How Did Leonardo Da Vinci Study Anatomy
Leonardo Da Vinci is arguably the most famous artist of all time having painted various works of popular spectacle such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. However, he is also probable the world’s exceptional anatomist. Da Vinci was studying anatomy and his findings were way ahead of his time and years before the beginnings of the scientific revolution. He was born in Vinci, Tuscany on the 15th of April 1452. He was the son of a Florentine Lawyer and grew up in Florence as an apprentice of Andrea Verrocchio. He began his study of anatomy around 1489 and “shown particular interest in the head and brain”. Anatomy seemed to be an ongoing fascination for Da Vinci for he continued to produce anatomical studies in brief but intense bursts. On May
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2nd 1519 he passed away at the Manor of Cloux, Amboise, France under the patronage of Francis I. Da Vinci leaves his notebooks and papers with Francesco Melzi a fellow Italian painter who had accompanied him on his trip. His works and sketches were scattered all over Europe with notable collections in Madrid and the United Kingdom. One drawing in particular of what appears to be an anatomical study of a woman, was acquired by Charles the II, and found its way into the Royal Library at Windsor.
Da Vinci's "Dissection of the Principal Organs and Arterial System of a Woman" (fig. 1) is a combination of several techniques and methods. It is a complex work that shows planning and preparation rather than a careless scribble inside of a sketchbook. The paper was washed with an even layer of colour, the image drawn lightly with black chalk and then traced over with pen and ink wash. The drawing appears to have been folded over in order to produce perfectly symmetrical left and halves and asymmetrical portions added after. This assumption is supported by the faint crease at the centre of the page and the subtle break between the lines that run horizontally throughout the work (fig 2).
The work is than The drawing is not lacking in detail, one can observe the complex system of veins, arteries, and capillaries all throughout the figure along with the major organs Da Vinci deemed essential to the cardiovascular system. Cross-hatching gives the drawing depth and helps to show what structures and organs are on top and what are underneath. The technique is used to show placement and form, rather than tone or colour. For instance, Da Vinci writes about the dark colour of the liver but the darkness of the liver has not been shown in the drawing in any way. Instead cross-hatching is used to show that the kidney lies behind the liver (fig 3).
The drawing is an observation of nature, of the internal with the external. Da Vinci writes in his note books about the human body and compares it to the external world, in both its form and function for “man and the world show great resemblance”. Da Vinci compares the arteries of the human body to that the body of the earth and how the earth is filled with branches and veins of water that nourishes the land. He compares the heaving and the falling of the lungs to the tides or "the breathing of the world". He saw the human body as an invention, efficiently designed by Nature. His notes indicate a bit of a philosophical, even poetic view of anatomy. Francis I of France actually describes Da Vinci above all else “a profound philosopher”. The way he wanted to understand the human body as humanists do. Which is a way that is arguable very different from the modern, cold, objective, and scientific views of anatomy today. His desire to experience and observe the human body first hand comes from the teachings of Galen; full name Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus. Galen's dissection of animals led to the first surgical techniques, tested on gladiators in ancient Rome, as well as the development of the medical system known as the four humors. We know of Da Vinci’s exposure to the works of Galen through the flood of classical texts during the Renaissance.
The way the image was composed it can be argued that the work is creative and artistic despite the scientific and analytical approach. In this way it is not very different from a “cartone”, a preparatory sketch or a cartoon. Cartoons were used by artists as a tool to create a composition for a painted work. It was a way to get a better understanding of how things fit together. Da Vinci wanted to know how the different parts and systems of the human body worked together, like figures in a painting to create a harmonious composition. It was a way to study nature so that he may be able to represent it better. “Hercules and Antaeus” a cartoon by the Circle of Andrea Mantegna (fig. 4) performs the same function. The work was produced from an observation of a statue from antiquity now residing in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Da Vinci’s sketch and the “Hercules and Antaeus” cartoon are both based of observations and the purpose is preparation to to better represent a subject.
The way the drawing has been used after its conception is not much different from a cartoon. Looking up close we can see that the drawing has been pricked (fig. 5). The entire image has been pricked and used as a transfer and this can bee seen at the back of the work (fig. 6). This shows that the work processes more than pure scientific and analytical value. Looking at the transferred image, it is much cleaner in appearance and does not bear the working notes of the artist (fig. 7). This transfer acts a step or cartoon towards a final work despite its unfinished appearance. The “Hercules and Antaeus” has also been pricked, used for transfer and shares this unfinished look (fig. 8).
Regarding the subject matter of the work, the title is in fact misleading. Upon closer examination, the uterus appears to be anatomically inaccurate along with other structures in the bottom half of the figure. The figure appears to be female due the presence of a uterus but the body is actually androgynous. Further inspection of the different anatomical elements show that the liver appears a bit withered and the spleen is enlarged. The drawing is the product of multiple dissections and compiling of information to create a composite image. This supports the notion that this is a creative piece of work and not purely scientific.
