“Leonardo da Vinci may seem an unusual topic to study in science. But the more you learn about this remarkable Renaissance man, the more you will realize that he was a terrific role model for applying the scientific method creatively in every aspect of life including art and music. Although he is best known for his dramatic and expressive artwork, Leonardo also conducted dozens of carefully thought out experiments and created futuristic inventions in a time before modern science and invention had really begun.”
We started by looking at Leonardo's notebook (the students LOVE his "mirror writing") and his "Vitruvian Man" sketch, discussing how art and science (in this case the ideas of architect Vitruvius) started to intersect during the Renaissance and how this focus on the human form reflected the ideas of the time (Humanism). We decided to try this ourselves, outlining and then measuring some classmates in these positions to see if the span of our arms matched our height. The result: not quite - the three people we measured were a few inches taller than their arm spans. But our resulting drawings and sketches turned out beautifully, whether perfectly proportional or not. We look forward to some further explorations of Leonardo's ideas and inventions. Soon we're going to try making Leonardo's parachute!
