Born in 1452, in a tiny village near Florence, Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian painter, sculptor, scientist, engineer and theorist. While he originally received fame and notoriety for his paintings, he began to receive recognition for his scientific writings once his notebooks were discovered. The aim of this project is to highlight da Vinci’s scientific contributions, particularly in the field of human anatomy, as well as calling attention to the relationship between art and science. This can be most exemplified in his work, A Treatise on Painting, put together by his close friend, Francesco Melzi. The underlying premise of the treatise is that painting should be treated like a science. It includes detailed descriptions of the human body, the mechanics of movement, and the appearance of objects in different lightings and different angles. 

In order to improve his art work, Leonardo sought to gain a deeper understanding of why the human body functions the way it does, which naturally lead him to anatomy. The primary sources we’ve selected include several of Leonardo’s anatomical drawings from his notebooks. His sketches include depictions of muscles, veins, bones, tendons, and organs, and they explore the contours and shadows of the human physique in art. Though not entirely accurate, his drawings were extremely advanced for the time. His drawing of the Vitruvian man is in many ways emblematic of the relationship between art and science for the High Renaissance man. Although not an accurate depiction of human proportions, it represents his belief that the bodies of human beings followed mathematical laws, as well as the world around us. One might call him the first modern scientist. He contested medieval and classical views on the body; relying on empirical evidence and hands-on investigation in the form of dissection. Art historian Otto Benesch puts it succinctly, “His scientific attitude was that of a visual empiricist." His dedication to empirical methods, led him to make groundbreaking discoveries, with some scholars referring to him as the true founder of modern anatomy.