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Leonardo da Vinci.
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Legendary artist.
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His genius is universal.
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It speaks to everybody.
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He was also a scientist
and inventor.
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There was a reason
for every decision
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and every line.
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How did he create
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the most famous painting
on Earth?
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You can perceive the beating
of the pulse
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underneath her skin.
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The answers have been as elusive
as her smile.
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Leonardo embraced mystery.
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Now researchers are peeling away
the layers.
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00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,860
Thanks to a new kind of
scientific investigation,
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00:00:46,900 --> 00:00:50,070
we are really able to get
inside the painting.
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Can science unlock her secrets?
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She seems like she's alive,
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because she looks different
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depending on
where you're looking.
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And decipher the genius
behind her creator?
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"Decoding da Vinci,"
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right now, on "NOVA."
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Major funding for "NOVA"
is provided by the following:
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In the heart of Paris lies
a former royal castle.
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It is now the world's busiest
art museum:
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the Louvre.
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Filled with glorious galleries
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of antiquities, mummies,
and Michelangelos.
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But one masterpiece
is the biggest draw of all.
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Today's reigning queen...
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the "Mona Lisa,"
by Leonardo da Vinci.
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The "Mona Lisa" has become
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some grand thing
in our imagination.
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Each time you see
the "Mona Lisa,"
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you have a different feeling
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about what she has in mind.
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Every year, millions visit her,
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drawn by her beauty
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or, perhaps, her fame.
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They've clocked the average
amount the visitors
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spend looking
at the "Mona Lisa,"
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and that's roughly
about 15 seconds.
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You're more focused
on getting a good picture
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for your Instagram feed
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than actually
looking at the painting.
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So is the "Mona Lisa"
just famous
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for being famous?
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More icon than art?
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Or does she deserve her place
on the Louvre's throne
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as the most celebrated painting
in the world?
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It's not just a portrait
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of a woman who was living
500 years ago.
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It's a demonstration
of how painting could show life.
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Now researchers are using
new techniques
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to investigate the most famous
painting on Earth
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like never before.
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The smile is crucial.
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It's teasing you, saying,
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"I know something
you don't know."
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Could the "Mona Lisa,"
with her enigmatic smile,
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be the key to decoding
the man who made her...
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Leonardo da Vinci?
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No doubt he was
a brilliant artist,
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but he was also
a groundbreaking scientist.
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He anticipated theories
by both Galileo and Newton
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by at least a century.
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And dreamed up
remarkable inventions
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that seem to predict
our modern age:
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armored tanks,
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flying machines,
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even something
like a self-driving car.
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But were
his scientific explorations
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a distraction from his painting?
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Or was science the secret
to his artistic genius?
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Was the "Mona Lisa," in fact,
Leonardo's greatest invention?
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If you want to understand
Leonardo da Vinci,
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you just have to look
at the "Mona Lisa,"
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because it's all there.
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It's the culmination
of a lifetime spent
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loving science and art.
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In the back streets
of Florence, Italy,
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Valter Conti
and his daughter Elena
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prepare for their tribute
to Leonardo
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and the "Mona Lisa"...
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Human statues
handing out Leonardo quotes.
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It's their way
of marking the 500th anniversary
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of Leonardo's death,
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and just one
of many celebrations
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that are in the works
around the world.
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From a fine art museum
in Beijing
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to a multimedia extravaganza
in Peru...
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And a blockbuster exhibition
at the Louvre.
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For the Louvre museum,
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it's a really important moment.
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Because Louvre
is like Leonardo da Vinci.
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We have the third
of all his paintings.
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Vincent Delieuvin oversees
the five Leonardo masterpieces
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that hang at the Louvre.
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That's the largest collection
in the world.
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While Leonardo may be
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the most famous painter
of all time,
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he completed surprisingly few
paintings.
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Leonardo was really
someone experimental.
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He didn't want to paint a lot.
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He wanted to paint
a perfect painting.
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So what did it take
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for Leonardo
to make a perfect painting?
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The answer may be lying
right under Delieuvin's feet.
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For the upcoming exhibition,
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he is working
with a team of scientists
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housed downstairs
from the Louvre,
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at the Center for Research
and Restoration
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of Museums in France.
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Thanks to a new kind
of scientific investigation,
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we are really able to get
inside the painting
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and to understand
how Leonardo was working
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to perfect the painting
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for a long, long time...
during five, ten, 20 years.
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It's really something
really specific to Leonardo.
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They are peering deep inside
Leonardo's masterpieces,
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hoping to reveal
the secrets of his technique
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that our eyes cannot see.
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The eye sees something
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that it believes
to be two-dimensional,
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but which is really
three-dimensional,
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because there is depth
in a painting.
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For art historian Bruno Mottin,
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the first step is to understand
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the chemistry
of Leonardo's paint,
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starting with
the powdered minerals
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that were the source
of his colors.
