Leonardo as a teacher

At the mere mention of the most creative genius in the history of mankind, Leonardo da Vinci, we are immediately filled with admiration to the extent that this is not a real person, but a fictional superhero of the mind and creativity. But the truth is that the driving force behind Leonardo’s gigantic creativity, combined with a passionate intellectual curiosity, was quite human: it was his worldview from which he developed his life skills, formulating their essence in written form in a kind of diary (over 6,000 pages of notes ) that he left us, not coincidentally, encouraging us to read and apply.

On the one hand is his incomparability with the “mere mortals”: as an artist whose Mona Lisa and The Last Supper are the most famous and reproduced paintings of all time; and multi-talented to extraordinary levels with corresponding contributions in anatomy, botany, geology, optics, astronomy, hydraulics, urban planning… – without need to waste words on his legendary inventions, Leonardo is a unique phenomenon of universal genius due to the comprehensiveness of his creative and research commitments, whose ability to both critically observe things and innovate in a world of unlimited imagination, i.e. creativity, shed light on many complex problems and visionary referenced to their concrete solutions.

But on the other hand are Leonardo’s thousands of handwritten notes that give an insight into his daily life; notes full of “formulas” in a “chewed” and “down to earth” form, about how he got the best out of himself. These are universally applicable formulas, although tailored to the measure of a truly universal man – uomo universale – understood in the sense of a realized Renaissance ideal of a man who could do anything he wished, and always excel, Leonardo da Vinci.

We will start here with something that immediately catches the eye from Leonardo’s notes, and that we apply less and less today: we miss many seemingly unimportant, but actually valuable things passing through life. Da Vinci’s diaries often talk about such “small“ things that none of his contemporaries paid attention to, but it turns out that, thanks to careful observation, he found inspiration for many of his inventions precisely in everyday details.

Of course, in this text we do not intend to exhaust Leonardo da Vinci as a teacher of life; however, we will point out a few recommendations that left the strongest impression on us from his notes.

Be curious. And eager to learn and understand things

“I spent whole days wandering around the fields, observing and looking for solutions and answers to some of my questions, trying to figure out things I didn’t understand: how did sea shells appear on top of a mountain along with fossils of coral, algae; how do circles form in water when you throw a rock in it; how do birds fly? These questions and many other phenomena have occupied my thoughts all my life (…) Usually, one sees the same thing but cannot see anything, he hears and yet cannot hear, touches without actually touching…”, this is a quote from Leonardo da Vinci, who believed that “every phenomenon we carefully observe becomes an object of knowledge”.

And further, he says, “Love of an object is the daughter of our knowledge of it.” To learn something, it is necessary to love it, and when we understand and deepen our knowledge of something, then we love it even more.”

Don’t put the brakes on your imagination. But respect the facts

“Respect the facts,” said Leonardo, the symbol of unlimited imagination, but also of experimentation, measuring and remeasuring, and critical thinking during the realization of his works of art and inventions. In other words, the message is that instead of bending the truth to our needs, we have to change ourselfs in relation to it. That is, let us not be vain when we have to change our minds if knowledge and facts demand it.

Learn from nature

Despite being (arguably) mankind’s greatest mind, Leonardo believed that nature’s ingenuity was far more powerful than human thought. He believed that the wise man deeply respects nature and learns from it. In this sense, Leonardo is the forerunner of today’s ecological design philosophy and many historians consider him the first champion of animal rights: he was a vegetarian and often bought caged birds only to release them into the wild.

Leonardo wrote: “…those who study only according to the works of human authors and not according to the works of nature are only grandchildren and not sons of nature, which is the teacher of good authors.”

Write notes to benefit from flashes of inspiration

Leonardo da Vinci left us over six thousand pages of notes, supplemented by over one hundred thousand drawings. In them, he describes his experiments, and sketches architectural and technological ideas… but in the context of this article, it is important that he often wrote things down as reminders to himself to remember them later and to elaborate on or use them during the researches.

And we know from our own experience that the glimmer of a thought, an idea, an inspiration, we often forget if we don’t write it down. Leonardo, of course, wrote by hand, but here he was ahead of the rest: so as not to be interrupted by the need to solve the problem of dulling or wearing out the writing instrument, he invented the silver pencil, which served as the inspiration for today’s version of it, Pininfarina styluses with Ethergraf tips. It’s important to note here that psychological research shows that the parts of the brain associated with learning are more active when writing on paper than on a keyboard; and that handwriting more effectively activates potential creativity.

Difficulties show who is a hero

“I love those who face problems with a smile, who find new strength in difficulties and become even braver. Then the narrow-minded retreat, but those whose hearts are firm and whose consciences justify their actions are ready to follow their principles to the death”, wrote Leonardo.

And one of his students noticed the following lesson on the back of the teacher’s drawing:
“No man who sacrifices honor to profit is capable of virtue. Fortune is powerless to help one who does not try hard enough himself. There is no perfect gift without great suffering. Our triumphs and pomp pass away: greed, laziness, and ostentation have banished virtue everywhere so that our nature perverts and yields to habits.“

Look for treasure that “moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in”

“Do not call wealth that which can be lost. Virtue is our true wealth and the true reward for the one who has it. It cannot be lost (…) People who want nothing but material riches and pleasures are deprived of the full riches of wisdom, that is the food and the only strength of the spirit.”

Achieve a harmonious relationship between mind and body

Among the Florentines, Leonardo was also known for his grace, agility, and physical strength. In addition to walking tirelessly, he also practiced horseback riding, fencing, and swimming, believing that one should treat one’s health responsibly. Here is Leonardo’s advice in this sense as well:

“Beware of anger and sad moods. Be in a good mood. Exercise moderately. Eat simply and chew well. Dine little.“

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Leonardo and Pininfarina

Above, we mentioned Pininfarina’s Ethergraf-tipped styluses (a metal alloy inspired by the silver pencil used by Leonardo da Vinci), which write by microscopically “scratching” the paper and oxidizing it, leaving a trace like graphite but as permanent as if written in ink. Ethergraph tips are virtually indestructible, which means they write on indefinitely.

Although the Ethergraf is the hallmark of much of Pininfarina Segno’s writing instrument collection, on this occasion we will highlight two of the models named after the Renaissance genius.

Pininfarina Puma Leonardo

A stylus made entirely of wood (maple or pear), with a dynamic shape reminiscent of the ancient goose feather, inspired by Leonardo’s studies of flying. This model comes with a mirrored steel pedestal that reflects the signature of the Master, who often wrote to read the writing reflected in the mirror.

Pininfarina Cambiano Leonardo Drawing

This limited edition of the leading model among Pininfarina’s styluses, Cambiano, is dedicated to Leonardo’s scientific approach to art. He would begin the study of life forms with their appearance in his painter eye, and then continue the research with a detailed investigation of their essence. His famous self-portrait, which seems to have nothing to do with mathematics, was actually developed according to the growing pattern of the logarithmic spiral. This mathematical shape, emblematic of the golden ratio, is repeated in nature, from the structure of a simple shell to the shape of galaxies, and is a universal symbol of perfection.