Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:01,534 --> 00:00:03,202
Narrator:
Leonardo da Vinci is one
2
00:00:03,270 --> 00:00:05,204
of the world's greatest artists.
3
00:00:05,272 --> 00:00:07,206
His masterpiece,
the "Mona Lisa,"
4
00:00:07,274 --> 00:00:08,707
is known to everyone.
5
00:00:08,776 --> 00:00:10,709
Millions view it every year.
6
00:00:10,778 --> 00:00:14,713
"The Last Supper"
is a landmark of art history.
7
00:00:16,984 --> 00:00:20,185
But Leonardo was more
than a painter.
8
00:00:21,756 --> 00:00:23,689
It's in the pages
of his notebooks
9
00:00:23,758 --> 00:00:25,691
that we find the true Leonardo,
10
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:28,260
the man of science.
11
00:00:28,329 --> 00:00:32,765
He investigated
an astounding range of subjects.
12
00:00:32,833 --> 00:00:36,935
Man: Leonardo's science cannot
be understood without his art,
13
00:00:37,004 --> 00:00:40,072
and his art cannot be understood
without his science.
14
00:00:40,141 --> 00:00:43,575
Narrator: Leonardo drew
everything he saw
15
00:00:43,644 --> 00:00:45,911
and everything he imagined.
16
00:00:45,980 --> 00:00:49,415
He pushed science forward
in the fields of anatomy,
17
00:00:49,483 --> 00:00:53,419
engineering, optics, geology.
18
00:00:53,487 --> 00:00:57,990
Most of these disciplines didn't
even have names at the time.
19
00:00:58,059 --> 00:01:01,927
His notebooks contained plans
for hundreds of technologies
20
00:01:01,996 --> 00:01:05,431
common today:
machine guns, diving suits,
21
00:01:05,499 --> 00:01:09,435
cranes, robots, flying machines.
22
00:01:09,503 --> 00:01:14,440
His inventions have given him
the status of a towering genius,
23
00:01:14,508 --> 00:01:17,943
a prophet who anticipated
the modern age.
24
00:01:21,082 --> 00:01:23,015
But was he?
25
00:01:24,218 --> 00:01:25,651
As researchers probe
26
00:01:25,719 --> 00:01:28,420
Italy's 15th-century
technical revolution,
27
00:01:28,489 --> 00:01:30,589
they're discovering
precedents for many
28
00:01:30,658 --> 00:01:34,093
of Leonardo's
most remarkable innovations.
29
00:01:34,161 --> 00:01:36,595
Some are from Leonardo's
contemporaries.
30
00:01:36,664 --> 00:01:40,099
Others predate him
by a thousand years.
31
00:01:42,136 --> 00:01:46,405
Could it be that Leonardo is not
the legendary, isolated genius
32
00:01:46,474 --> 00:01:49,741
we take him for,
but has, in fact,
33
00:01:49,810 --> 00:01:53,145
presented the work
of others as his own?
34
00:01:54,381 --> 00:01:58,317
Is Leonardo da Vinci
truly an original?
35
00:02:04,224 --> 00:02:06,592
Narrator: At his death in 1519,
36
00:02:06,660 --> 00:02:09,094
Leonardo was a famous artist,
37
00:02:09,163 --> 00:02:12,598
but his scientific achievements
were less well-known.
38
00:02:12,666 --> 00:02:16,101
His notebooks, written
in a secretive reverse script,
39
00:02:16,170 --> 00:02:19,605
went unpublished
for more than 400 years.
40
00:02:19,673 --> 00:02:22,274
They provide insights
about the dynamic period
41
00:02:22,343 --> 00:02:26,278
in which he lived,
but they also raise questions.
42
00:02:26,347 --> 00:02:28,447
Some of his sketches
are very similar
43
00:02:28,516 --> 00:02:30,616
to those of other inventors.
44
00:02:30,684 --> 00:02:34,119
Did Leonardo steal their ideas?
45
00:02:37,024 --> 00:02:39,958
One of the many inventions
attributed to Leonardo
46
00:02:40,027 --> 00:02:41,960
is the parachute.
47
00:02:48,169 --> 00:02:50,102
Bartolomeo!
48
00:02:50,171 --> 00:02:52,104
[Both grunting]
49
00:02:52,173 --> 00:02:53,605
You must do it.
50
00:02:53,674 --> 00:02:55,607
But, Maestro Leonardo,
I'm scared!
51
00:02:55,676 --> 00:02:57,609
Ludovico Sforza is
down there waiting for us.
52
00:02:57,678 --> 00:02:59,111
Come on!
No, Maestro.
53
00:02:59,180 --> 00:03:01,113
Ask Zoroastro!
da Vinci: No!
54
00:03:01,182 --> 00:03:02,614
You tested it
and you have to do it.
55
00:03:02,683 --> 00:03:04,616
No, Maestro!
56
00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:12,074
Advertise your product or brand here
contact www.OpenSubtitles.org today
57
00:03:14,795 --> 00:03:16,728
My dear Bartolomeo,
58
00:03:16,797 --> 00:03:19,231
surely once you've
tasted flight,
59
00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:21,733
you will walk forever
60
00:03:21,802 --> 00:03:24,236
with your eyes turned
skywards,
61
00:03:24,305 --> 00:03:26,738
for there you have been
62
00:03:26,807 --> 00:03:29,741
and there you will
always long to return.
63
00:03:43,991 --> 00:03:45,924
Narrator: It's not known
for certain
64
00:03:45,993 --> 00:03:48,927
if Leonardo ever used
his parachute.
65
00:03:48,996 --> 00:03:51,430
His written notes are
difficult to decipher--
66
00:03:51,498 --> 00:03:53,432
perhaps purposely--
and there are
67
00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:56,435
no physical remains of any
of his inventions,
68
00:03:56,503 --> 00:03:59,438
no way to tell for sure
if any of them passed
69
00:03:59,506 --> 00:04:01,940
beyond the idea stage.
70
00:04:03,510 --> 00:04:05,444
But in 1482,
71
00:04:05,512 --> 00:04:07,946
he was in the service
of Ludovico Sforza,
72
00:04:08,015 --> 00:04:11,450
the Duke of Milan,
a warrior prince interested
73
00:04:11,518 --> 00:04:14,720
in any invention
with military application,
74
00:04:14,788 --> 00:04:17,222
like swooping down
on enemies encamped
75
00:04:17,291 --> 00:04:20,225
at the foot of a high cliff.
76
00:04:25,499 --> 00:04:27,933
And what did you bring for us
today, Maestro Leonardo?
77
00:04:28,002 --> 00:04:29,835
Duke Sforza, my lord.
78
00:04:29,903 --> 00:04:32,337
Today I will demonstrate
an ingenious apparatus
79
00:04:32,406 --> 00:04:33,839
by which a man can leap
80
00:04:33,907 --> 00:04:36,508
from any height
without injury.
81
00:04:36,577 --> 00:04:38,143
For instance,
it could be used
82
00:04:38,212 --> 00:04:40,145
to escape from
a tower on fire.
83
00:04:40,214 --> 00:04:41,813
Now!
[Screaming]
84
00:04:43,584 --> 00:04:45,517
Look up there!
85
00:04:54,695 --> 00:04:57,129
Whoo hoo!
86
00:04:57,197 --> 00:05:00,632
Sforza: Maestro Leonardo,
you always amaze us.
87
00:05:00,701 --> 00:05:03,635
How do you come up
with such ideas?
88
00:05:03,704 --> 00:05:07,639
Narrator: But did Leonardo
really invent the parachute?
89
00:05:14,715 --> 00:05:16,648
In 1968,
90
00:05:16,717 --> 00:05:19,651
researchers examining
a trove of drawings
91
00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,687
discovered sketches
from the studio
92
00:05:21,755 --> 00:05:25,357
of a 15th-century inventor
that were remarkably similar
93
00:05:25,426 --> 00:05:28,360
to Leonardo's study
for a parachute.
94
00:05:29,930 --> 00:05:34,366
The inventor--Mariano di Jacapo,
known as Taccola.
95
00:05:34,435 --> 00:05:36,368
[Man speaking Italian]
96
00:05:36,437 --> 00:05:38,870
Translator: This drawing,
the design for a parachute,
97
00:05:38,939 --> 00:05:40,872
is the oldest known to us,
98
00:05:40,941 --> 00:05:43,208
and it is very similar
to Leonardo's.
99
00:05:43,277 --> 00:05:45,210
It was found in
a manuscript conserved
100
00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:47,212
at the British Library
in London.
101
00:05:47,281 --> 00:05:48,714
Leonardo knew manuscripts
102
00:05:48,782 --> 00:05:50,882
from the Sienese
engineering tradition,
103
00:05:50,951 --> 00:05:53,051
and he even refers
to Taccola's drawings
104
00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,053
in his manuscripts.
105
00:05:55,122 --> 00:05:57,556
[Bernardoni speaking Italian]
106
00:05:57,624 --> 00:06:00,359
Translator: There are
actually two drawings.
107
00:06:00,427 --> 00:06:03,362
The second is a flying man
without a parachute,
108
00:06:03,430 --> 00:06:05,864
although the subject is similar.
109
00:06:05,933 --> 00:06:09,368
He is holding two sticks with
two fabrics, like two wings.
110
00:06:09,436 --> 00:06:11,370
It is a much more
primitive design
111
00:06:11,438 --> 00:06:14,373
that goes back
about 15 years,
112
00:06:14,441 --> 00:06:16,375
before Leonardo's drawing.
113
00:06:18,445 --> 00:06:20,379
Narrator:
Taccola was an engineer
114
00:06:20,447 --> 00:06:24,383
of the early Renaissance,
70 years older than Leonardo.
115
00:06:24,451 --> 00:06:27,886
He was among the first
to use drawing as a design tool.
116
00:06:27,955 --> 00:06:31,056
Before him, engineers worked out
their inventions
117
00:06:31,125 --> 00:06:34,226
as they built them,
through trial and error.
118
00:06:34,294 --> 00:06:37,729
His manuscripts detail civil
and military machines;
119
00:06:37,798 --> 00:06:41,400
some original, others copies
of ancient inventions.
120
00:06:41,468 --> 00:06:44,069
And just as Leonardo copied him,
121
00:06:44,138 --> 00:06:47,072
Taccola's idea is copied
from a Muslim inventor,
122
00:06:47,141 --> 00:06:49,074
Abbas ibn Firnas,
123
00:06:49,143 --> 00:06:52,077
who, the story goes,
leapt from the minaret
124
00:06:52,146 --> 00:06:55,080
of the Córdoba Mosque
in the year 852
125
00:06:55,149 --> 00:06:58,083
and suffered
only minor injuries.