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You have green, which is made
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with the scratching
of copper plates,
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you have vermillion,
which is made with mercury,
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you have lead white,
which is made with lead.
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But these can't be applied
directly on a painting...
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it has to be mixed
with something else.
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These colored pigments
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are mixed with a liquid,
like oil.
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That gets painted on in layers.
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In a cross-section
of a painting,
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you have the base-
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which today
is frequently canvas,
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but in Leonardo's time,
they used planks of wood.
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On that is a coat of white
that can reflect light.
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As the artist works,
semi-translucent paint
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is built up layer by layer
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and then sealed
with a coat of varnish.
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In the end,
our eyes see the interplay
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between the light reflected off
different pigments
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suspended in the layers,
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creating depth
and elusive subtleties.
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Oil is a translucent medium,
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which gives to the mixture
a deepness.
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You can see through
all the layers.
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You don't only see
a flat surface.
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You have the feeling
of what is beneath the painting.
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Leonardo worked on the
"Mona Lisa" for about 16 years.
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Can these
investigative techniques
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help reveal, ultimately,
what he was doing all that time?
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The "Mona Lisa" began
in Florence, Italy, in 1503
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as a commission
from a wealthy cloth merchant
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to paint his wife,
Lisa Gherardini.
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The word "mona" was
a polite form of address,
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much like "madam,"
hence "Mona Lisa."
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Over time, she became
something much more.
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The "Mona Lisa" started off as
a portrait for a merchant's wife
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and ended up as a sort of
manifesto, if you want,
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of his ability
as a, as a painter,
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of his conception
of the world, even.
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So is this what the real Lisa
looked like?
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And how different
does she appear today
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from what Leonardo painted
500 years ago?
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To find out, scientists
captured the "Mona Lisa"
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with an array
of high-tech cameras.
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These detect light
in the electromagnetic spectrum
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that is not visible to our eyes.
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So just as some cameras
can see wildlife in the dark,
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these cameras can help us
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see the "Mona Lisa"
in a new light...
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literally.
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Each image provides clues
about her past.
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So we have a lot
of different images,
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which can tell us
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about the structure
of the painting
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and the, the way
it has been made.
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In the ultraviolet image,
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blotches of dark blue appear.
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These reveal areas of paint
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which are not
by Leonardo's hand.
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They are modern restorations to
repair damage to the painting,
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like this dangerous crack
in the wood base.
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And for Mottin,
it reveals even more.
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It shows us that the painting
is in fact colored
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by a greenish and yellowish
varnish
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which changes the colors
of the true painting.
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This thick varnish has
yellowed and darkened over time,
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making it difficult
to make out some of the details.
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She looks rather like
a plump lady, we should say,
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because we do not know
where the arm stops.
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But this infrared image
clearly shows
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this dark area
was once translucent.
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Lisa is wearing a veil
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that gracefully falls over her
surprisingly slender shoulders.
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To penetrate
the very deepest layers,
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the team turn to a tool
more familiar to us
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from a doctor's office:
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X-rays.
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These can reveal
how the painting began.
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Most artists at the time
began with a drawing
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and then filled it in
with thick paint.
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So the X-ray looks like this,
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Raphael's "La Belle Jardinière."
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The figures started out
clearly defined...
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and stayed that way.
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But when Leonardo's paintings
are X-rayed,
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the figures often vanish.
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Leonardo image are like phantom.
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We don't understand
at first sight
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what really is on the picture.
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In the X-ray of the "Mona Lisa,"
there is no clear outline.
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Instead, the image evolved
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as Leonardo made
continual adjustments.
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This also suggests Lisa may not
have looked exactly like this.
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He keeps it.
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He doesn't deliver it
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00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:06,370
to the merchant
who commissioned it.
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Because for him,
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it's no longer
a portrait of Mona Lisa.
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It is a universal painting.
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In the upcoming exhibition,
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Delieuvin plans to hang
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some of these
scientific masterpieces
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along with Leonardo's
original paintings.
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The scans prove
an essential point
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about Leonardo's artistry...
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he painted like no one else.
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00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,900
Leonardo is one
of the first artists
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to be really free.
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00:13:38,530 --> 00:13:41,000
He felt free to change his mind,
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not only during
the drawing preparation,
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00:13:43,570 --> 00:13:48,280
but also during the painting
of his work.
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This is incredibly not common.
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He is the only one to give
such liberty, free manner,
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in his execution.
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00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:02,460
Artists then were considered
craftsmen,
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00:14:02,490 --> 00:14:06,660
and needed to churn out
paintings for patrons.
249
00:14:06,700 --> 00:14:14,240
So how did Leonardo
become such a free spirit?
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00:14:14,270 --> 00:14:17,370
From the beginning,
Leonardo was an outsider.