The top half of the figure is from a series of sketches drawn directly from the body of a man that had died in old age.
According to Da Vinci’s notebooks that man had claimed that very shortly before the man had died “that he had lived for one hundred years without experiencing any physical failure other than weakness”. The man passed in the Santa Maria Nova in Florence without “giving no sign of any accident”. Da Vinci would have seen this a perfect opportunity to study the effect aging has on the human body. He produced multiple pages from the dissection of the centenarian and even coined the modern definition of coronary heart disease. Da Vinci concluded that the reason for the passing of the old man was the thickening of “tunic” of the artery [aorta] that provides the heart and the lower organs with blood. Thickening of the arterial wall is medically known today as Atherosclerosis and observed by Da Vinci in 1506. Along with the thickening of the arteries Da Vinci also describes the crumbling state of the man’s liver. Both of these things, along with the man’s enlarged spleen, can be observed in the drawing and in other sketches produced from the man’s dissection (fig. 9). Da Vinci, drawing and making notes from direct observation with such an eye for detail is able to convey the state of the organs he was examining. Cirrhosis in the man’s liver gives the liver in the sketch a withered appearance and speaks to the origin of the top half of the …show more content…
drawing.
The bottom of the figure shows that Da Vinci has taken some creative liberties in terms of the origins of the female organ represented. Looking at his earlier drawings it can be inferred that the structure of the uterus in the work is derived from an earlier study of a dissection of a pregnant cow (fig. 10). Like the uterus of the pregnant cow, the uterus of the figure in the work is spherical. The form of the uterus in the figure is also a product of Da Vinci studying the early classical anatomists. In the end, replicating the mistakes of Galen as well as Aristotle’s, such as seven chambers of the uterus which is can been seen looking at the uterus (fig. 11). As mentioned earlier the way anatomy was studied at that time and before Da Vinci had more of a philosophical approach. Anatomy was based of philosophical teachings and from theory, was limiting in terms on finding information that was based on direct observation and dissection. As of the years 1509-1510 when the drawing was produced, experts say that Da Vinci has not yet had a chance to dissect a female body, and thus had to make assumptions on the form of a human uterus. He based his drawing of a human uterus on philosophical teachings and his creative license to fill in the gaps.
This work by Leonardo Da Vinci is for the time a remarkable record of scientific research, but as well as a creative and artistic piece.
The work shows planning and preparation in the medium of the work. It shows the skill and technique that one might expect from the cartoon of an artist trained in Florence. He was able to replicate what he saw from direct observation and so much so that the work gives clues to the source and the condition of the body he had dissected. He used his creativity and knowledge of philosophy and ancient text to fill in the gaps of what he did not know or could not observe. With this piece Da Vinci was finalizing his composition for a “painting” which is the human body and it stemmed from a desire to better understand the
world.
2nd 1519 he passed away at the Manor of Cloux, Amboise, France under the patronage of Francis I. Da Vinci leaves his notebooks and papers with Francesco Melzi a fellow Italian painter who had accompanied him on his trip. His works and sketches were scattered all over Europe with notable collections in Madrid and the United Kingdom. One drawing in particular of what appears to be an anatomical study of a woman, was acquired by Charles the II, and found its way into the Royal Library at Windsor.
Da Vinci's "Dissection of the Principal Organs and Arterial System of a Woman" (fig. 1) is a combination of several techniques and methods. It is a complex work that shows planning and preparation rather than a careless scribble inside of a sketchbook. The paper was washed with an even layer of colour, the image drawn lightly with black chalk and then traced over with pen and ink wash. The drawing appears to have been folded over in order to produce perfectly symmetrical left and halves and asymmetrical portions added after. This assumption is supported by the faint crease at the centre of the page and the subtle break between the lines that run horizontally throughout the work (fig 2).
The work is than The drawing is not lacking in detail, one can observe the complex system of veins, arteries, and capillaries all throughout the figure along with the major organs Da Vinci deemed essential to the cardiovascular system. Cross-hatching gives the drawing depth and helps to show what structures and organs are on top and what are underneath. The technique is used to show placement and form, rather than tone or colour. For instance, Da Vinci writes about the dark colour of the liver but the darkness of the liver has not been shown in the drawing in any way. Instead cross-hatching is used to show that the kidney lies behind the liver (fig 3).
The drawing is an observation of nature, of the internal with the external. Da Vinci writes in his note books about the human body and compares it to the external world, in both its form and function for “man and the world show great resemblance”. Da Vinci compares the arteries of the human body to that the body of the earth and how the earth is filled with branches and veins of water that nourishes the land. He compares the heaving and the falling of the lungs to the tides or "the breathing of the world". He saw the human body as an invention, efficiently designed by Nature. His notes indicate a bit of a philosophical, even poetic view of anatomy. Francis I of France actually describes Da Vinci above all else “a profound philosopher”. The way he wanted to understand the human body as humanists do. Which is a way that is arguable very different from the modern, cold, objective, and scientific views of anatomy today. His desire to experience and observe the human body first hand comes from the teachings of Galen; full name Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus. Galen's dissection of animals led to the first surgical techniques, tested on gladiators in ancient Rome, as well as the development of the medical system known as the four humors. We know of Da Vinci’s exposure to the works of Galen through the flood of classical texts during the Renaissance.