126
00:06:58,152 --> 00:07:00,585
Bartolomeo:
Oh, Maestro...
127
00:07:00,654 --> 00:07:03,088
Narrator: So why is
Leonardo remembered
128
00:07:03,157 --> 00:07:05,590
as the inventor of
the parachute?
129
00:07:14,568 --> 00:07:17,502
[Man speaking Italian]
130
00:07:17,571 --> 00:07:20,005
Translator: In the
"Codex Atlanticus" notebook,
131
00:07:20,073 --> 00:07:22,174
we find Leonardo's parachute,
132
00:07:22,242 --> 00:07:25,110
but we know it's not
really his invention.
133
00:07:25,179 --> 00:07:28,613
Leonardo copied it from Taccola
and took inspiration from him.
134
00:07:30,684 --> 00:07:33,618
The most incredible thing is
that Leonardo is the first
135
00:07:33,687 --> 00:07:37,122
to write about the material
needed to make this object--
136
00:07:37,191 --> 00:07:40,125
cloth made of waxed flax--
so that the air
137
00:07:40,194 --> 00:07:42,627
doesn't come through
and it becomes waterproof,
138
00:07:42,696 --> 00:07:45,630
like the feathers of birds.
139
00:07:47,201 --> 00:07:50,635
For the first time, he describes
how this object has to be built.
140
00:07:50,704 --> 00:07:54,272
He's the only one
to think about the dimensions.
141
00:07:55,375 --> 00:07:56,808
There's another
interesting thing
142
00:07:56,877 --> 00:07:58,477
on this other part of the sheet.
143
00:07:58,545 --> 00:08:00,479
We find a lot more subjects.
144
00:08:00,547 --> 00:08:03,982
Leonardo wrote many pages about
how to build a flying machine,
145
00:08:04,051 --> 00:08:07,486
and here, we find five
or six examples of them.
146
00:08:07,554 --> 00:08:10,489
In these small sketches,
Leonardo shows himself
147
00:08:10,557 --> 00:08:14,493
as more than an artist
or some insane inventor.
148
00:08:16,563 --> 00:08:19,664
For the first time,
we see Leonardo da Vinci
149
00:08:19,733 --> 00:08:23,602
the scientist,
and this is really amazing.
150
00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:29,107
Narrator: Leonardo copied dozens
of Taccola's inventions:
151
00:08:29,176 --> 00:08:32,611
the screw pump,
a device to raise water...
152
00:08:37,184 --> 00:08:40,118
...the life preserver,
adapted by Taccola
153
00:08:40,187 --> 00:08:43,622
to float armored knights
across rivers...
154
00:08:45,125 --> 00:08:47,058
...and the snorkel,
155
00:08:47,127 --> 00:08:49,227
though Leonardo's version
is more developed,
156
00:08:49,296 --> 00:08:51,396
with floaters to ensure air flow
157
00:08:51,465 --> 00:08:54,399
and valves to counter
water pressure.
158
00:08:56,970 --> 00:09:01,406
He relies on science,
Taccola on fantasy.
159
00:09:02,976 --> 00:09:06,511
Taccola died the year
Leonardo was born,
160
00:09:06,580 --> 00:09:08,680
but he cast a long shadow
161
00:09:08,749 --> 00:09:11,683
and was a powerful inspiration.
162
00:09:11,752 --> 00:09:14,853
The young Leonardo encountered
Taccola's drawings
163
00:09:14,922 --> 00:09:17,355
in the course
of his artistic apprenticeship,
164
00:09:17,424 --> 00:09:20,025
beginning in 1467
165
00:09:20,093 --> 00:09:22,027
at 15 years old.
166
00:09:22,095 --> 00:09:23,528
Man: Leonardo!
167
00:09:23,597 --> 00:09:25,630
Leonardo!
168
00:09:32,205 --> 00:09:34,306
Narrator:
Andrea del Verrocchio,
169
00:09:34,374 --> 00:09:37,309
master of the greatest
of the many artistic workshops
170
00:09:37,377 --> 00:09:40,312
in Florence,
challenged Leonardo,
171
00:09:40,380 --> 00:09:43,648
fired his passion, and began
the transformation
172
00:09:43,717 --> 00:09:47,485
of this uneducated country boy
from the town of Vinci.
173
00:09:50,924 --> 00:09:53,358
Man: A small town
or a large village,
174
00:09:53,427 --> 00:09:57,295
where nature came right up
to your door and your window,
175
00:09:57,364 --> 00:10:01,633
so he was immersed
in natural forms.
176
00:10:01,702 --> 00:10:05,637
He was immersed in a landscape
which one sees repeated
177
00:10:05,706 --> 00:10:09,140
over and over
in his paintings and drawings.
178
00:10:09,209 --> 00:10:11,977
And I think, perhaps,
the most profound legacy
179
00:10:12,045 --> 00:10:15,981
of his childhood was
his supreme
180
00:10:16,049 --> 00:10:18,450
mental independence.
181
00:10:18,518 --> 00:10:23,121
And this independence of mind,
um, feeds on into Leonardo
182
00:10:23,190 --> 00:10:25,557
as a--a thinker,
as a philosopher,
183
00:10:25,626 --> 00:10:27,058
as a scientist.
184
00:10:28,629 --> 00:10:31,563
Narrator: Leonardo's father paid
for his apprenticeship,
185
00:10:31,632 --> 00:10:34,065
even though he was born
illegitimate.
186
00:10:34,134 --> 00:10:37,068
The idea was to provide him
with a trade.
187
00:10:37,137 --> 00:10:40,071
Under Verrocchio,
he studied architecture,
188
00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:44,075
engineering, and mechanics,
as well as painting.
189
00:10:44,144 --> 00:10:47,078
All were considered art
in the Renaissance.
190
00:10:47,147 --> 00:10:49,581
Artists were trained
as craftsmen,
191
00:10:49,650 --> 00:10:51,216
not intellectuals.
192
00:10:51,284 --> 00:10:54,219
He never had
a formal education.
193
00:10:54,287 --> 00:10:57,122
[Speaking indistinctly]
194
00:10:57,190 --> 00:11:00,291
Uh, the studio
of Andrea de Verrocchio was, uh,
195
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,128
extraordinarily versatile
196
00:11:03,196 --> 00:11:05,130
and varied in its output.
197
00:11:05,198 --> 00:11:09,134
Paintings were certainly one of
its major outputs, but only one.
198
00:11:09,202 --> 00:11:12,270
Verrocchio himself was
primarily a sculptor,
199
00:11:12,339 --> 00:11:16,775
and one has to think, really,
of a sort of communal workspace,
200
00:11:16,843 --> 00:11:21,179
full of the smells and sounds
of light industry.
201
00:11:22,749 --> 00:11:25,316
[Sighs]
202
00:11:25,385 --> 00:11:28,153
The workshop of Verrocchio
was not only a place
203
00:11:28,221 --> 00:11:31,156
where Leonardo learned
all kinds of skills,
204
00:11:31,224 --> 00:11:34,159
it was also a place
of intellectual excitement.
205
00:11:34,227 --> 00:11:36,661
For one thing,
the master painters
206
00:11:36,730 --> 00:11:39,164
who had left
the workshop came back
207
00:11:39,232 --> 00:11:41,666
to learn the newest techniques,
208
00:11:41,735 --> 00:11:44,169
to discuss the latest
about oil painting;
209
00:11:44,237 --> 00:11:48,173
uh, people like Botticelli
or Ghirlandaio,
210
00:11:48,241 --> 00:11:51,676
Perugino, who were
master painters,
211
00:11:51,745 --> 00:11:54,679
would hang out with Verrocchio,
come in the evenings
212
00:11:54,748 --> 00:11:57,115
to discuss the newest
developments.
213
00:11:57,184 --> 00:12:00,618
So Leonardo had
a tremendous inspiration
214
00:12:00,687 --> 00:12:02,620
in all kinds of knowledge,
215
00:12:02,689 --> 00:12:06,124
and I think his tremendous
scientific curiosity
216
00:12:06,193 --> 00:12:09,828
also may have been triggered
in this workshop culture.
217
00:12:09,896 --> 00:12:12,063
Leonardo.
218
00:12:12,132 --> 00:12:13,565
Maestro.
219
00:12:13,633 --> 00:12:16,568
Nicholl: His interest
in machinery would have been
220
00:12:16,636 --> 00:12:19,571
considerably quickened in 1471,
221
00:12:19,639 --> 00:12:24,075
when he was probably part of
the team of Verrochio's studio,
222
00:12:24,144 --> 00:12:26,911
which was entrusted
with the task of putting
223
00:12:26,980 --> 00:12:30,915
the copper orb right
on the top of the lantern
224
00:12:30,984 --> 00:12:34,919
above the dome
of Florence Cathedral.
225
00:12:34,988 --> 00:12:36,921
So the technical problems
226
00:12:36,990 --> 00:12:39,691
of getting
a two-ton ball of copper
227
00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:43,194
up 300 meters to the top
of Brunelleschi's dome
228
00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:46,197
required the use
of some pretty complex
229
00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:49,200
and robust machinery, and it
would seem to be at that point
230
00:12:49,269 --> 00:12:52,704
that Leonardo's interest in the
work of Filippo Brunelleschi--
231
00:12:52,773 --> 00:12:55,373
the architect of the dome
and the great engineer
232
00:12:55,442 --> 00:13:00,211
of the earlier Florentine
Renaissance--takes shape.
233
00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,381
Narrator: For a long time,
Leonardo is credited
234
00:13:03,450 --> 00:13:06,551
with inventing the construction
machines in his notebooks,
235
00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:09,721
but they are actually copies
of Brunelleschi's,
236
00:13:09,790 --> 00:13:13,725
invented 50 years earlier
to raise the duomo,
237
00:13:13,794 --> 00:13:16,728
and used again by Verrocchio.
238
00:13:21,535 --> 00:13:22,967
[Speaking French]
239
00:13:23,036 --> 00:13:25,470
Translator: I think we have
to insist on the fact
240
00:13:25,539 --> 00:13:28,473
that the Renaissance is
also a Renaissance of machines,
241
00:13:28,542 --> 00:13:31,476
a technical Renaissance.
242
00:13:31,545 --> 00:13:33,478
For example,
243
00:13:33,547 --> 00:13:35,480
in Florence,
244
00:13:35,549 --> 00:13:38,483
the Dome of Brunelleschi
was first of all
245
00:13:38,552 --> 00:13:40,985
a highly technical achievement
246
00:13:41,054 --> 00:13:44,489
which involved complex
mathematical calculations,
247
00:13:44,558 --> 00:13:47,992
and many young students
came to Florence
248
00:13:48,061 --> 00:13:50,495
so they could study the dome.