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Born in 1452
to an unwed farm girl
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00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:26,610
in the small Italian town
of Vinci,
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he was named
"Leonardo from Vinci."
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Therefore, Leonardo da Vinci.
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Leonardo had
the great good fortune
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to be born out of wedlock.
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It meant he didn't
have crammed into him
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00:14:40,100 --> 00:14:44,060
the sort of old dusty scholastic
wisdom of the Middle Ages.
259
00:14:44,100 --> 00:14:46,630
Instead,
he got to be self-taught.
260
00:14:46,670 --> 00:14:50,640
It also meant he didn't have
to be a notary like his father.
261
00:14:50,670 --> 00:14:52,340
And so he has a fresh life,
262
00:14:52,380 --> 00:14:54,040
where he can be
anything he wants.
263
00:14:56,850 --> 00:14:58,950
At about 14, Leonardo's father
264
00:14:58,980 --> 00:15:01,480
sent him to learn a trade
in Florence,
265
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:05,790
the epicenter of commerce,
learning, and beauty
266
00:15:05,820 --> 00:15:08,060
at the beginning
of the Renaissance.
267
00:15:10,890 --> 00:15:13,560
Florence was one
of the most advanced
268
00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,360
social organization
of the planet.
269
00:15:15,400 --> 00:15:17,800
Very wealthy city.
270
00:15:17,830 --> 00:15:20,600
A city that was attracting
the brightest guys around.
271
00:15:23,210 --> 00:15:25,640
Florence is just extraordinary
at this time,
272
00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:29,040
to produce Donatello, Masaccio,
Brunelleschi,
273
00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,150
Michelangelo, Raphael.
274
00:15:34,650 --> 00:15:35,920
With no formal education,
275
00:15:35,950 --> 00:15:38,420
Leonardo started
as an apprentice
276
00:15:38,450 --> 00:15:41,690
in one of the leading
artist's studios of the day:
277
00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:46,490
the workshop
of Andrea del Verrocchio.
278
00:15:46,530 --> 00:15:48,160
Verrocchio
was a sculptor above all,
279
00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,970
but also a painter,
an architect.
280
00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:52,130
He could play music.
281
00:15:54,270 --> 00:15:57,270
So the example of Verrocchio
was very important
282
00:15:57,310 --> 00:16:00,310
to Leonardo.
283
00:16:00,340 --> 00:16:01,810
Leonardo's training
with Verrocchio
284
00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,610
is a real model
of how an artist should evolve.
285
00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:09,180
Technique is subordinate
to the act of seeing.
286
00:16:09,220 --> 00:16:10,380
It's about the eye,
287
00:16:10,420 --> 00:16:12,820
and it's Leonardo
who first described that.
288
00:16:12,860 --> 00:16:16,090
It is believed
the handsome model
289
00:16:16,130 --> 00:16:18,530
for this Verrocchio statue
of David
290
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:22,700
is his apprentice,
a young Leonardo.
291
00:16:22,730 --> 00:16:26,130
So, they think that
Leonardo posed for his master.
292
00:16:26,170 --> 00:16:30,200
It's a very elegant boy face
293
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:32,310
framed by these beautiful curls.
294
00:16:32,340 --> 00:16:35,280
Despite the circumstances
of his illegitimate birth,
295
00:16:35,310 --> 00:16:40,580
the workshop gave Leonardo
a way to get ahead in life.
296
00:16:40,620 --> 00:16:42,250
He's a misfit.
297
00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:43,920
He's illegitimate.
298
00:16:43,950 --> 00:16:45,990
He's gay, he's left-handed,
299
00:16:46,020 --> 00:16:48,460
he's a vegetarian,
he's distracted,
300
00:16:48,490 --> 00:16:50,920
and yet he's embraced
by the people of Florence
301
00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:55,900
because it was
a very tolerant city.
302
00:16:55,930 --> 00:17:00,530
One of the most challenging
construction projects of the day
303
00:17:00,570 --> 00:17:03,300
was capping the dome of the
breathtaking cathedral
304
00:17:03,340 --> 00:17:06,310
with a golden sphere.
305
00:17:06,340 --> 00:17:09,980
The commission of the crowning
of the cupola
306
00:17:10,010 --> 00:17:12,450
with a gilded sphere
307
00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:13,850
was a very important one.
308
00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:18,850
And that's a commission
that Verrocchio secured.
309
00:17:18,890 --> 00:17:22,890
Verrocchio's team, which
included a young Leonardo,
310
00:17:22,930 --> 00:17:25,660
had to figure out
not only the design,
311
00:17:25,690 --> 00:17:29,360
but also how to secure
the one-and-a-half-ton ball
312
00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,830
on top of the nearly
370-foot high cathedral.
