws in his drawings to insure such a dangerous machine would never actually be used.
You could say this design tanked.
Da Vinci’s paintings, on the other hand, were flawless. Reproductions were dramatically displayed throughout the Exhibition.
Virgin of the Rocks.
Young Girl with Ermine.
You know this one! Yes, it's The Last Supper.
Annunciation, with a catapult for some added interest.
Portrait of Ginevra de' Benci.
By far the greatest number of exhibits (24 machines) was devoted to mechanical devices. Da Vinci covered it all in his quest to master the mechanics of movement. There were pulleys,
flywheels,
ball-bearings,
and gears.
After thirty minutes exploring the amazing creativity and versatility of this Renaissance Man, we were ready to take a seat at the back of the large one-room exhibit to catch a 45-minute film chronicling da Vinci’s life and extensive contributions.
Not too many people at the matinee performance.
No popcorn or drinks though; just more history and imagination and genius than seemed possible in a single lifetime; Jimmy does come in a close second, though.
7 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT LEONARDO DA VINCI
1. Leonardo was a southpaw in an era when people were taught this trait was particularly sinister. Leonardo dealt with this perversity by writing from right to left, and backwards. Whether to avoid smearing the ink commonly used in the day, or to keep prying eyes from stealing his works, his “mirror writing” as it is commonly called today, is evident throughout his manuscripts.
1. Leonardo was a southpaw in an era when people were taught this trait was particularly sinister. Leonardo dealt with this perversity by writing from right to left, and backwards. Whether to avoid smearing the ink commonly used in the day, or to keep prying eyes from stealing his works, his “mirror writing” as it is commonly called today, is evident throughout his manuscripts.
Nothing sinister about da Vinci's paintings.
2. History seems to suggest that Da Vinci may have been driven by a desire for attention and
recognition based on his illegitimacy and the social stigma that came with such a birth during that era. His desire to please helped Leonardo become a superb event planner, a skilled costume designer, a brilliant lighting technician, a resourceful impresario, and an accomplished musician. A good number of the machines he created were not developed for some practical engineering purpose, but simply to entertain and dazzle royal guests at various
social functions.
recognition based on his illegitimacy and the social stigma that came with such a birth during that era. His desire to please helped Leonardo become a superb event planner, a skilled costume designer, a brilliant lighting technician, a resourceful impresario, and an accomplished musician. A good number of the machines he created were not developed for some practical engineering purpose, but simply to entertain and dazzle royal guests at various
social functions.
Da Vinci said, "Let there be light!" then proceeded to create the first floodlight.
3. Despite his genius, da Vinci was a huge procrastinator. His desire for perfection coupled with his inquisitiveness caused him to abandon his original ideas to a flood of questions about how something functioned or how it accomplished a particular task. His Mona Lisa was a privately commissioned work that was never delivered to its commissioner because of Leonardo’s perfectionistic tendencies. The original painting was part of his estate; it now sits in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
4. Aside from his illegitimate birth, it is highly likely Leonardo was also homosexual at a time when such behavior was extremely risky, not to mention subject to severe penalties and public ostracism. Court records of 1476, when Leonardo was 24, show that he and three other young men were arrested following an incident with a well-known male prostitute. The charges were later dropped. There was never a Mrs. Leonardo da Vinci although there was an assistant, Francesco Melzi, principal heir and executor of da Vinci’s estate. Melzi eventually married and had a son after da Vinci's death; upon Melzi’s death, his heirs sold everything belonging to da Vinci’s estate.
5. The only privately owned portion of Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts and codices, the Codex Leicester, is owned by Bill Gates. Most of da Vinci’s notebooks, originally loose papers of different types and sizes, are part of major collections such as the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, the Louvre, the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, which holds the twelve-volume Codex Atlanticus.
4. Aside from his illegitimate birth, it is highly likely Leonardo was also homosexual at a time when such behavior was extremely risky, not to mention subject to severe penalties and public ostracism. Court records of 1476, when Leonardo was 24, show that he and three other young men were arrested following an incident with a well-known male prostitute. The charges were later dropped. There was never a Mrs. Leonardo da Vinci although there was an assistant, Francesco Melzi, principal heir and executor of da Vinci’s estate. Melzi eventually married and had a son after da Vinci's death; upon Melzi’s death, his heirs sold everything belonging to da Vinci’s estate.
