"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

09 March 2015

Wonder.

Leonardo, Sketch for Crossbow, 1490


Leonardo da Vinci is best known as the painter of the immortal masterpieces, The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But he was also a genius inventor, architect, physicist, geologist, civil engineer, military engineer, botanist, anatomist, mapmaker and musician. Inside the Mind of Leonardo is a visually dazzling two-part special that offers the viewer unparalleled exclusive access to da Vinci's revolutionary ideas and inventions, as he secretly recorded them in the famous Codex Atlanticus.

While just 21 paintings by da Vinci are in existence, 6,000 pages within his private journals have survived. This extraordinary treasure trove of sketches, designs and written passages embodies da Vinci's florid imagination, unbridled curiosity, keen insight, driving ambition and passionate obsessions with the natural world, engineering and innovation. A cherished and priceless cache from one of history's most talented artists and perceptive thinkers, the Codex Atlanticus represents da Vinci's deep, wildly varied and stunningly brilliant stream of consciousness.

The film also intriguingly reveals that the remarkably creative fruits of da Vinci's mind, based on his ground-breaking scientific investigations, often led to observations and conclusions that challenged or contradicted the Church's prevailing orthodoxy.

Directed by Julian Jones, Inside the Mind of Leonardo brings the wonder of da Vinci's cryptic Codex to life through breathtaking 3D photography and animated graphics, complimented by spectacular location videography, revealing and astute commentary from scholars and experts and a virtuoso performance from acclaimed actor Peter Capaldi as the enigmatic da Vinci himself.


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