313
00:17:35,670 --> 00:17:38,710
Figuring out how to get the ball
on top of the cathedral
314
00:17:38,740 --> 00:17:41,210
helps Leonardo become
a great engineer.
315
00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:42,740
It helps him become an artist,
316
00:17:42,780 --> 00:17:45,450
because he gets the perspective
of the ball right.
317
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:49,880
That combination of science,
engineering, and art
318
00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,620
becomes part
of who Leonardo da Vinci is.
319
00:17:52,660 --> 00:17:57,320
In fact, in sheer quantity,
320
00:17:57,360 --> 00:17:58,930
Leonardo's
scientific investigations
321
00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:00,560
far outweigh
his output of paintings.
322
00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:04,830
The proof of that lies
in a remarkable collection
323
00:18:04,870 --> 00:18:07,000
of replicas of his notebooks.
324
00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:10,000
We have very few records,
325
00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:12,070
in the whole history of science,
326
00:18:12,110 --> 00:18:14,780
similar
to Leonardo's manuscripts.
327
00:18:14,810 --> 00:18:16,410
These are not books.
328
00:18:16,450 --> 00:18:18,650
You cannot compare that
to a work
329
00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:20,250
of, by Galileo or by Newton,
330
00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:22,980
because they have
solved the problems
331
00:18:23,020 --> 00:18:24,850
before writing their books.
332
00:18:24,890 --> 00:18:27,550
Paolo Galluzzi is the director
333
00:18:27,590 --> 00:18:29,620
of the Galileo Museum
in Florence.
334
00:18:31,330 --> 00:18:32,560
What we have in Leonardo
335
00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,060
is the direct expression
of his internal dialogue.
336
00:18:36,100 --> 00:18:40,470
Leonardo's notebooks
span his lifetime.
337
00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:44,740
They even come pocket-sized.
338
00:18:44,770 --> 00:18:48,110
We're sure that
those 6,000 pages that we have
339
00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:49,980
are by him.
340
00:18:50,010 --> 00:18:53,810
And this is just one-fourth
of what he actually penned.
341
00:18:53,850 --> 00:18:57,150
So we're talking about
something he was obsessed by
342
00:18:57,190 --> 00:19:01,520
throughout his life.
343
00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:04,530
The brilliance and breadth
of Leonardo's notebooks
344
00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:08,000
is astonishing.
345
00:19:08,030 --> 00:19:11,700
His ideas seem to predict
our modern age,
346
00:19:11,730 --> 00:19:14,500
making Leonardo much more
than a Renaissance scientist
347
00:19:14,540 --> 00:19:16,040
for many.
348
00:19:17,770 --> 00:19:20,440
His dreams of human flight
349
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,340
include a helicopter-like
machine
350
00:19:22,380 --> 00:19:25,510
and a parachute.
351
00:19:25,550 --> 00:19:28,020
A fascination with water
352
00:19:28,050 --> 00:19:31,050
led to ambitious
civil engineering proposals.
353
00:19:35,390 --> 00:19:38,490
And he conceived an intriguing
self-propelled machine
354
00:19:38,530 --> 00:19:44,130
that seems part-automobile,
part-early robot.
355
00:19:45,470 --> 00:19:49,240
But could any of these inventive
designs have actually worked?
356
00:19:51,340 --> 00:19:52,870
Leonardo is, of course,
357
00:19:52,910 --> 00:19:55,010
a great artist,
358
00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:56,940
but he's also a great scientist,
359
00:19:56,980 --> 00:19:58,480
and, I would argue,
a great engineer.
360
00:19:58,510 --> 00:20:01,050
The geometry is stunning...
361
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:03,380
One small sketch
in Leonardo's notebooks
362
00:20:03,420 --> 00:20:06,720
has so intrigued M.I.T. engineer
John Ochsendorf
363
00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:10,120
that he asked
his graduate student Karly Bast
364
00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,760
to bring 21st-century
engineering rigor
365
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,400
to see
if Leonardo's 16th-century idea
366
00:20:16,430 --> 00:20:18,430
would in fact stand.
367
00:20:18,470 --> 00:20:21,400
There is a historical reason
for this,
368
00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:22,616
because you see it
in the drawing, right?
369
00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:24,140
Yeah, these two aren't...
370
00:20:24,170 --> 00:20:27,840
In 1502, the year before
starting the "Mona Lisa,"
371
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,680
Leonardo proposed
372
00:20:29,710 --> 00:20:31,480
to the sultan
of the Ottoman Empire
373
00:20:31,510 --> 00:20:35,980
a bridge in Constantinople
five times longer
374
00:20:36,020 --> 00:20:39,250
than any other span at the time.
375
00:20:41,660 --> 00:20:44,390
His plan
for this ambitious project,
376
00:20:44,430 --> 00:20:47,390
sketched upside-down
in a small notebook,
377
00:20:47,430 --> 00:20:49,700
offers few details...
