Walter Isaacson Compares Leonardo Da Vinci To Modern Geniuses

WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST REALLY SCRATCHES MY ITCH,
BECAUSE HE HAS WRITTEN CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BIOGRAPHIES
ON BEN FRANKLIN, ALBERT EINSTEIN AND STEVE JOBS.
HIS LATEST IS "LEONARDO da VINCI."
PLEASE WELCOME WALTER ISAACSON.
♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: THANKS FOR COMING.
I KNOW YOU AND JON ARE ALREADY FRIENDS?
>> OH, YEAH.
WELL I GREW UP WITH HIS WHOLE FAMILY, THE WONDERFUL BATISTE
FAMILY OF NEW ORLEANS.
HE'S A GREAT MAN >> Stephen: OLD HOME WEEK
HERE.
OLD HOME WEEK HERE >> THANKS FOR THAT INTRO SONG.
MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS AT HOME >> Stephen: YOU HAVE WRITTEN
ABOUT A LOT OF GENIUSES, STEVE JOBS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, ALBERT
EINSTEIN.
AND NOW YOU HAVE LEONARDO da VINCI.
HOW DOES da VINCI STACK UP AGAINST SOME OF THESE MORE
MODERN, OR MODERN WESTERN GENIUSES HERE?
HOW MUCH OF da VINCI IS JUST HYPE, WALTIER?
>> I TRY TO HYPE HIM IN THE BOOK.
LOOK AT THE PICTURES.
YOU'LL SEE.
HE'S PRETTY GOOD >> Stephen: HE CAN DRAW.
THAT'S FOR DAMN SURE >> HE CAN DRAW.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT APPEALED TO ME IS THAT HE'S A
GENIUS IN ALL SORTS OF FIELDS.
HE WANTS TO KNOW EVERYTHING YOU CAN POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE KNOWN.
SO ENGINEERING, ANATOMY, GEOLOGY, WATER WORKS, AS WELL AS
ART AND SCULPTING >> Stephen: WE THINK OF HIM AS
A PAINTER, AND WE THINK OF HIM AS A SCIENTIST OR ENGINEER IN
SOME WAYS.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT-- BUT HE ALSO WAS AN ARCHITECT, WASN'T
HE?
>> YOU KNOW, HE DOES-- HE HELPS DO-- AFTER THE MYLAN CATHEDRAL,
WHEN HE HATES BECAUSE IT'S GOTHIC, AND HE WANTS A BEAUTIFUL
CHURCH.
>> Stephen: AS LONG AS YOU BROUGHT IT UP, LET'S TALK ABOUT
ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS ASPECTS OF THIS-- WE PROBABLY HAVE IT ON
THE BOARD HERE, TOO.
DO WE HAVE IT ON THE SCREEN.
HERE WE HAVE IT AS WELL.
WHAT IS THE ORIGIN AND WHAT IS LEONARDO TRYING TO SAY WITH
THIS?
>> WELL, PART OF THE ORIGIN IS HE'S DOING CHURCH DESIGNS, AND
AN ANCIENT ARCHITECT SAID THE CHURCH SHOULD BE PROPORTIONAL TO
A HUMAN.
LEONARDO IS SUCH A GEEK, HE MEASURES 120 MEASUREMENTS OF THE
HUMAN BODY, AND THEN DOES THEM AGAIN WITH THE MOVING BODY TO
GET THE PROPORTIONS RIGHT AND HE AND A GROUP OF FRIENDS
DECIDE TO SAY HOW WOULD YOU PUT A CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE-- WHICH
IS THE OLD AIN'TIENT RIDDLE OF SCARING THE CIRCLE.
AND THE REAL COOL THING ABOUT IT.
THAT'S HIM.
IT'S A SELF-PORTRAIT OF HIM STANDING IN THE EARTH AND THE
COSMOS SAYING, "HOW DO WE FIT IN?"
SO IT'S A WORK OF GREAT ENGINEERING, A WORK OF GREATER
MATH, BUT A NECESSARY BEAUTY AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF HIM FITTING
INTO THE COAZ MOAS >> Stephen: THE NOTEBOOKS OF
LEONARDO da VINCI ARE FAMOUS.
HOW MANY PAGES ARE THERE IN THE NOTEBOOKS.
>> THERE ARE ABOUT 7,200 WHICH WE STILL HAVE, WHICH IS PROBABLY
A QUARTER OF WHAT HE WROTE.
BUT THAT'S A BETTER PROPORTION THAN THE EMAILS OR PEMOZE OF
STEVE JOBS, WHICH ARE KIND OF LOST IN ALL SORTS OF
INFORMATION.
PAINTING IS A REALLY GOOD TECHNOLOGY FOR THE STORAGE OF
INFORMATION.
IT'ST THE OPERATING SYSTEM DOESN'T MESS UP.
YOU CAN READ PAGE AFTER PAGE AND SEE HIS MIND DANCING WITH MATH
AND SKETCHES OF "THE LAST SUPPER," AND SORT OF RIVER RIVER
SWIRLS -- >> Stephen: THEY'RE NOT
ORGANIZED BY SUBJECT.
IT'S WHATEVER WAS ON HIS MIND.
