Do you think Leonardo deserved the title "Genius"?

Leonardo was a great man and a true genius. He was the pinnacle of what a Renaissance man should be. In the 1500's Giorgio Vasari wrote a history of Leonardo. He said, "This was seen by all mankind in Leonardo da Vinci, in whom, besides a beauty of body never sufficiently extolled, there was an infinite grace in all his actions; and so great was his genius, and such its growth, that to whatever difficulties he turned his mind, he solved them with ease" (Medieval Sourcebook: Giorgio Vasari: Life of Leonardo da Vinci 1550). Leonardo was not only a great artist but he was also and inverter. He had a fern grasp on geometry and used it to design buildings. He came up with inventions like a screw that constantly brought up water. One of his most famous painting is the Last Supper (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/vasari1.html).

Leonardo never stopped expanding his knowledge and trying to learn more about nature. He also kept detailed notebooks which were coded to prevent anyone stealing his ideas. The notes were written in a mirror image and very difficult to read (http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeonardoRighttoLeft.html). All these things make Leonardo a true genius.

Sources:

"Medieval Sourcebook: Giorgio Vasari: Life of Leonardo Da Vinci 1550." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/vasari1.html.


"Leonardo: Right to Left." Museum of Science, Boston Home. Web. 12 May 2010. http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeonardoRighttoLeft.html.

Picture Source:

"File:Selbstportrait Leonardo Da Vincis.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 12 May 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Selbstportrait_Leonardo_da_Vincis.jpg.