249
00:13:53,567 --> 00:13:55,500
Narrator:
In Verrocchio's studio,
250
00:13:55,569 --> 00:13:57,502
Leonardo's mind was forged
251
00:13:57,571 --> 00:13:59,504
by artists and architects
252
00:13:59,573 --> 00:14:02,006
who were transforming the world
through their works
253
00:14:02,075 --> 00:14:06,010
and through the power
of a new intellectual movement,
254
00:14:06,079 --> 00:14:08,012
humanism.
255
00:14:11,251 --> 00:14:12,684
[Speaking French]
256
00:14:12,752 --> 00:14:14,185
Translator: Humanism is
a cultural movement
257
00:14:14,254 --> 00:14:16,688
that really takes form
and gains power
258
00:14:16,756 --> 00:14:20,191
in the first three decades
of the 15th century.
259
00:14:20,260 --> 00:14:24,195
Humanists believed in
a better future for humankind
260
00:14:24,264 --> 00:14:26,531
and the potential
for a better man,
261
00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:28,533
and perhaps this is
the fundamental break
262
00:14:28,602 --> 00:14:30,702
with medieval culture
which was marked
263
00:14:30,770 --> 00:14:33,204
by a sort of
fundamental pessimism.
264
00:14:36,276 --> 00:14:38,142
Narrator:
Brunelleschi's dome
265
00:14:38,211 --> 00:14:41,145
is one of the great
architectural achievements.
266
00:14:41,214 --> 00:14:43,815
To construct it, he studied
the monumental ruins
267
00:14:43,884 --> 00:14:45,817
of classical antiquity,
268
00:14:45,886 --> 00:14:49,320
reviving long-forgotten
building techniques.
269
00:14:50,991 --> 00:14:53,925
The rediscovery
of ancient Greece and Rome
270
00:14:53,994 --> 00:14:55,960
is the foundation of humanism.
271
00:14:56,029 --> 00:14:57,462
In the Middle Ages,
272
00:14:57,530 --> 00:15:00,832
the ruins of imperial Rome
seemed a mystery.
273
00:15:00,901 --> 00:15:03,735
Centuries of invasions,
plague, and decay
274
00:15:03,803 --> 00:15:07,138
had erased the memory
of Rome's grandeur.
275
00:15:07,207 --> 00:15:10,642
Even Latin had fragmented
into regional languages.
276
00:15:10,710 --> 00:15:14,646
The long cultural chain leading
from Greece to Rome
277
00:15:14,714 --> 00:15:16,648
was broken.
278
00:15:16,716 --> 00:15:18,816
But in the 14th century,
Florence saw
279
00:15:18,885 --> 00:15:21,819
a new class of merchants
and bankers prosper
280
00:15:21,888 --> 00:15:25,323
as a result
of international trade.
281
00:15:25,392 --> 00:15:28,826
They were drawn to the glories
of the classical world,
282
00:15:28,895 --> 00:15:31,496
paying fortunes
for ancient manuscripts found
283
00:15:31,564 --> 00:15:33,498
in isolated monasteries
284
00:15:33,566 --> 00:15:36,000
and distant libraries.
285
00:15:36,069 --> 00:15:38,169
In 1439,
286
00:15:38,238 --> 00:15:40,505
the most powerful family
in Florence,
287
00:15:40,573 --> 00:15:42,507
the Medici, played host
288
00:15:42,575 --> 00:15:45,009
to the Byzantine emperor
and his court.
289
00:15:45,078 --> 00:15:48,012
Thirteen years later,
the emperor's capital,
290
00:15:48,081 --> 00:15:51,516
Constantinople, fell
to the Ottoman Turks.
291
00:15:51,584 --> 00:15:54,018
Greek scholars fled to Florence.
292
00:15:54,087 --> 00:15:56,521
Bringing manuscripts
from the thousand-year-old
293
00:15:56,589 --> 00:16:01,025
Imperial Library, they became
teachers and translators.
294
00:16:01,094 --> 00:16:03,528
The encounter between East
and West kicked
295
00:16:03,596 --> 00:16:07,832
the fledgling Renaissance
into high gear.
296
00:16:07,901 --> 00:16:08,833
[Speaking French]
297
00:16:08,902 --> 00:16:09,834
Translator: It's at this moment
298
00:16:09,903 --> 00:16:11,836
that the concept
of the Middle Ages,
299
00:16:11,905 --> 00:16:13,838
the Dark Ages is invented.
300
00:16:13,907 --> 00:16:16,841
And at the same time,
the concept of Renaissance,
301
00:16:16,910 --> 00:16:19,344
"the return of the light,"
is born.
302
00:16:19,412 --> 00:16:21,846
It's the idea
that for decades,
303
00:16:21,915 --> 00:16:25,350
wisdom was somehow hidden
from humans.
304
00:16:25,418 --> 00:16:28,019
But reading
the ancients directly,
305
00:16:28,088 --> 00:16:30,688
rediscovered in newly
translated texts
306
00:16:30,757 --> 00:16:33,524
unknown during the Middle Ages,
gives the power
307
00:16:33,593 --> 00:16:36,527
to access this treasure
of knowledge.
308
00:16:36,596 --> 00:16:38,863
Suddenly, they have
direct access
309
00:16:38,932 --> 00:16:40,631
to the hidden understanding
310
00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:43,701
somehow lost
over the last ten centuries.
311
00:16:45,205 --> 00:16:47,138
Narrator: Caught up
in the humanist fervor,
312
00:16:47,207 --> 00:16:50,475
Cosimo de' Medici hired
translators and scribes
313
00:16:50,543 --> 00:16:52,643
to copy ancient manuscripts.
314
00:16:52,712 --> 00:16:55,813
His goal was to create
a universal library
315
00:16:55,882 --> 00:16:58,282
containing every written work.
316
00:16:59,853 --> 00:17:02,286
[Speaking French]
317
00:17:02,355 --> 00:17:05,623
Translator: Cosimo de' Medici
invited a group of humanists
318
00:17:05,692 --> 00:17:08,626
to settle in his villa
outside Florence,
319
00:17:08,695 --> 00:17:10,628
Villa Careggi.
320
00:17:12,499 --> 00:17:17,268
Translator: They created what we
would call today an academy,
321
00:17:17,337 --> 00:17:20,271
a place where humanists
would meet to talk,
322
00:17:20,340 --> 00:17:22,774
to play the lyre.
323
00:17:24,344 --> 00:17:26,277
It was, at heart,
a political program
324
00:17:26,346 --> 00:17:29,280
to increase the power
of the family.
325
00:17:29,349 --> 00:17:31,916
It starts with Cosimo
and will continue
326
00:17:31,985 --> 00:17:33,918
with his grandson,
327
00:17:33,987 --> 00:17:36,421
Lorenzo the Magnificent.
328
00:17:42,462 --> 00:17:45,563
Narrator: Lorenzo de' Medici was
just three years older
329
00:17:45,632 --> 00:17:48,066
than Leonardo,
but he was a product
330
00:17:48,134 --> 00:17:50,568
of an elite humanist education.
331
00:17:50,637 --> 00:17:53,071
Like his grandfather Cosimo,
332
00:17:53,139 --> 00:17:55,239
he was determined
to advance humanism
333
00:17:55,308 --> 00:17:57,408
and his family's power
and prestige
334
00:17:57,477 --> 00:18:00,912
through the patronage
of artists and scholars.
335
00:18:03,316 --> 00:18:04,749
[Indistinct chatter]
336
00:18:04,818 --> 00:18:06,250
Narrator:
But for wealthy patrons
337
00:18:06,319 --> 00:18:08,252
and aristocratic humanists,
338
00:18:08,321 --> 00:18:11,756
artists and engineers were
little more than simple workmen.
339
00:18:11,825 --> 00:18:15,760
A commission usually included
a detailed description
340
00:18:15,829 --> 00:18:19,263
of the scene,
the colors, the size,
341
00:18:19,332 --> 00:18:21,766
even the number of angels.
342
00:18:21,835 --> 00:18:24,102
There was little room
for creativity.
343
00:18:24,170 --> 00:18:26,104
de' Medici!
de' Medici!
344
00:18:26,172 --> 00:18:27,305
It's Lorenzo!
He's here!
345
00:18:27,373 --> 00:18:28,506
Are you sure?
346
00:18:28,575 --> 00:18:30,508
Absolutely sure!
Let's go!
347
00:18:32,812 --> 00:18:36,414
Nicholl: Lorenzo de' Medici
was a major client
348
00:18:36,483 --> 00:18:38,583
of the Verrocchio studio,
349
00:18:38,651 --> 00:18:41,385
but the evidence
that he supported Leonardo
350
00:18:41,454 --> 00:18:43,387
seems to me pretty patchy.
351
00:18:43,456 --> 00:18:46,324
In fact, I'd say there was
rather some opposite evidence
352
00:18:46,392 --> 00:18:49,760
to show that Lorenzo
considered Leonardo,
353
00:18:49,829 --> 00:18:52,730
uh, a-an unreliable sort
of character.
354
00:18:52,799 --> 00:18:54,699
[Artists shouting]
355
00:18:54,767 --> 00:18:56,667
Narrator: Already, Leonardo
had a reputation
356
00:18:56,736 --> 00:18:59,670
as distracted and irresponsible.
357
00:18:59,739 --> 00:19:02,173
He left paintings unfinished
358
00:19:02,242 --> 00:19:06,177
and abandoned commissions,
even after being paid.
359
00:19:06,246 --> 00:19:08,179
And it only got worse when,
360
00:19:08,248 --> 00:19:10,348
after ten years
of apprenticeship,
361
00:19:10,416 --> 00:19:13,351
he left Verrocchio
and set out on his own.
362
00:19:13,419 --> 00:19:15,419
[Laughter]
363
00:19:15,488 --> 00:19:17,922
It's a kind of obscure period
in the biography
364
00:19:17,991 --> 00:19:20,424
and, uh, it's slightly clouded
365
00:19:20,493 --> 00:19:22,927
by--by a couple of run-ins
366
00:19:22,996 --> 00:19:24,929
with the authorities
in connection
367
00:19:24,998 --> 00:19:26,931
with his homosexuality.
368
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,433
Uh, the officers of the night,
as they were called--
369
00:19:29,502 --> 00:19:32,436
uh, what we might call
the vice squad, uh--
370
00:19:32,505 --> 00:19:36,107
received a report
about a certain young man
371
00:19:36,176 --> 00:19:39,777
and about other young men,
or men, who, uh,
372
00:19:39,846 --> 00:19:42,780
frequented his company at night
for immoral purposes,
373
00:19:42,849 --> 00:19:46,083
and Leonardo is on--
one of the men on that list.