378
00:20:49,730 --> 00:20:53,370
yet just enough for Bast
to bring it to life.
379
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,440
Leonardo provided
four measurements,
380
00:20:55,470 --> 00:20:57,800
but he provided two sketches.
381
00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:00,840
At first, it seems
like a rough sketch,
382
00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:02,340
but as I dug into it,
383
00:21:02,380 --> 00:21:04,010
I realized there was a reason
384
00:21:04,050 --> 00:21:06,710
for every decision
and every line.
385
00:21:06,750 --> 00:21:08,450
There was a lot of thought
386
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,320
put into the force distribution,
and it wasn't just aesthetic.
387
00:21:11,350 --> 00:21:14,350
It was engineering.
388
00:21:14,390 --> 00:21:16,220
And to test that engineering,
389
00:21:16,260 --> 00:21:17,660
Bast and her colleagues
390
00:21:17,690 --> 00:21:20,030
have built a scale model
of the bridge
391
00:21:20,060 --> 00:21:23,560
with a state-of-the-art
3-D printer.
392
00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:25,930
Before 3-D printing came along,
393
00:21:25,970 --> 00:21:27,376
we'd have to try
to build that bridge
394
00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:29,440
as close as we could
to the full scale,
395
00:21:29,470 --> 00:21:32,410
because you couldn't reliably
get the geometry quite right.
396
00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:35,540
Leonardo's stone bridge
would have been
397
00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:38,110
500 times
the size of this model,
398
00:21:38,150 --> 00:21:41,180
but the physics
are exactly the same.
399
00:21:41,220 --> 00:21:42,420
We have the bridge,
400
00:21:42,450 --> 00:21:44,720
and we have the mold
that's holding it up.
401
00:21:44,750 --> 00:21:46,950
The first piece
should be easy to take off.
402
00:21:46,990 --> 00:21:52,030
Piece by piece,
she removes the Styrofoam...
403
00:21:52,060 --> 00:21:55,300
a modern day stand-in
for the wooden scaffolding
404
00:21:55,330 --> 00:21:56,730
used in Leonardo's day.
405
00:21:56,770 --> 00:21:58,330
This is more like heart surgery
406
00:21:58,370 --> 00:22:00,070
than bridge construction.
407
00:22:00,100 --> 00:22:02,900
Finally, the last support
is removed.
408
00:22:06,310 --> 00:22:10,580
And Leonardo's stone bridge
stands.
409
00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:15,250
The geometry is
aesthetically beautiful,
410
00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:18,250
and the fact
that this is standing on its own
411
00:22:18,290 --> 00:22:20,650
tells us that it was feasible.
412
00:22:20,690 --> 00:22:21,620
Absolutely.
413
00:22:21,660 --> 00:22:23,020
Wow.
414
00:22:23,060 --> 00:22:25,890
Leonardo's bridge even stays up
415
00:22:25,930 --> 00:22:27,830
when they simulate
an earthquake.
416
00:22:27,860 --> 00:22:29,130
Stop.
417
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:30,600
1,500 pounds.
418
00:22:30,630 --> 00:22:32,470
Oh, my God.
419
00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:36,440
It has moved by 30 feet,
and the arch still stands.
420
00:22:36,470 --> 00:22:41,210
The bridge does eventually
collapse,
421
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:45,980
but only after being moved
the equivalent of 50 feet.
422
00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:49,780
Leonardo has
the artistic ability,
423
00:22:49,820 --> 00:22:51,820
and he also has
that scientific knowledge
424
00:22:51,850 --> 00:22:53,650
and that engineering capability
425
00:22:53,690 --> 00:22:55,790
where he can create things
426
00:22:55,820 --> 00:22:58,490
that are beautiful
and structurally sound.
427
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,400
Bast clearly had to fill in
some details
428
00:23:02,430 --> 00:23:04,560
to get from this sketch
429
00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,670
to this model.
430
00:23:06,700 --> 00:23:09,100
And we don't know if the bridge
could have been built
431
00:23:09,140 --> 00:23:11,300
with the wooden scaffold
of the day.
432
00:23:11,340 --> 00:23:12,940
And he also shows...
433
00:23:12,980 --> 00:23:14,240
But she has shown
434
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,980
Leonardo got the basic physics
right.
435
00:23:17,010 --> 00:23:19,810
What's extraordinary
is the ideas
436
00:23:19,850 --> 00:23:24,450
that he was coming up with
more than 500 years ago.
437
00:23:24,490 --> 00:23:26,120
Yep.
438
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,420
We're still trying
to understand them.
