Previewing: Ken Burn's Documentary on da Vinci
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Leonardo da Vinci: A Fresh Look at the Renaissance Man

This briefing document examines two sources: an article from Big Think titled "Ken Burns on what we get wrong about Leonardo da Vinci" and a PBS press release announcing the upcoming documentary "LEONARDO da VINCI". Both sources explore the life, work, and enduring legacy of Leonardo da Vinci, aiming to dispel common misconceptions and highlight his unique approach to understanding the world.

Key Themes:

• Beyond the Myths: Both sources emphasize the need to move beyond the romanticized image of da Vinci as an inventor of modern technology and delve into the reality of his curiosity-driven exploration.

"The real da Vinci, Burns’ documentary argues, didn’t actually invent the modern-day tank or helicopter. Nor was he a religious mystic with ties to the secret origins of Christianity. He was, on the contrary, an extremely rational man whose boundless curiosity enabled him to draw conclusions others overlooked." (Big Think)

• Nature as Teacher: Da Vinci's illegitimacy barred him from formal education, leading him to learn directly from nature. His observations formed the foundation for both his artistic and scientific insights.

"His circumstances, including being born out of wedlock and therefore unable to attend university,” notes Burns, “meant his greatest teacher was nature." (Big Think) "The film looks at how the artist influenced and inspired future generations, and it finds in his soaring imagination and profound intellect the foundation for a conversation we are still having today: what is our relationship with nature and what does it mean to be human." (PBS Press Release)

• Interdisciplinarity: Da Vinci saw the interconnectedness of various fields, blurring the lines between art, science, and engineering.

"Da Vinci also wasn’t a polymath — a jack-of-all-trades — so much as he was an interdisciplinarian, someone who saw the fields of art, mathematics, geology, physics, and chemistry not as separate but complementary, each contributing to a more complete understanding of reality." (Big Think)

• Curiosity as Driving Force: Da Vinci was driven by a genuine desire to understand the world, evident in his unfinished projects and diverse pursuits. His notebooks, filled with observations and sketches, offer a glimpse into his thought process.

"He seldom finished paintings and, on one occasion, applied to work for the Duke of Sforza as a military engineer to escape the creative and intellectual limitations that came with regular commissions — all signs that he wasn’t driven by money or fame but rather a genuine desire to understand how the world worked." (Big Think) "Leonardo’s paintings and notebooks tell us much about how he saw the world, as well as the energy and passion he brought to trying to understand it." (PBS Press Release)

Documentary Insights:

• Unique Storytelling: The documentary aims to reflect da Vinci's interdisciplinary approach through split screens, showcasing connections between his diverse areas of interest.

"Inspired by da Vinci’s interdisciplinary approach, Leonardo da Vinci features a lot of split screens, showing blueprints for his devices alongside images of plants and animals that inspired them, or of modern-day machinery that heavily resembles his initial designs." (Big Think)

• Focus on Work and Ideas: Due to the limited information about da Vinci's personal life, the documentary focuses primarily on his work and the evolution of his ideas, leaving speculation aside.

“Leonardo remains an enigma in many ways, especially regarding the specifics of his personal life,” he says. “Despite the thousands of pages of notes and drawings he left behind, we know very little about the details of his day-to-day life. That actually gave us some creative freedom. We didn’t feel obligated to speculate much about his personal life, which allowed us to focus on his work and ideas.” (Big Think)

• Modern Relevance: Both sources emphasize the continued relevance of da Vinci's approach to understanding the world, especially his focus on the interconnectedness of nature and his relentless pursuit of knowledge.

By presenting a multifaceted portrait of Leonardo da Vinci, the documentary aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of this Renaissance giant and his enduring impact on our understanding of the world and ourselves.