374
00:19:50,156 --> 00:19:53,124
Nicholl: I have a feeling
that Leonardo is experiencing
375
00:19:53,193 --> 00:19:56,127
some uncertainty,
some self-doubt.
376
00:19:56,196 --> 00:19:59,630
He realizes the limits
of his power,
377
00:19:59,699 --> 00:20:02,633
the limits of his, uh, status.
378
00:20:02,702 --> 00:20:05,636
He described himself
as "omo sanza lettere,"
379
00:20:05,705 --> 00:20:07,972
"an unlettered man";
he meant he hadn't had
380
00:20:08,041 --> 00:20:11,475
the sophisticated,
Latinate schooling.
381
00:20:13,479 --> 00:20:16,914
da Vinci: They say that I,
having no literary skill,
382
00:20:16,983 --> 00:20:21,652
cannot properly express that
which I desire to treat of.
383
00:20:21,721 --> 00:20:24,822
But they do not know that
my subjects are to be dealt with
384
00:20:24,891 --> 00:20:28,326
by experience
rather than by words.
385
00:20:28,394 --> 00:20:31,829
Though I may not, like them,
be able to quote other authors,
386
00:20:31,898 --> 00:20:35,333
I shall rely on that which is
much greater and more worthy--
387
00:20:35,401 --> 00:20:39,337
on experience, the mistress
of their masters.
388
00:20:40,873 --> 00:20:43,808
Machiavelli has a line
in one of his plays:
389
00:20:43,876 --> 00:20:46,310
"If you don't have power
in Florence,
390
00:20:46,379 --> 00:20:49,580
even the dogs won't bother
to bark at you."
391
00:20:49,649 --> 00:20:52,583
And I think there's probably
a feeling with Leonardo,
392
00:20:52,652 --> 00:20:56,087
a--a sense of exclusion
from the more sophisticated,
393
00:20:56,155 --> 00:20:58,589
polished, intellectual world.
394
00:21:08,668 --> 00:21:10,601
Narrator: The only way
to financial security
395
00:21:10,670 --> 00:21:13,104
for an artist was
to find a patron,
396
00:21:13,172 --> 00:21:17,108
a prince willing to retain
his services in his court.
397
00:21:17,176 --> 00:21:19,610
Leonardo knew
that Lorenzo de' Medici
398
00:21:19,679 --> 00:21:22,613
would never support him,
so he looked elsewhere,
399
00:21:22,682 --> 00:21:26,284
to Milan, where the young duke
Ludovico Sforza
400
00:21:26,352 --> 00:21:28,786
was assembling artists
and scholars to create
401
00:21:28,855 --> 00:21:31,789
what he called "a new Athens,"
402
00:21:31,858 --> 00:21:34,292
and the duke paid well.
403
00:21:35,862 --> 00:21:38,796
Leonardo set out
to draft a resumé.
404
00:21:40,366 --> 00:21:42,800
da Vinci:
My most illustrious lord,
405
00:21:42,869 --> 00:21:45,369
I beg leave to present
myself to you
406
00:21:45,438 --> 00:21:48,039
and to discover
to Your Excellence
407
00:21:48,107 --> 00:21:50,541
my secrets of war.
408
00:21:50,610 --> 00:21:53,344
I will make covered vehicles,
409
00:21:53,413 --> 00:21:55,346
safe and unassailable,
410
00:21:55,415 --> 00:21:58,349
which will penetrate the enemy
and their artillery,
411
00:21:58,418 --> 00:22:01,519
and there's no host
of armed men so great
412
00:22:01,587 --> 00:22:04,021
that they would not break
through it.
413
00:22:04,090 --> 00:22:07,024
I have also types of cannon
most convenient
414
00:22:07,093 --> 00:22:10,528
and easily portable,
with which to hurl small stones
415
00:22:10,596 --> 00:22:12,530
almost like a hailstorm,
416
00:22:12,598 --> 00:22:15,533
and the smoke from the cannon
will instill a great fear
417
00:22:15,601 --> 00:22:19,537
in the enemy on account of
the grave damage and confusion.
418
00:22:19,605 --> 00:22:22,540
Where the use of the cannon
is impracticable,
419
00:22:22,608 --> 00:22:25,209
I will install catapults,
mangonels,
420
00:22:25,278 --> 00:22:27,211
trebuchets,
and other instruments
421
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,715
of wonderful efficiency
not in general use.
422
00:22:30,783 --> 00:22:33,584
[Boom, horse neighs]
423
00:22:33,653 --> 00:22:36,620
Narrator: For two centuries,
the Italian peninsula
424
00:22:36,689 --> 00:22:39,357
had been torn
by nearly constant warfare.
425
00:22:39,425 --> 00:22:41,892
Venice, Milan, Florence, Naples,
426
00:22:41,961 --> 00:22:45,629
and the Papal States
all vied for dominance,
427
00:22:45,698 --> 00:22:48,666
sometimes allied
with outside powers.
428
00:22:48,735 --> 00:22:51,168
Leonardo had never seen war,
429
00:22:51,237 --> 00:22:53,170
but he knew the labor market.
430
00:22:53,239 --> 00:22:56,674
Military engineers were
in high demand.
431
00:22:59,011 --> 00:23:02,446
Still, he adds a footnote...
432
00:23:02,515 --> 00:23:05,449
da Vinci: What's more,
I'm a sculptor.
433
00:23:05,518 --> 00:23:08,953
I can execute figures
in bronze, marble, and clay.
434
00:23:09,021 --> 00:23:11,155
Likewise, in painting,
435
00:23:11,224 --> 00:23:14,658
I can do everything possible
as well as any other man,
436
00:23:14,727 --> 00:23:16,660
whosoever he may be.
437
00:23:16,729 --> 00:23:18,162
I'm the man you need.
438
00:23:18,231 --> 00:23:19,663
[Taddei speaking Italian]
439
00:23:19,732 --> 00:23:21,332
Translator:
In the "Codex Atlanticus,"
440
00:23:21,401 --> 00:23:23,167
there is something very strange.
441
00:23:23,236 --> 00:23:26,170
It's a resumé,
the first resumé in history
442
00:23:26,239 --> 00:23:28,672
made by Leonardo da Vinci.
443
00:23:28,741 --> 00:23:32,176
But Leonardo introduces himself
as a military engineer
444
00:23:32,245 --> 00:23:35,179
who makes secret weapons,
incredible submarines,
445
00:23:35,248 --> 00:23:37,181
assault bridges.
446
00:23:37,250 --> 00:23:39,183
But the most bizarre
and incredible thing
447
00:23:39,252 --> 00:23:41,285
is that Leonardo is lying.
448
00:23:41,354 --> 00:23:42,787
Why is he lying?
449
00:23:42,855 --> 00:23:45,289
He's still young and comes
from Verrocchio's studio.
450
00:23:45,358 --> 00:23:48,292
How could he be such an expert
in military engineering?
451
00:23:48,361 --> 00:23:51,295
He's not, but here is
his genius.
452
00:23:51,364 --> 00:23:53,464
Leonardo is not stupid.
453
00:23:53,533 --> 00:23:55,966
He does what
any intelligent person would do.
454
00:23:56,035 --> 00:23:59,069
He studies.
He studies a lot.
455
00:24:01,140 --> 00:24:03,741
This is the famous book
of Roberto Valturio,
456
00:24:03,810 --> 00:24:06,410
printed just before Leonardo
leaves for Milan.
457
00:24:06,479 --> 00:24:08,913
Leonardo uses it as a source.
458
00:24:08,981 --> 00:24:12,416
It is an encyclopedia
of military weapons.
459
00:24:12,485 --> 00:24:15,419
We see Leonardo's
famous scythed chariots
460
00:24:15,488 --> 00:24:17,922
taken from this book.
461
00:24:22,795 --> 00:24:25,229
Leonardo is inspired
by this book.
462
00:24:25,298 --> 00:24:28,399
He studies every single page
and copies all these machines
463
00:24:28,468 --> 00:24:31,535
and gives them to the duke
as his own inventions.
464
00:24:31,604 --> 00:24:34,038
Here, we see
something beautiful,
465
00:24:34,106 --> 00:24:37,541
perhaps the ancestor
of Leonardo's tank.
466
00:24:37,610 --> 00:24:39,543
It is an armored tank with guns.
467
00:24:39,612 --> 00:24:42,046
One can hide cannons inside.
468
00:24:42,114 --> 00:24:44,048
Narrator: In 1472,
469
00:24:44,116 --> 00:24:46,050
Valturio's
"On the Military Arts"
470
00:24:46,118 --> 00:24:49,553
was among the first illustrated
printed books.
471
00:24:49,622 --> 00:24:52,556
Leonardo turned to it
not out of curiosity,
472
00:24:52,625 --> 00:24:54,058
but desperation.
473
00:24:54,126 --> 00:24:57,561
He needed to sell himself
to the Duke of Milan.
474
00:24:57,630 --> 00:25:00,564
But his improvements
on Valturio led to some
475
00:25:00,633 --> 00:25:02,566
of his most famous inventions:
476
00:25:02,635 --> 00:25:05,569
combat wagons, siege machines,
477
00:25:05,638 --> 00:25:07,671
even a machine gun.
478
00:25:07,740 --> 00:25:10,674
Translator: This is
a spheroidal machine gun.
479
00:25:10,743 --> 00:25:12,176
Leonardo understood
480
00:25:12,245 --> 00:25:15,179
that just having many cannons
is not enough.
481
00:25:15,248 --> 00:25:18,682
If your enemy can run fast
or even fly,
482
00:25:18,751 --> 00:25:22,853
this machine gives you the power
to chase him from left to right,
483
00:25:22,922 --> 00:25:26,357
but one can also move it
like a modern gun.
484
00:25:26,425 --> 00:25:29,360
Thanks to the central sphere
inside the gun,
485
00:25:29,428 --> 00:25:32,363
one can follow the enemy
even if he is moving.
486
00:25:32,431 --> 00:25:35,866
It's a fantastic machine.
It could even work today.
487
00:25:35,935 --> 00:25:39,036
We rebuilt it for the first time
with its original dimensions,
488
00:25:39,105 --> 00:25:41,906
just like Leonardo conceived it.
489
00:25:50,416 --> 00:25:54,852
Nicholl: Leonardo arrived
in Milan in the spring of 1482.
490
00:25:54,921 --> 00:25:57,855
He found a city
much bigger than Florence,
491
00:25:57,924 --> 00:26:01,358
much less like a town
and more like a metropolis.