439
00:23:33,130 --> 00:23:35,760
As with this ambitious proposal
to the sultan,
440
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,630
Leonardo sought out
wealthy patrons
441
00:23:37,670 --> 00:23:39,200
throughout his life
442
00:23:39,230 --> 00:23:44,770
to support not only his art,
but his scientific explorations.
443
00:23:46,580 --> 00:23:51,950
At 30, he moved to Milan
to work for its duke.
444
00:23:51,980 --> 00:23:54,750
17 years later,
when the duke was deposed,
445
00:23:54,780 --> 00:23:58,150
Leonardo had to move once again,
446
00:23:58,190 --> 00:24:01,990
back to Florence,
and later, Rome.
447
00:24:02,020 --> 00:24:04,860
His accomplishments
in science and art
448
00:24:04,890 --> 00:24:07,090
meant he had much to offer.
449
00:24:07,130 --> 00:24:09,130
Leonardo sells himself
as an engineer,
450
00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:10,860
as well as an artist,
451
00:24:10,900 --> 00:24:12,970
because he knows he can make
a better living.
452
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,400
But also, I think,
Leonardo just loved
453
00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,510
the connection
of the arts and sciences,
454
00:24:19,540 --> 00:24:22,710
and he didn't want to have
to be siloed as just a painter.
455
00:24:22,740 --> 00:24:27,150
Leonardo's explorations
in science
456
00:24:27,180 --> 00:24:32,590
can also be clearly seen
in the details of his paintings.
457
00:24:32,620 --> 00:24:37,260
He studied everything
from botany
458
00:24:37,290 --> 00:24:40,530
to the physics of flowing water.
459
00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:44,870
Even the curls of human hair.
460
00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:46,470
To paint something
absolutely perfect,
461
00:24:46,500 --> 00:24:52,040
he had to understand
how nature was done.
462
00:24:52,070 --> 00:24:54,410
To paint a mountain,
to paint rocks,
463
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:58,140
he had to understand
why the rocks were of that kind.
464
00:24:58,180 --> 00:25:00,080
He was obsessed with that.
465
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:03,580
And that was what he called
the science of painting.
466
00:25:05,250 --> 00:25:09,860
The science of painting was
all-encompassing for Leonardo.
467
00:25:09,890 --> 00:25:13,160
But how could he capture
the beauty he observed in nature
468
00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:15,330
with paint?
469
00:25:19,700 --> 00:25:23,270
Back at the Louvre,
art restorers and researchers
470
00:25:23,310 --> 00:25:25,670
are uncovering new clues
471
00:25:25,710 --> 00:25:27,740
in an elegant
intensive care unit
472
00:25:27,780 --> 00:25:30,780
for priceless works of art.
473
00:25:34,820 --> 00:25:37,020
To prepare
for the upcoming exhibit,
474
00:25:37,050 --> 00:25:38,396
Delieuvin and
the team of scientists
475
00:25:38,420 --> 00:25:42,220
are restoring a painting
long shrouded by controversy.
476
00:25:45,330 --> 00:25:47,930
For centuries,
this portrait of Bacchus
477
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:52,030
was considered one of the few
paintings by Leonardo's hand.
478
00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:56,740
But now, experts aren't so sure.
479
00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:00,870
For centuries, that painting
480
00:26:00,910 --> 00:26:03,340
was attributed to Leonardo.
481
00:26:03,380 --> 00:26:06,680
But during the 20th century,
some historians said,
482
00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:08,850
"Well, it looks like difference
483
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,126
compared
to the other paintings."
484
00:26:10,150 --> 00:26:14,490
Cinzia Pasquali has been
brought in
485
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,590
to restore the painting.
486
00:26:16,630 --> 00:26:18,360
Can Leonardo's
unique scientific techniques
487
00:26:18,390 --> 00:26:24,460
provide the clue she needs
to finally solve the mystery:
488
00:26:24,500 --> 00:26:28,030
did Leonardo in fact paint this?
489
00:26:38,150 --> 00:26:42,580
Restoration work is not
for the faint of heart.
490
00:26:42,620 --> 00:26:44,650
This painting may be
in bad shape,
491
00:26:44,690 --> 00:26:47,990
but Pasquali
is still taking her scalpel
492
00:26:48,020 --> 00:26:52,530
to an irreplaceable masterpiece.
493
00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:55,860
She scrapes away
the yellow darkened varnish,
494
00:26:55,900 --> 00:26:59,470
revealing a vibrant color
beneath.
495
00:27:01,500 --> 00:27:04,540
But other parts of the painting
appear more damaged.
496
00:27:04,570 --> 00:27:08,480
So Pasquali must rely
on her training
497
00:27:08,510 --> 00:27:10,140
not only in art history,
498
00:27:10,180 --> 00:27:12,850
but also chemistry.
499
00:27:15,820 --> 00:27:18,150
The colors of pigment in paint
500
00:27:18,190 --> 00:27:22,090
can change or fade over time.
