Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

The evolution of anatomical texts and illustrations during the bridge between the 15th and 16th centuries was greatly influenced by the research of Leonardo da Vinci. Although primarily a painter, sculptor, and illustrator da Vinci also spent his time studying the scientific mystery that was the human body. Through his human dissections of cadavers and close observances of physiological movements da Vinci contributed significant and innovative information to the new and growing field of anatomy. His goal was not only to illustrate the accurate structure of the bone and muscles but to understand how emotion and cognitive thought could affect muscle positioning. This was a new direction that no other anatomist or scientist had attempted to study during this time. His detailed and intricate sketches greatly influenced the development of an accurate anatomical model following the Renaissance. Da Vinci 's sketches and drawings would also go on to inspire and guide fellow Renaissance anatomical innovators such as Andreas Vesalius and Pietro Francavilla and the later 17th century artist Ludovico Cigoli . Together, the research and conclusions made by these scientists, professors., artists and sculptors would pave the way for understanding and illustrating the design, composition, and function of the human body.

Publication Date

Spring 4-2012

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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