5. The only privately owned portion of Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts and codices, the Codex Leicester, is owned by Bill Gates. Most of da Vinci’s notebooks, originally loose papers of different types and sizes, are part of major collections such as the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, the Louvre, the Biblioteca Nacional de Espana, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan, which holds the twelve-volume Codex Atlanticus.
Ah, da Vinci's manuscripts would cost a pretty penny.
6. Leonardo spent years dissecting human corpses at the Hospital of Santa Nuova in Florence and later at hospitals in Milan and Rome while working on a 200-page treatise on human anatomy. His scientific drawings of a fetus in utero, the heart and vascular system, sex organs and other bone and muscular structures are believed to be some of the first of its kind on human record.
Could da Vinci's famous Vitruvian Man be a self-portrait?
7. Da Vinci’s final resting place in the palace church of St. Florentin in Clous, (now Clos-Luce)
France is unidentifiable. The church and many of the gravesites were obliterated during the French Revolution, and further demolished in the early 1800’s.
France is unidentifiable. The church and many of the gravesites were obliterated during the French Revolution, and further demolished in the early 1800’s.
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THE BOTTOM LINE ON DA VINCI’S MACHINES EXHIBITION
Verdict: This is the 15th century version of today’s Museum of Science and Industry, only one man gets all the credit for the genius therein. He was light years ahead of his time. I feel fortunate we got to see this exhibit while it was in Denver.
How to Get There: The exhibit is located in Denver’s 16th Street Mall in the Central Business District, just blocks from Denver’s famed E. Colfax Avenue/Highway 70. From Denver’s International Airport, head north on Pena Blvd for almost 10 miles. Merge onto I-70 W/Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway and drive another 10 miles. Take the CO-265/Brighten Blvd exit, Exit 275B. Turn left onto CO-265 S/Brighton Blvd and follow Brighton Blvd. Brighton Blvd. become Broadway St. Make a slight right turn onto Glenarm Pl just past 19th Street. Destination is on the corner of 16th and Welton. The 16th Street Mall area is an open air mall with only buses allowed on 16th Street. Public parking is available throughout the area.
Insider Information: Bring your best game, because this exhibit will grab you from the get go. You won’t know where the first few hours went by the time you make it to the movie and a chance to sit down. Bring the kids; the family pack option (2 adults, up to 3 kids) is $40. I dare you to walk away without being awed by the man and his machines. His art is pretty good, too. This is your lucky day, too. The Exhibit has been extended through April 14, 2013. Otherwise, look for it in other U.S. cities throughout the year.
Nearby Food: Denver’s 16th Street Mall is the place to shop, eat and be entertained. We ate at the Yard House several blocks away, but there are plenty of options.
How to Get There: The exhibit is located in Denver’s 16th Street Mall in the Central Business District, just blocks from Denver’s famed E. Colfax Avenue/Highway 70. From Denver’s International Airport, head north on Pena Blvd for almost 10 miles. Merge onto I-70 W/Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway and drive another 10 miles. Take the CO-265/Brighten Blvd exit, Exit 275B. Turn left onto CO-265 S/Brighton Blvd and follow Brighton Blvd. Brighton Blvd. become Broadway St. Make a slight right turn onto Glenarm Pl just past 19th Street. Destination is on the corner of 16th and Welton. The 16th Street Mall area is an open air mall with only buses allowed on 16th Street. Public parking is available throughout the area.
Insider Information: Bring your best game, because this exhibit will grab you from the get go. You won’t know where the first few hours went by the time you make it to the movie and a chance to sit down. Bring the kids; the family pack option (2 adults, up to 3 kids) is $40. I dare you to walk away without being awed by the man and his machines. His art is pretty good, too. This is your lucky day, too. The Exhibit has been extended through April 14, 2013. Otherwise, look for it in other U.S. cities throughout the year.
Nearby Food: Denver’s 16th Street Mall is the place to shop, eat and be entertained. We ate at the Yard House several blocks away, but there are plenty of options.
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