501
00:27:22,120 --> 00:27:24,420
But the chemistry
of the pigments themselves
502
00:27:24,460 --> 00:27:25,960
can still be detected.
503
00:27:25,990 --> 00:27:31,560
Pasquali orders a special scan
for the element copper,
504
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,700
often used in green paint.
505
00:27:35,570 --> 00:27:39,240
The scan reveals this dark area
of the painting
506
00:27:39,270 --> 00:27:41,740
was once a lush garden,
507
00:27:41,780 --> 00:27:45,580
until the copper in the paint
darkened.
508
00:27:45,610 --> 00:27:46,880
So we can see a lot
509
00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:51,950
of vegetable and leaves
and plants and flower,
510
00:27:51,990 --> 00:27:56,690
and when you look on the surface
of the work, they are not.
511
00:27:59,430 --> 00:28:02,360
While the beauty of these plants
may suggest
512
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:04,760
Leonardo's meticulous attention
to detail,
513
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,100
that's not enough to say
for sure
514
00:28:07,140 --> 00:28:09,340
he painted it himself.
515
00:28:10,810 --> 00:28:13,040
So the investigation turns
516
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:15,780
to his brushwork.
517
00:28:18,810 --> 00:28:21,480
One of the most characteristic
fingerprints of a Leonardo
518
00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:25,520
are remarkably thin layers
of paint,
519
00:28:25,550 --> 00:28:29,520
which can only be seen
with a powerful microscope.
520
00:28:39,370 --> 00:28:42,900
Some Leonardos have been found
521
00:28:42,940 --> 00:28:46,170
to have as many
as 30 layers of paint...
522
00:28:46,210 --> 00:28:49,410
many more than most painters.
523
00:28:51,780 --> 00:28:53,350
As she continues
her restoration,
524
00:28:53,380 --> 00:28:57,550
Pasquali is looking for evidence
of this unusual technique.
525
00:28:58,820 --> 00:29:01,490
But what was Leonardo
trying to achieve
526
00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:03,420
with all those thin layers?
527
00:29:05,730 --> 00:29:08,360
Just ask a living painter.
528
00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:12,670
Da Vinci was always looking
for beauty.
529
00:29:12,700 --> 00:29:15,140
He's not just painting
or drawing a tree.
530
00:29:15,170 --> 00:29:19,670
He wants to paint the perfect
expression of what a tree is.
531
00:29:21,210 --> 00:29:24,510
This aspiration
to beauty is, to me,
532
00:29:24,550 --> 00:29:27,050
very inspiring as an artist.
533
00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:32,150
Florent Farges is a painter
in Dijon, France.
534
00:29:32,190 --> 00:29:35,990
In the tradition
of the Renaissance,
535
00:29:36,020 --> 00:29:38,390
Farges runs
an artist's workshop,
536
00:29:38,430 --> 00:29:39,960
but with a twist.
537
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,500
Hello, everyone,
and welcome to a new video.
538
00:29:43,530 --> 00:29:45,130
His is a virtual one.
539
00:29:45,170 --> 00:29:47,270
This one is going to guide you
540
00:29:47,300 --> 00:29:52,440
through the entire process
of classical figure painting.
541
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,310
Most Italian painters
at the time
542
00:29:56,340 --> 00:29:59,180
mixed their pigments
into an egg base,
543
00:29:59,210 --> 00:30:04,380
using real egg.
544
00:30:04,420 --> 00:30:05,890
But egg tempera doesn't allow
545
00:30:05,920 --> 00:30:09,690
as much light
to pass through it,
546
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:13,790
so there is less depth
in the painting.
547
00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,930
Instead, Leonardo decided
to use an oil,
548
00:30:18,970 --> 00:30:22,570
like linseed or walnut.
549
00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:24,700
Leonardo was using oil.
550
00:30:24,740 --> 00:30:28,580
Because oil helps
to reproduce in the best way
551
00:30:28,610 --> 00:30:30,410
the transition
between light and shadow.
552
00:30:33,220 --> 00:30:37,120
Gradually, Farges' portrait
comes to life.
553
00:30:47,660 --> 00:30:48,930
For the finishing touches,
554
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:51,200
Farges demonstrates
how oil paint
555
00:30:51,230 --> 00:30:53,400
can be applied very thinly
556
00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,300
to create
a subtle shading of light
557
00:30:55,340 --> 00:30:58,240
falling across the human body.
558
00:30:58,270 --> 00:31:00,310
If I want, I can come back later
559
00:31:00,340 --> 00:31:02,340
and put another layer
on top of that,
560
00:31:02,380 --> 00:31:04,880
to make this transition
very soft.
561
00:31:08,350 --> 00:31:12,050
Leonardo's techniques are still
being taught today
562
00:31:12,090 --> 00:31:14,520
in his hometown of Florence.