492
00:26:01,427 --> 00:26:05,029
Um, he also found
a very cosmopolitan city;
493
00:26:05,097 --> 00:26:07,364
there were a lot of influences
percolating down
494
00:26:07,433 --> 00:26:09,366
from across the Alps, let's say,
495
00:26:09,435 --> 00:26:11,869
so it was something of
a crossroads of trade,
496
00:26:11,938 --> 00:26:16,073
and therefore also
of ideas and techniques.
497
00:26:17,643 --> 00:26:20,077
Narrator: The spirit of
the city was dynamic,
498
00:26:20,146 --> 00:26:22,580
entrepreneurial, practical.
499
00:26:22,648 --> 00:26:24,748
Milan suited Leonardo,
500
00:26:24,817 --> 00:26:27,251
and though the duke did not
immediately hire him
501
00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:29,253
as a military engineer,
502
00:26:29,322 --> 00:26:32,256
Leonardo set up
a studio for painting.
503
00:26:36,495 --> 00:26:38,929
[Music playing]
504
00:26:42,001 --> 00:26:43,934
Nicholl:
Leonardo's first commission
505
00:26:44,003 --> 00:26:47,438
by--from the Duke of Milan,
Ludovico Sforza,
506
00:26:47,506 --> 00:26:49,940
was a portrait
of Ludovico's mistress,
507
00:26:50,009 --> 00:26:52,309
Cecilia Gallerani,
508
00:26:52,378 --> 00:26:56,313
a wonderful portrait known
as "The Lady With an Ermine."
509
00:26:56,382 --> 00:26:59,149
It's full of life and movement,
510
00:26:59,218 --> 00:27:02,319
full of vitality,
full of that wonderful movement
511
00:27:02,388 --> 00:27:05,322
of the--of the sitter
towards the painter,
512
00:27:05,391 --> 00:27:09,193
as if momentarily capturing her,
uh, about to speak,
513
00:27:09,261 --> 00:27:13,364
that way Leonardo has
of capturing women in particular
514
00:27:13,432 --> 00:27:17,868
in a moment of suspended
or potential animation.
515
00:27:35,488 --> 00:27:38,989
Narrator: In Milan, Leonardo
found a fresh atmosphere
516
00:27:39,058 --> 00:27:41,659
that sparked his curiosity.
517
00:27:47,166 --> 00:27:49,266
Narrator: And he found
new inspiration
518
00:27:49,335 --> 00:27:51,769
in the scientific spirit
of the universities
519
00:27:51,837 --> 00:27:54,271
and booming book trade.
520
00:27:56,676 --> 00:27:58,609
The printing press was invented
521
00:27:58,678 --> 00:28:00,778
about the time
Leonardo was born.
522
00:28:00,846 --> 00:28:03,280
It was a communications
revolution,
523
00:28:03,349 --> 00:28:05,783
like the Internet today.
524
00:28:05,851 --> 00:28:07,284
In just 30 years,
525
00:28:07,353 --> 00:28:10,287
more books were printed
than had been copied
526
00:28:10,356 --> 00:28:11,922
in all the Middle Ages.
527
00:28:11,991 --> 00:28:15,926
The cost of a book
dropped by 80%.
528
00:28:22,501 --> 00:28:25,602
Books opened
a new world for Leonardo;
529
00:28:25,671 --> 00:28:28,605
he could read
the ancients directly,
530
00:28:28,674 --> 00:28:30,941
a source of inspiration
531
00:28:31,010 --> 00:28:33,811
that would ignite
his scientific impulse.
532
00:28:36,882 --> 00:28:39,316
Capra: These advances
533
00:28:39,385 --> 00:28:42,319
of humanist science
and philosophy
534
00:28:42,388 --> 00:28:44,822
would not have been possible
535
00:28:44,890 --> 00:28:48,258
without this tremendous
technological breakthrough,
536
00:28:48,327 --> 00:28:49,827
the invention of printing.
537
00:28:49,895 --> 00:28:52,329
In fact, there were
two inventions
538
00:28:52,398 --> 00:28:54,498
that--that contributed.
539
00:28:54,567 --> 00:28:58,001
One was the movable type,
typography,
540
00:28:58,070 --> 00:29:00,504
and the other one is--
was engraving,
541
00:29:00,573 --> 00:29:04,007
where you could present pictures
in a way that could be
542
00:29:04,076 --> 00:29:07,511
multiplied infinitely
without deteriorating,
543
00:29:07,580 --> 00:29:10,514
and so this had
two consequences.
544
00:29:10,583 --> 00:29:13,016
Dissemination was
much more rapid,
545
00:29:13,085 --> 00:29:15,252
and it was much more precise.
546
00:29:16,822 --> 00:29:19,256
Would you be interested
in this book?
547
00:29:19,325 --> 00:29:21,258
Why, yes, certainly.
548
00:29:25,664 --> 00:29:27,998
[Bell tolling]
549
00:29:36,208 --> 00:29:38,142
When he arrived in Milan,
550
00:29:38,210 --> 00:29:40,644
he had no books,
not a single book,
551
00:29:40,713 --> 00:29:42,646
at the age of 30.
552
00:29:42,715 --> 00:29:45,816
Eight years later,
he had about 35 books,
553
00:29:45,885 --> 00:29:47,985
and another--I don't know--
ten years later,
554
00:29:48,053 --> 00:29:49,853
he had about 200 books.
555
00:29:49,922 --> 00:29:52,689
These were books
of science and philosophy
556
00:29:52,758 --> 00:29:56,193
by, uh--the classical books
about mathematics,
557
00:29:56,262 --> 00:30:00,831
about botany, astronomy,
anatomy, and so on.
558
00:30:00,900 --> 00:30:04,501
So he had the books
of a Renaissance scholar,
559
00:30:04,570 --> 00:30:08,005
and he actually became
a Renaissance scholar.
560
00:30:08,073 --> 00:30:11,008
[Reading aloud
in Latin]
561
00:30:17,383 --> 00:30:19,316
[Women giggling]
562
00:30:22,354 --> 00:30:26,590
Narrator: But the untutored
Leonardo needed Latin.
563
00:30:26,659 --> 00:30:28,592
[Women giggling]
564
00:30:28,661 --> 00:30:31,595
Narrator: At the age of 35,
he began memorizing verbs
565
00:30:31,664 --> 00:30:34,031
like a schoolboy.
566
00:30:42,274 --> 00:30:43,574
[All giggle]
567
00:30:43,642 --> 00:30:47,511
Narrator: Zoroastro,
court mechanic and magician,
568
00:30:47,580 --> 00:30:50,013
came from Florence
to assist Leonardo,
569
00:30:50,082 --> 00:30:53,517
who was finally appointed
ducal engineer,
570
00:30:53,586 --> 00:30:56,019
responsible for everything
from canal-building
571
00:30:56,088 --> 00:30:59,356
to staging royal entertainments.
572
00:31:02,261 --> 00:31:04,194
Leonardo found new colleagues
573
00:31:04,263 --> 00:31:07,698
attracted to the dynamic city
and the free-spending duke,
574
00:31:07,766 --> 00:31:12,202
men determined to reinvent
themselves and their society:
575
00:31:12,271 --> 00:31:15,906
Luca Pacioli, Leonardo's tutor
in mathematics,
576
00:31:15,975 --> 00:31:18,408
whose book
"The Divine Proportion"
577
00:31:18,477 --> 00:31:20,911
was illustrated by Leonardo...
578
00:31:22,481 --> 00:31:24,948
Francesco di Giorgio Martini,
579
00:31:25,017 --> 00:31:28,118
the most celebrated
military architect of his time
580
00:31:28,187 --> 00:31:31,622
and source for some
of Leonardo's war machines...
581
00:31:34,193 --> 00:31:36,126
Donato Bramante,
582
00:31:36,195 --> 00:31:38,428
painter turned architect.
583
00:31:38,497 --> 00:31:41,431
He brought the high
Renaissance style to Milan
584
00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:44,334
and would go on to design
Saint Peter's in Rome.
585
00:31:44,403 --> 00:31:48,272
His ironic fresco,
"Heraclitis and Democritus,"
586
00:31:48,340 --> 00:31:51,775
is a double portrait of himself
and his friend Leonardo,
587
00:31:51,844 --> 00:31:54,778
the only image of Leonardo
from the period.
588
00:31:56,348 --> 00:31:58,782
He's an opportunist
in many ways, Leonardo.
589
00:31:58,851 --> 00:32:02,786
He learns what he needs to learn
for a particular purpose
590
00:32:02,855 --> 00:32:05,789
and for a particular
situation.
591
00:32:05,858 --> 00:32:08,292
And his situation
as sort of, as it were,
592
00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,929
entertainments manager
for the Milanese court,
593
00:32:11,997 --> 00:32:15,432
uh, might not seem that
congenial put in those terms,
594
00:32:15,501 --> 00:32:19,102
but it did enable him to channel
all sorts of interests--
595
00:32:19,171 --> 00:32:22,105
technical, scientific,
engineering interests--
596
00:32:22,174 --> 00:32:25,842
as well as the pictorial,
sort of poetic interests
597
00:32:25,911 --> 00:32:28,645
that he has as an artist.
598
00:32:28,714 --> 00:32:31,148
[Music playing]
599
00:32:39,758 --> 00:32:41,825
Narrator: For the men and women
of the Renaissance,
600
00:32:41,894 --> 00:32:45,829
there was little difference
between technology and magic.
601
00:32:45,898 --> 00:32:48,398
Seemingly controlled
by unknown forces
602
00:32:48,467 --> 00:32:49,900
and hidden powers,
603
00:32:49,969 --> 00:32:52,202
Leonardo's spectacles
filled people
604
00:32:52,271 --> 00:32:54,705
with curiosity and wonder.
605
00:32:54,773 --> 00:32:58,208
He went so far as to invent
a prototype robot
606
00:32:58,277 --> 00:33:00,677
just for the duke's
entertainment.
607
00:33:04,683 --> 00:33:07,117
[Taddei speaking Italian]
608
00:33:07,186 --> 00:33:09,619
Translator: Leonardo is said
to have invented the car,
609
00:33:09,688 --> 00:33:11,188
but it's not a car.
610
00:33:11,256 --> 00:33:13,523
He studied
in Verrocchio's studio,
611
00:33:13,592 --> 00:33:16,026
where, in addition
to paintings and sculptures,
612
00:33:16,095 --> 00:33:19,029
they made theatrical objects,
and this is probably
613
00:33:19,098 --> 00:33:21,531
a magical theatrical device--
614
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,134
Leonardo's robot.