The way the image was composed it can be argued that the work is creative and artistic despite the scientific and analytical approach. In this way it is not very different from a “cartone”, a preparatory sketch or a cartoon. Cartoons were used by artists as a tool to create a composition for a painted work. It was a way to get a better understanding of how things fit together. Da Vinci wanted to know how the different parts and systems of the human body worked together, like figures in a painting to create a harmonious composition. It was a way to study nature so that he may be able to represent it better. “Hercules and Antaeus” a cartoon by the Circle of Andrea Mantegna (fig. 4) performs the same function. The work was produced from an observation of a statue from antiquity now residing in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. Da Vinci’s sketch and the “Hercules and Antaeus” cartoon are both based of observations and the purpose is preparation to to better represent a subject.
The way the drawing has been used after its conception is not much different from a cartoon. Looking up close we can see that the drawing has been pricked (fig. 5). The entire image has been pricked and used as a transfer and this can bee seen at the back of the work (fig. 6). This shows that the work processes more than pure scientific and analytical value. Looking at the transferred image, it is much cleaner in appearance and does not bear the working notes of the artist (fig. 7). This transfer acts a step or cartoon towards a final work despite its unfinished appearance. The “Hercules and Antaeus” has also been pricked, used for transfer and shares this unfinished look (fig. 8).
Regarding the subject matter of the work, the title is in fact misleading. Upon closer examination, the uterus appears to be anatomically inaccurate along with other structures in the bottom half of the figure. The figure appears to be female due the presence of a uterus but the body is actually androgynous. Further inspection of the different anatomical elements show that the liver appears a bit withered and the spleen is enlarged. The drawing is the product of multiple dissections and compiling of information to create a composite image. This supports the notion that this is a creative piece of work and not purely scientific.
The top half of the figure is from a series of sketches drawn directly from the body of a man that had died in old age.
According to Da Vinci’s notebooks that man had claimed that very shortly before the man had died “that he had lived for one hundred years without experiencing any physical failure other than weakness”. The man passed in the Santa Maria Nova in Florence without “giving no sign of any accident”. Da Vinci would have seen this a perfect opportunity to study the effect aging has on the human body. He produced multiple pages from the dissection of the centenarian and even coined the modern definition of coronary heart disease. Da Vinci concluded that the reason for the passing of the old man was the thickening of “tunic” of the artery [aorta] that provides the heart and the lower organs with blood. Thickening of the arterial wall is medically known today as Atherosclerosis and observed by Da Vinci in 1506. Along with the thickening of the arteries Da Vinci also describes the crumbling state of the man’s liver. Both of these things, along with the man’s enlarged spleen, can be observed in the drawing and in other sketches produced from the man’s dissection (fig. 9). Da Vinci, drawing and making notes from direct observation with such an eye for detail is able to convey the state of the organs he was examining. Cirrhosis in the man’s liver gives the liver in the sketch a withered appearance and speaks to the origin of the top half of the …show more content…
drawing.
The bottom of the figure shows that Da Vinci has taken some creative liberties in terms of the origins of the female organ represented. Looking at his earlier drawings it can be inferred that the structure of the uterus in the work is derived from an earlier study of a dissection of a pregnant cow (fig. 10). Like the uterus of the pregnant cow, the uterus of the figure in the work is spherical. The form of the uterus in the figure is also a product of Da Vinci studying the early classical anatomists. In the end, replicating the mistakes of Galen as well as Aristotle’s, such as seven chambers of the uterus which is can been seen looking at the uterus (fig. 11). As mentioned earlier the way anatomy was studied at that time and before Da Vinci had more of a philosophical approach. Anatomy was based of philosophical teachings and from theory, was limiting in terms on finding information that was based on direct observation and dissection. As of the years 1509-1510 when the drawing was produced, experts say that Da Vinci has not yet had a chance to dissect a female body, and thus had to make assumptions on the form of a human uterus. He based his drawing of a human uterus on philosophical teachings and his creative license to fill in the gaps.
This work by Leonardo Da Vinci is for the time a remarkable record of scientific research, but as well as a creative and artistic piece.
The work shows planning and preparation in the medium of the work. It shows the skill and technique that one might expect from the cartoon of an artist trained in Florence. He was able to replicate what he saw from direct observation and so much so that the work gives clues to the source and the condition of the body he had dissected. He used his creativity and knowledge of philosophy and ancient text to fill in the gaps of what he did not know or could not observe. With this piece Da Vinci was finalizing his composition for a “painting” which is the human body and it stemmed from a desire to better understand the
world.