>> PAPER WAS QUITE EXPENSE AND I HAVE HE WOULD CRAM AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE ON A PAGE IS & THAT WAY YOU COULD SEE HIM DANCING BACK
AND FORTH BETWEEN SCIENCE AND MATH AND GEOLOGY
>> Stephen: WHAT WERE SOME OF THE SURPRISING THINGS YOU SAW
THIM THINKING ABOUT?
>> THERE'S A WONDERFUL NOTEBOOK PAGE WHERE HE'S TRYING TO SQUARE
THE CIRCLE AND MOUNTAINS AND HE LOVES SWIRLS OF WATERS AND HOW
THEY HAVE THE SAME MATH AS CURLS OF HAIR.
AND AT THE VERY BOTTOM HE HAS A TOO # TO-DO LIST YIS THE SKY
BLEW BLUE.
DESCRIBE THE TONGUE OF A WOODPECKER, AND A RECIPE FOR
BOILING NUTS IN OIL TO MAKE WHAT HE CALLS A TAWNING HAIR DYE PUP
LOOK HOW PRETTY HE IS.
HE'S IN THE MID-30s BY THE TIME HE DOES THAT PAGE.
HE'S STARTING TO DYE HIS HAIR BLOND.
AND I SAID, "YEAH!
HE'S HUMAN!
HOW COOL!" >> Stephen: WHAT DO WE KNOW
ABOUT LEONARDOS LIFE?
WAS HE ALL WORK OR ARE THERE STORIES OF HIM HANGING AROUND
DRINKING.
>> HE DOES.
HE IS ONE OF THE FRIENDLIEST COLLEGIAL PEOPLE --
>> Stephen: HE'S NOT LIKE WHAT WE SAW ON THE SPECTRUM
>> OR LIKE MICHELANGELO, WHO IS VERY MUCH OF A RECLIEWRKS THERE
ARE MORE PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE FIELD WHO SAY, "LEONARDO IS MY
BEST FRIEND."
AND LENARD OAFS A MISFIT I MEAN, HE DIDN'T FIT IN.
HE WAS ILLEGITIMATE, LEFT-HANDED, GAY, VEGETARIAN,
HERETICLE.
AND YET, HE HAS THIS WONDERFUL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS.
HE DRESSES IN PURPLE AND PINK TUNICS, HE'S VERY FLAMBOYANT.
AND HE'S TOTALLY BELOVED, FIRST IN FLORENCE WHERE HE GROWS UP
AND THEN IN MILAN, WHERE HE MOVED
>> Stephen: WHY DID FLORENCE FLOURISH IN SUCH A PARTICULAR
WAY?
>> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND ONE YOU APPRECIATE
>> Stephen: THANK YOU >> IT SAYS SO ON MY NOTES,
"GREAT QUESTION."
IT'S LIKE NEW YORK, AND YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT A LOT
RECENTLY.
LEONARDO WAS THIS MISFIT, BUT MISFITS, FIT INTO FLORENCE.
LIKE STEVE JOBS WOULD SAY MISFITS ARE REBELS, ROUND PEG IN
A SQUARE HOLE.
FLORENCE WAS VERY TOLERANT.
IT HAD LOTS OF IMMIGRANTS FROM THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPOLE,
PEOPLE FROM EUROPE.
IT IS GOLD BEADERS AND JEWELRY MAKERS WORKING WITH CLOTH
MERCHANTS AND ARCHITECTS.
AND SO THE TOLERANCE AND THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE, WHEN
THE MED KEY RAN IT AS A REPUBLIC, IS WHAT MADE IT THE
CRADLE OF THE RENAISSANCE >> Stephen: AS YOU'RE STUDYING
OR DOING THE RESEARCH OF THIS BOOK, IS THERE AN UNANSWERED
QUESTION ABOUT HIM WHERE YOU THINK IF ONLY WE HAD THAT
DOCUMENT?
IS THERE A CUE DOCUMENT ABOUT LEONARDO WE DON'T KNOW?
>> NO, WITH SO MANY PAGES WE KNOW SO MUCH --
>> Stephen: WHAT ABOUT LOST WORKS?
THING WE HEARD ABOUT BUT NEVER SAW?
>> IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS, GOING ON SALE IS SALVADOR MUNDI, ONE OF
THE FEW REDISCOVERED PAINTINGS OF LEONARDO.
HE ONLY DID ABOUT 15 FINISHED PAINTINGS, BUT THIS NEW ONE HAS
BEEN REDISCOVERED.
IT HAD BEEN LOST FOR A COUPLE HUNDRED YEARS
AND IT'S WONDERFUL AS A WORK OF SCIENCE BECAUSE THE BLESSING
HAND OF JESUS IS VERY SHARP AS IT IS COMING OUT.
HE HAS A CRYSTAL ORB, WHICH DOESN'T DISTORT JESUS' ROBES.
AND SCIENTIFICALLY YOU SAY HE KNOWS BETTER THAN THAT, IT
SHOULD DISTORT.
BUN BUTT THEN YOU REALIZE HE'S MAKING A MIRACULOUS QUALITY SO
IT'S ALWAYS FUN AND ALSO SOMETHING NEW TO DISCOVER ABOUT
LEONARDO >> Stephen: THIS IS THE BOOK
TO DO IT.
"LEONARDO" IS ON SALE NOW.
WALTER ISAACSON, EVERYBODY. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK
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Walter Isaacson Compares Leonardo Da Vinci To Modern Geniuses

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