615
00:33:24,203 --> 00:33:26,136
Why a robot?
616
00:33:26,205 --> 00:33:28,638
Because it is programmable.
617
00:33:28,707 --> 00:33:32,242
Leonardo invented these systems.
618
00:33:32,311 --> 00:33:34,745
These simple rods
already existed,
619
00:33:34,813 --> 00:33:38,248
but Leonardo conceived them
as something new.
620
00:33:38,317 --> 00:33:40,751
If I put these rods
in this position--
621
00:33:40,819 --> 00:33:43,253
one, none, or many--
622
00:33:43,322 --> 00:33:46,757
these two levers will touch
the pedals from time to time,
623
00:33:46,825 --> 00:33:50,260
and the cart will move
from right to left.
624
00:33:50,329 --> 00:33:52,763
[Taddei speaking Italian]
625
00:33:55,567 --> 00:33:57,768
Translator: For the first time,
he creates a robot
626
00:33:57,836 --> 00:34:00,637
with its own internal energy,
627
00:34:00,706 --> 00:34:05,142
a robot that does what
Leonardo wants it to do.
628
00:34:12,217 --> 00:34:14,584
[Wheels creaking]
629
00:34:32,704 --> 00:34:35,639
[People murmur]
630
00:34:41,780 --> 00:34:44,214
[Applause continues]
631
00:34:51,723 --> 00:34:53,657
[Applause abates]
632
00:34:58,831 --> 00:35:00,263
[Taddei speaking Italian]
633
00:35:00,332 --> 00:35:02,265
Translator: This is a dream
that takes us back
634
00:35:02,334 --> 00:35:04,267
to Leonardo's predecessors;
635
00:35:04,336 --> 00:35:06,770
people like Heron of Alexandria,
636
00:35:06,839 --> 00:35:09,773
who created magical objects
for the fun and wonder
637
00:35:09,842 --> 00:35:13,643
of making things
that never existed before.
638
00:35:13,712 --> 00:35:16,646
Narrator: Leonardo's robots
copy inventions made
639
00:35:16,715 --> 00:35:18,648
a thousand years earlier,
640
00:35:18,717 --> 00:35:22,652
during a Greek scientific
revolution in Alexandria.
641
00:35:22,721 --> 00:35:25,655
There, the first-century
engineer Heron
642
00:35:25,724 --> 00:35:29,159
compiled a book
of temple magic...
643
00:35:30,729 --> 00:35:34,664
the world's first
vending machine for holy water,
644
00:35:34,733 --> 00:35:37,667
and a self-propelled cart.
645
00:35:37,736 --> 00:35:41,171
Leonardo had a summary
of Heron in his library.
646
00:35:43,242 --> 00:35:46,176
The 12th-century Arab Golden Age
647
00:35:46,245 --> 00:35:49,179
preserved and advanced
the science of Alexandria.
648
00:35:49,248 --> 00:35:53,683
Inventor and engineer
Ibn al-Jazari updated Heron
649
00:35:53,752 --> 00:35:56,686
with Indian and Chinese
technologies encountered
650
00:35:56,755 --> 00:35:58,688
with the spread of Islam.
651
00:35:58,757 --> 00:36:02,192
His ingenious clockworks
and automatons
652
00:36:02,261 --> 00:36:06,696
used control devices like those
in Leonardo's cart.
653
00:36:06,765 --> 00:36:11,201
Advanced Arabic works
on mechanics, astronomy,
654
00:36:11,270 --> 00:36:14,704
mathematics, and optics made
their way to Europe
655
00:36:14,773 --> 00:36:18,041
through Muslim Spain
or through Medici's agents,
656
00:36:18,110 --> 00:36:21,545
sent to Persia and Syria
in search of manuscripts.
657
00:36:23,782 --> 00:36:26,216
Man: Leonardo had
actually referred
658
00:36:26,285 --> 00:36:29,719
to the "Book of Optics,"
Alhazen, Ibn al-Haytham.
659
00:36:29,788 --> 00:36:33,223
Now, he is a guy who had come--
660
00:36:33,292 --> 00:36:35,725
faced two philosophical,
661
00:36:35,794 --> 00:36:38,395
two theoretical explanations
of how we see,
662
00:36:38,463 --> 00:36:41,865
and what he did is he
carried out experiments
663
00:36:41,934 --> 00:36:45,302
to verify what he
thought how we see
664
00:36:45,370 --> 00:36:48,805
and developed what we call
the dark room or dark box,
665
00:36:48,874 --> 00:36:51,308
which became the pinhole camera
666
00:36:51,376 --> 00:36:54,811
and then we refer to
as the camera obscura.
667
00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:58,815
Now, he says that you should
always doubt what you read,
668
00:36:58,884 --> 00:37:02,319
even if you have
to doubt yourself,
669
00:37:02,387 --> 00:37:04,321
but you must prove things
by experiment,
670
00:37:04,389 --> 00:37:07,324
so experimentation began
to take, uh,
671
00:37:07,392 --> 00:37:11,061
a lot of, uh, interest
in that society.
672
00:37:12,631 --> 00:37:15,065
Narrator: Leonardo's notes show
he was familiar
673
00:37:15,133 --> 00:37:17,067
with al-Haytham's "Optics,"
674
00:37:17,135 --> 00:37:19,569
written in 1021.
675
00:37:19,638 --> 00:37:23,306
It's the source of his interest
in the camera obscura,
676
00:37:23,375 --> 00:37:26,476
where a small hole acts
as a lens
677
00:37:26,545 --> 00:37:28,645
to project
a brightly lit exterior
678
00:37:28,714 --> 00:37:31,881
on the opposite wall
in a darkened room.
679
00:37:35,454 --> 00:37:38,888
Narrator: Leonardo was not
a prophet of the future.
680
00:37:38,957 --> 00:37:41,891
He discovered a distant past,
681
00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:45,328
where a much more advanced
technology had existed,
682
00:37:45,397 --> 00:37:47,831
lost to the West
with the fall of Rome.
683
00:37:47,899 --> 00:37:50,500
Ibn al-Haytham arranged
three candles
684
00:37:50,569 --> 00:37:52,869
in a row in
a dark room.
685
00:37:52,938 --> 00:37:54,871
He put a screen
with a small hole
686
00:37:54,940 --> 00:37:56,940
between the candles
on the wall
687
00:37:57,009 --> 00:37:59,442
and noted that
images were formed.
688
00:38:04,916 --> 00:38:09,352
Capra: Leonardo certainly
was very influenced
689
00:38:09,421 --> 00:38:12,722
by, uh, Arabic scholars.
690
00:38:12,791 --> 00:38:14,724
His experimental method,
691
00:38:14,793 --> 00:38:16,726
his empirical method, uh,
692
00:38:16,795 --> 00:38:19,896
somehow came from his reading
of these texts
693
00:38:19,965 --> 00:38:23,900
because these,
uh, uh, Arab scholars
694
00:38:23,969 --> 00:38:27,904
were not bound by--
by religious doctrine.
695
00:38:27,973 --> 00:38:31,908
Uh, Islam left them
complete freedom
696
00:38:31,977 --> 00:38:34,911
to--to do the science,
the philosophy,
697
00:38:34,980 --> 00:38:37,580
their reinterpretations
of Aristotle.
698
00:38:39,651 --> 00:38:42,585
Narrator: In reinventing
an ancient technology,
699
00:38:42,654 --> 00:38:45,855
Leonardo also reinvented
something that had been lost
700
00:38:45,924 --> 00:38:47,857
for centuries--
701
00:38:47,926 --> 00:38:50,860
the scientific experiment.
702
00:38:50,929 --> 00:38:55,365
His detailed observations
and carefully drawn results
703
00:38:55,434 --> 00:38:59,369
paved the way
for modern research methods.
704
00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:05,809
Books start to mean
something to him,
705
00:39:05,877 --> 00:39:09,312
and it's hard to know exactly
what this change of attitude,
706
00:39:09,381 --> 00:39:13,817
uh, signals, but I suppose
it's the desire to--
707
00:39:13,885 --> 00:39:18,655
it--it goes with that
newly encyclopedic idea
708
00:39:18,724 --> 00:39:23,159
that Leonardo has for himself,
that all branches of knowledge
709
00:39:23,228 --> 00:39:27,664
are within his reach,
and that he--as what he calls
710
00:39:27,733 --> 00:39:32,669
the painter/philosopher--must
acquire knowledge of all sorts.
711
00:39:32,738 --> 00:39:36,172
And indeed, there is a sort
of bewildering multiplication
712
00:39:36,241 --> 00:39:39,175
of his interests around
about the same time
713
00:39:39,244 --> 00:39:41,978
as he starts to acquire
and collect books.
714
00:39:42,047 --> 00:39:44,481
[Insects chirping]
715
00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:54,991
Although nature begins with
reason and ends with experience,
716
00:39:55,060 --> 00:39:58,495
we must do the opposite--
to begin with experience,
717
00:39:58,563 --> 00:40:01,498
and from this,
to investigate the reason.
718
00:40:01,566 --> 00:40:03,500
Narrator: In 1482,
719
00:40:03,568 --> 00:40:05,502
a translation of Ptolemy
was printed
720
00:40:05,570 --> 00:40:08,004
from a newly discovered
Greek manuscript.
721
00:40:08,073 --> 00:40:10,240
The second-century mathematician
722
00:40:10,308 --> 00:40:13,743
created the Earth-centered model
of the universe held
723
00:40:13,812 --> 00:40:16,746
by Alexandria, Islam,
and Europe
724
00:40:16,815 --> 00:40:19,749
for over 1,200 years.
725
00:40:19,818 --> 00:40:23,987
Leonardo turned his attention
to the geometry of the night.
726
00:40:25,223 --> 00:40:28,158
Ptolemy held that the moon
and planets shine
727
00:40:28,226 --> 00:40:30,160
with their own light.
728
00:40:30,228 --> 00:40:34,664
As a test, Leonardo embarked
on an imaginary voyage.
729
00:40:34,733 --> 00:40:38,668
He placed himself
outside the earth.
730
00:40:40,238 --> 00:40:42,672
He realized that moonlight
731
00:40:42,741 --> 00:40:45,175
is really reflected sunlight,
732
00:40:45,243 --> 00:40:48,178
and that the dim light
that makes the body of the moon
733
00:40:48,246 --> 00:40:52,682
just visible at crescent is
reflected from the earth--
734
00:40:52,751 --> 00:40:54,684
earthshine.
735
00:41:04,129 --> 00:41:06,563
Anyone standing on the moon
when it and the sun
736
00:41:06,631 --> 00:41:09,065
are both beneath us
would see our earth
737
00:41:09,134 --> 00:41:11,067
and the element
of water upon it,
738
00:41:11,136 --> 00:41:13,069
just as we see the moon,
739
00:41:13,138 --> 00:41:16,573
and the earth would light it,
as the moon lights us.
740
00:41:16,641 --> 00:41:20,076
The earth is not the center
of the sun's orbit,
741
00:41:20,145 --> 00:41:22,579
nor at the center
of the universe,
742
00:41:22,647 --> 00:41:26,082
but in the center
of its companion elements
743
00:41:26,151 --> 00:41:28,084
and united with them.
744
00:41:31,890 --> 00:41:34,824
Narrator:
"The sun does not move."
745
00:41:34,893 --> 00:41:39,329
His cryptic phrase was written
a hundred years before Galileo,
746
00:41:39,397 --> 00:41:42,332
but never developed further
in his notebooks.
747
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:44,834
A theory of the heavens?
748
00:41:44,903 --> 00:41:46,836
Notes for a spectacle?
749
00:41:46,905 --> 00:41:48,838
Impossible to say.
750
00:41:50,408 --> 00:41:52,342
Leonardo believed
that the same force
751
00:41:52,410 --> 00:41:54,844
that moved the heavens
moved the body;
752
00:41:54,913 --> 00:41:57,347
as above, so below.
753
00:41:57,415 --> 00:42:01,851
The form of the cosmos
was reflected in the human form.
754
00:42:03,021 --> 00:42:04,954
And just as
the map of the heavens
755
00:42:05,023 --> 00:42:06,956
went unchanged for centuries,
756
00:42:07,025 --> 00:42:09,959
so too did the map of the body.
757
00:42:10,028 --> 00:42:12,462
Doctors relied
on illustrations inherited
758
00:42:12,531 --> 00:42:15,465
from ancient Greece and Persia.
759
00:42:15,534 --> 00:42:20,036
Leonardo would conduct
his own medical examinations.
760
00:42:20,105 --> 00:42:24,040
First sign of Leonardo's,
uh, actual practical involvement
761
00:42:24,109 --> 00:42:26,209
in anatomy and dissection
762
00:42:26,278 --> 00:42:30,713
is some wonderful, slightly
eerie drawings of a skull,
763
00:42:30,782 --> 00:42:33,483
uh, dateable to about 1489.
764
00:42:33,552 --> 00:42:35,485
One of the drawings
makes it clear
765
00:42:35,554 --> 00:42:37,654
that at least one
of his interests is
766
00:42:37,722 --> 00:42:40,490
to establish by a sort
of grid-referencing
767
00:42:40,559 --> 00:42:43,493
the particular location
768
00:42:43,562 --> 00:42:47,664
of the sensus communis, which is
an Aristotelian concept,
769
00:42:47,732 --> 00:42:51,167
the communal sense, where all
the sensory impressions
770
00:42:51,236 --> 00:42:54,671
go into the brain and was where
771
00:42:54,739 --> 00:42:57,473
a man's soul could be found.
772
00:42:59,544 --> 00:43:01,978
Narrator:
Leonardo's first dissections
773
00:43:02,047 --> 00:43:04,480
were in search of the soul.
774
00:43:18,496 --> 00:43:21,531
Narrator: His guide, a newly
published manual of anatomy
775
00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:24,534
by Mondino de Liuzzi,
would remain the authority
776
00:43:24,603 --> 00:43:26,769
for 250 years.
777
00:43:28,340 --> 00:43:31,274
Capra: Even though he was
a mechanical genius,
778
00:43:31,343 --> 00:43:34,277
he never treated the body
as a machine.
779
00:43:34,346 --> 00:43:38,781
He said that nature
has given the body
780
00:43:38,850 --> 00:43:41,985
or has given animals
mechanical instruments,
781
00:43:42,053 --> 00:43:45,488
but the source of the movement
comes from the soul--
782
00:43:45,557 --> 00:43:47,991
which is not mechanical,
which is spiritual--
783
00:43:48,059 --> 00:43:50,660
and by that,
he meant immaterial,
784
00:43:50,729 --> 00:43:53,663
and he actually traced back
the sensory nerves
785
00:43:53,732 --> 00:43:55,665
to the center of the brain,
786
00:43:55,734 --> 00:43:59,168
which he considered
to be the seat of the soul.
787
00:44:02,741 --> 00:44:05,008
Narrator:
In the center of the brain,
788
00:44:05,076 --> 00:44:08,511
he found three small cavities--
the ventricles--
789
00:44:08,580 --> 00:44:12,682
the site, he was certain,
of Aristotle's sensus communis.
790
00:44:14,252 --> 00:44:17,186
[Zoroastro reading aloud
in Italian]
791
00:44:28,266 --> 00:44:31,200
The soul appears to reside in
the judicial part,
792
00:44:31,269 --> 00:44:33,703
and the judicial part
seems to be the place
793
00:44:33,772 --> 00:44:35,705
where all the senses
come together,
794
00:44:35,774 --> 00:44:37,707
the sensus communis,
795
00:44:37,776 --> 00:44:41,411
and the sensus communis
is the seat of the soul.
796
00:44:41,479 --> 00:44:44,047
[Zoroastro continues reading]
797
00:44:46,551 --> 00:44:49,485
Narrator: While Leonardo's proof
of Aristotle's theories
798
00:44:49,554 --> 00:44:51,654
has not stood the test of time,
799
00:44:51,723 --> 00:44:55,258
his anatomical drawings
have never been surpassed.
800
00:44:55,326 --> 00:44:58,761
Sequential views suggest
a cinematic animation,
801
00:44:58,830 --> 00:45:01,264
and views from multiple angles
802
00:45:01,332 --> 00:45:04,267
provide a true
three-dimensional understanding
803
00:45:04,335 --> 00:45:06,269
of the body's form.
804
00:45:06,337 --> 00:45:10,273
His images are never static,
but animated by a dynamic energy
805
00:45:10,341 --> 00:45:14,277
and seem just on the verge
of moving on their own.
806
00:45:14,345 --> 00:45:16,779
Leonardo's illustrations,
as precise
807
00:45:16,848 --> 00:45:19,282
as his technical drawings
of machines,
808
00:45:19,350 --> 00:45:21,451
were unequaled in accuracy
809
00:45:21,519 --> 00:45:24,620
until the photographic
techniques of the 19th century,
810
00:45:24,689 --> 00:45:28,124
but they were never published
in his lifetime.
811
00:45:28,193 --> 00:45:31,127
They remained unknown
and unpublished
812
00:45:31,196 --> 00:45:34,130
for more than 300 years.
813
00:45:36,901 --> 00:45:39,335
Leonardo, like his
fellow humanists,
814
00:45:39,404 --> 00:45:42,038
was very eager to read
classical texts,
815
00:45:42,107 --> 00:45:44,040
but there was a big difference.
816
00:45:44,109 --> 00:45:46,142
He would examine them
817
00:45:46,211 --> 00:45:49,145
in the light of his
observation of nature,
818
00:45:49,214 --> 00:45:51,647
in the light
of his own experience,
819
00:45:51,716 --> 00:45:55,651
and he would never hesitate
to correct the classical texts,
820
00:45:55,720 --> 00:45:58,888
even of the greatest
authorities.
821
00:45:58,957 --> 00:46:01,390
When he made progress
in one area,
822
00:46:01,459 --> 00:46:04,560
he immediately applied it
to a related area
823
00:46:04,629 --> 00:46:07,563
so that you can
actually see his progress
824
00:46:07,632 --> 00:46:11,067
as a kind of spiral that--
that goes higher and higher
825
00:46:11,136 --> 00:46:13,569
but always touches
several fields.
826
00:46:19,144 --> 00:46:22,578
Capra: Dealing with a problem
or understanding a phenomenon,
827
00:46:22,647 --> 00:46:27,083
for him, meant to see how it is
related to other phenomena.
828
00:46:27,152 --> 00:46:30,119
In this way, I think
829
00:46:30,188 --> 00:46:33,589
he generated what we now call
the scientific method,
830
00:46:33,658 --> 00:46:37,593
and he singlehandedly
created the scientific method.
831
00:46:39,330 --> 00:46:41,764
Narrator: Leonardo wanted
to understand
832
00:46:41,833 --> 00:46:44,267
underlying principles.
833
00:46:44,335 --> 00:46:47,203
Just his study
of spirals in water,
834
00:46:47,272 --> 00:46:49,205
flights of birds, plant growth,
835
00:46:49,274 --> 00:46:52,208
even hair patterns,
led him to explore
836
00:46:52,277 --> 00:46:54,377
the fields
of geology, botany,
837
00:46:54,445 --> 00:46:56,546
topology, and more.
838
00:46:56,614 --> 00:47:00,049
For him, everything was
deeply connected,
839
00:47:00,118 --> 00:47:03,052
a great system
in continual movement,
840
00:47:03,121 --> 00:47:06,556
with human beings at its center.
841
00:47:06,624 --> 00:47:10,593
And there is an image that seems
to summarize all of his work--
842
00:47:10,662 --> 00:47:13,095
the "Vitruvian Man."
843
00:47:14,666 --> 00:47:17,099
Man: Everybody knows
this picture.
844
00:47:17,168 --> 00:47:19,101
It's become
a kind of icon, even,
845
00:47:19,170 --> 00:47:21,070
like an emblem of
the human spirit.
846
00:47:21,139 --> 00:47:24,073
Leonardo drew it in about 1490,
847
00:47:24,142 --> 00:47:27,076
um, and he did it
as a kind of answer to a riddle.
848
00:47:27,145 --> 00:47:31,247
Um, the architect, uh,
Vitruvius, from ancient Rome,
849
00:47:31,316 --> 00:47:34,417
had proposed a man
could fit inside a square
850
00:47:34,485 --> 00:47:37,587
and inside a circle,
and for centuries after that,
851
00:47:37,655 --> 00:47:40,489
people had wondered
about how that might work
852
00:47:40,558 --> 00:47:43,492
at a literal and at
a metaphorical level.
853
00:47:45,997 --> 00:47:49,432
The height of a man
equals four cubits.
854
00:47:57,508 --> 00:48:01,110
Narrator: Vitruvius' book,
printed in 1486,
855
00:48:01,179 --> 00:48:03,446
stated that to achieve harmony,
856
00:48:03,514 --> 00:48:07,516
buildings must reflect
ideal human proportions.
857
00:48:07,585 --> 00:48:10,019
Before scientific standards,
858
00:48:10,088 --> 00:48:12,521
all measurements were
taken from the body--
859
00:48:12,590 --> 00:48:15,024
the foot, the digit, the step.
860
00:48:15,093 --> 00:48:18,527
But to build something,
the proportions must be known:
861
00:48:18,596 --> 00:48:23,032
how many thumbs in a palm,
how many palms to a step.
862
00:48:23,101 --> 00:48:25,201
Architects hoped
to find the answer
863
00:48:25,270 --> 00:48:28,204
in Vitruvius' ideal proportions,
864
00:48:28,273 --> 00:48:31,207
to unlock secrets
of ancient buildings.
865
00:48:31,276 --> 00:48:35,711
Forty at the dial
and...
866
00:48:35,780 --> 00:48:38,714
19 at the rod.
867
00:48:38,783 --> 00:48:41,717
Narrator: But the book
wasn't illustrated.
868
00:48:41,786 --> 00:48:44,720
How could a human body
fit proportionally
869
00:48:44,789 --> 00:48:48,224
inside a circle and a square?
870
00:48:48,293 --> 00:48:50,893
The image of a human
at the center of a circle is
871
00:48:50,962 --> 00:48:53,896
an ancient way of relating
individual existence
872
00:48:53,965 --> 00:48:56,899
to the infinite universe.
873
00:48:56,968 --> 00:49:00,403
It proposes a linking
between the two.
874
00:49:00,471 --> 00:49:02,905
The individual is a microcosm,
875
00:49:02,974 --> 00:49:05,908
a miniature reflection
in all its parts
876
00:49:05,977 --> 00:49:08,911
of the universe, or macrocosm;
877
00:49:08,980 --> 00:49:11,914
as above, so below.
878
00:49:13,985 --> 00:49:17,420
Vitruvius' square represents
the material world.
879
00:49:17,488 --> 00:49:19,588
His figure has a dual nature,
880
00:49:19,657 --> 00:49:22,758
inscribed in both
the heavens and the earth.
881
00:49:22,827 --> 00:49:26,429
His idea was appealing
to humanists' values,
882
00:49:26,497 --> 00:49:29,765
but without illustrations,
the question of how to fit
883
00:49:29,834 --> 00:49:31,934
the body in a square
and a circle
884
00:49:32,003 --> 00:49:34,603
without distorting
its proportions became
885
00:49:34,672 --> 00:49:36,772
an obsession for architects.
886
00:49:36,841 --> 00:49:39,275
Those who tried failed.
887
00:49:45,316 --> 00:49:48,751
Narrator: Leonardo
was fascinated with proportion.
888
00:49:49,988 --> 00:49:51,420
During the Renaissance,
889
00:49:51,489 --> 00:49:54,323
the goal of art was
the expression of harmony,
890
00:49:54,392 --> 00:49:57,827
and harmony is a matter
of proportion.
891
00:50:00,898 --> 00:50:04,333
Vitruvius gave complex
measurements for the ideal body,
892
00:50:04,402 --> 00:50:08,337
but Leonardo needed to verify
everything for himself,
893
00:50:08,406 --> 00:50:13,342
and then he too undertook
the quest for "Vitruvian Man."
894
00:50:15,213 --> 00:50:16,645
[Speaking Italian]
895
00:50:16,714 --> 00:50:18,647
It's a matter
of proportions.
896
00:50:18,716 --> 00:50:21,150
Come. I want
to show you my work.
897
00:50:21,219 --> 00:50:23,152
Narrator: In 1490,
898
00:50:23,221 --> 00:50:25,321
Leonardo met
a young architect,
899
00:50:25,390 --> 00:50:29,492
also hard at work
on the "Vitruvius" problem.
900
00:50:31,062 --> 00:50:33,496
Lester: Discovery recently
suggests that there was
901
00:50:33,564 --> 00:50:36,165
another person who also drew
a "Vitruvian Man."
902
00:50:36,234 --> 00:50:40,169
It comes in a manuscript by an
architect named Giacomo Andrea,
903
00:50:40,238 --> 00:50:42,671
who was from Ferrara,
but who worked in Milan
904
00:50:42,740 --> 00:50:44,673
at the time
that Leonardo was there,
905
00:50:44,742 --> 00:50:47,009
and it turns out the two
of them were good friends.
906
00:50:47,078 --> 00:50:49,645
Look at this.
907
00:50:49,714 --> 00:50:52,648
"I have all measures
inside me,
908
00:50:52,717 --> 00:50:55,151
"the divine ones,
as well as the ones coming
909
00:50:55,219 --> 00:50:57,653
from earth and hell."
910
00:51:09,300 --> 00:51:11,233
You see...
911
00:51:11,302 --> 00:51:14,603
the man is called
"Little World,"
912
00:51:14,672 --> 00:51:16,605
who contains in himself
913
00:51:16,674 --> 00:51:19,108
all the general perfections
of the entire world.
914
00:51:19,177 --> 00:51:22,278
Lester: If you look at this
manuscript of Giacomo Andrea's,
915
00:51:22,346 --> 00:51:24,914
which seems to date
to around 1490 as well,
916
00:51:24,982 --> 00:51:26,916
possibly a little bit earlier,
917
00:51:26,984 --> 00:51:29,919
you'll find in it
a--a vision of "Vitruvian Man"
918
00:51:29,987 --> 00:51:32,922
that is eerily like Leonardo's
919
00:51:32,990 --> 00:51:34,924
and seems to be a predecessor.
920
00:51:34,992 --> 00:51:38,928
It's a tentative effort
that you can see erasures on.
921
00:51:38,996 --> 00:51:43,432
You can superimpose them and get
almost an identical image.
922
00:51:43,501 --> 00:51:46,936
Again, Leonardo's image doesn't
appear out of the blue.
923
00:51:47,004 --> 00:51:49,772
Uh, it's part of a progression,
and it may have been part
924
00:51:49,841 --> 00:51:53,476
of a very close collaboration
with Giacomo Andrea.
925
00:51:53,544 --> 00:51:56,979
Narrator: Giacomo Andrea
de-centered the circle
926
00:51:57,048 --> 00:51:58,481
in the square.
927
00:51:58,549 --> 00:52:00,483
The spiritual realm
of the circle
928
00:52:00,551 --> 00:52:01,984
is centered on the navel,
929
00:52:02,053 --> 00:52:05,488
the earthly realm of the square
on the genitals.
930
00:52:05,556 --> 00:52:08,491
No one else had thought
to do that.
931
00:52:08,559 --> 00:52:12,495
The same solution is found
in Leonardo's famous drawing,
932
00:52:12,563 --> 00:52:15,998
but as always,
he takes it much further.
933
00:52:16,067 --> 00:52:19,001
Andrea's figure is
almost Christ-like,
934
00:52:19,070 --> 00:52:21,170
a throwback to the Middle Ages.
935
00:52:21,239 --> 00:52:24,173
Leonardo's is
unquestionably human,
936
00:52:24,242 --> 00:52:26,675
bold and ambitious.
937
00:52:26,744 --> 00:52:29,178
"Vitruvian Man" is
a pure expression
938
00:52:29,247 --> 00:52:33,182
of the Renaissance,
a secular, almost carnal figure
939
00:52:33,251 --> 00:52:37,019
whose reach extends
to the very limit of the cosmos
940
00:52:37,088 --> 00:52:41,023
and whose face, staring out
with absolute confidence,
941
00:52:41,092 --> 00:52:44,026
might be that
of Leonardo himself,
942
00:52:44,095 --> 00:52:47,563
38 years old
and at the height of his powers.
943
00:52:48,799 --> 00:52:50,733
There might seem to be
some arrogance
944
00:52:50,801 --> 00:52:53,736
in the idea that he is
putting his own face
945
00:52:53,804 --> 00:52:56,238
into this, uh, central,
946
00:52:56,307 --> 00:52:58,741
iconic sort of a figure.
947
00:52:58,809 --> 00:53:02,244
I think it's appropriate,
though, because who better
948
00:53:02,313 --> 00:53:05,247
to encapsulate this knowledge
949
00:53:05,316 --> 00:53:08,918
that he is imparting
than the painter,
950
00:53:08,986 --> 00:53:13,255
philosopher, anatomist
Leonardo da Vinci,
951
00:53:13,324 --> 00:53:16,258
who finds all
these different avenues
952
00:53:16,327 --> 00:53:19,762
to his knowledge
of the human condition,
953
00:53:19,830 --> 00:53:21,931
of what it is to be a man?
954
00:53:28,973 --> 00:53:32,408
Narrator: Leonardo's great dream
was to write a series of books
955
00:53:32,476 --> 00:53:34,910
which would unify
and transmit the vision
956
00:53:34,979 --> 00:53:38,414
he developed
over years of research.
957
00:53:38,482 --> 00:53:41,917
That, for him,
would cement his posterity
958
00:53:41,986 --> 00:53:44,587
in a way his fragile
paintings could not;
959
00:53:44,655 --> 00:53:48,557
he would join the timeless
human chorus of the book.
960
00:53:53,631 --> 00:53:56,065
There would be a manual
of painting,
961
00:53:56,133 --> 00:53:59,568
a detailed book of anatomy,
a book of mathematics,
962
00:53:59,637 --> 00:54:02,571
astronomy, geometry,
963
00:54:02,640 --> 00:54:06,575
but he never really seemed able
to stop and look backwards.
964
00:54:06,644 --> 00:54:09,245
New subjects called to him:
965
00:54:09,313 --> 00:54:12,748
the movement of water,
the flight of birds.
966
00:54:12,817 --> 00:54:16,752
This project, like so many,
went unrealized.
967
00:54:21,826 --> 00:54:25,261
Leonardo was the perfect man
for his time,
968
00:54:25,329 --> 00:54:28,764
and his time was
perfect for him.
969
00:54:28,833 --> 00:54:32,101
Leonardo was opposed
to any kind of imitation.
970
00:54:32,169 --> 00:54:36,338
If he copied the work of others,
it was to learn from it,
971
00:54:36,407 --> 00:54:39,174
transform it, enhance it,
972
00:54:39,243 --> 00:54:43,946
and send it forward
to us as a great gift.
973
00:54:44,015 --> 00:54:46,649
Human ingenuity will never
974
00:54:46,717 --> 00:54:48,150
discover an invention
975
00:54:48,219 --> 00:54:50,152
more beautiful, easier,
976
00:54:50,221 --> 00:54:52,655
or more economical than nature's
977
00:54:52,723 --> 00:54:54,990
because in her inventions,
978
00:54:55,059 --> 00:54:54,990
nothing is wanting
and nothing is superfluous.
978
00:54:55,305 --> 00:55:01,728
Support us and become VIP member
to remove all ads from OpenSubtitles.org
76806
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.