563
00:31:15,990 --> 00:31:18,020
To make their paintings
come alive,
564
00:31:18,060 --> 00:31:21,390
artists strive to capture
human flesh
565
00:31:21,430 --> 00:31:25,230
and the way light
reveals its shape.
566
00:31:25,270 --> 00:31:26,430
Leonardo speaks
567
00:31:26,470 --> 00:31:28,670
about the smoky transition
of light to shade.
568
00:31:30,540 --> 00:31:34,510
That's how we perceive
in nature.
569
00:31:34,540 --> 00:31:36,940
The problem often
with photographic images we see
570
00:31:36,980 --> 00:31:38,910
is that there's so much detail,
571
00:31:38,950 --> 00:31:40,230
we don't get the broader effect.
572
00:31:41,820 --> 00:31:46,690
We see life very much
out of focus... we glance.
573
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,420
Other artists of the day,
574
00:31:48,460 --> 00:31:50,090
like Sandro Botticelli,
575
00:31:50,130 --> 00:31:53,560
painted figures
with hard outlines.
576
00:31:56,430 --> 00:31:58,730
But Leonardo used
his fine layers
577
00:31:58,770 --> 00:32:04,700
to create soft transitions,
obscuring the lines.
578
00:32:04,740 --> 00:32:09,240
This is his signature look,
called "sfumato,"
579
00:32:09,280 --> 00:32:12,510
from the Italian "fumo,"
or smoke.
580
00:32:14,450 --> 00:32:16,820
Unquestionably,
the most famous example
581
00:32:16,850 --> 00:32:18,520
of Leonardo's sfumato
582
00:32:18,550 --> 00:32:22,690
is that enigmatic smile
of the "Mona Lisa."
583
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,590
Just look at the mouth.
584
00:32:31,830 --> 00:32:33,970
Look at the eyes.
585
00:32:35,900 --> 00:32:37,800
You can't see lines.
586
00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:42,980
You just see
the movement of the light.
587
00:32:43,010 --> 00:32:45,240
That's incredible,
and there is no comparison
588
00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:49,380
with other artists at that time.
589
00:32:49,420 --> 00:32:51,450
There's no edge there at all.
590
00:32:51,490 --> 00:32:53,650
It's all very uncertain.
591
00:32:53,690 --> 00:32:55,960
This plays a psychological role,
of course,
592
00:32:55,990 --> 00:32:59,360
because she is present
but somehow not tangible.
593
00:32:59,390 --> 00:33:02,830
She is idealized.
594
00:33:04,830 --> 00:33:08,430
For Leonardo, sfumato captured
in two dimensions
595
00:33:08,470 --> 00:33:12,470
what he observed
in the three-dimensional world.
596
00:33:14,010 --> 00:33:16,010
But in order
to get the skin just right,
597
00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:17,910
he had to go deeper...
598
00:33:17,950 --> 00:33:21,450
to the muscles
and tendons below.
599
00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,420
Hold it like that.
600
00:33:24,450 --> 00:33:26,190
Trudy Van Houten
601
00:33:26,220 --> 00:33:27,620
has taught anatomy for 30 years.
602
00:33:27,660 --> 00:33:29,690
Perfect.
603
00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,990
Leonardo da Vinci constantly
inspires me.
604
00:33:33,030 --> 00:33:37,100
She says the science of anatomy
is beautiful.
605
00:33:37,130 --> 00:33:38,100
Would you like me to cut that?
606
00:33:38,130 --> 00:33:39,300
Yes, please.
607
00:33:39,330 --> 00:33:41,130
Though the process often is not.
608
00:33:41,170 --> 00:33:42,070
Nice.
609
00:33:42,100 --> 00:33:44,400
You've beautifully preserved
610
00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:45,810
that tiny little vessel.
611
00:33:47,310 --> 00:33:50,940
Leonardo dissected 30 bodies.
612
00:33:50,980 --> 00:33:52,410
And with no refrigeration,
613
00:33:52,450 --> 00:33:55,480
it would have been
especially unpleasant.
614
00:33:55,520 --> 00:33:57,980
The intestines would've been
a particular problem
615
00:33:58,020 --> 00:33:59,890
because they contain
a lot of bacteria.
616
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:02,060
And even after death,
617
00:34:02,090 --> 00:34:05,590
the intestines become inflated,
and larger and larger.
618
00:34:05,630 --> 00:34:07,890
That's where things
were going to go bad quickest,
619
00:34:07,930 --> 00:34:09,900
and smell the worst.
620
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:17,540
It's a very messy business.
621
00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:20,570
Many of the drawings
622
00:34:20,610 --> 00:34:22,540
from Leonardo's
messy dissections
623
00:34:22,580 --> 00:34:25,750
today live on
in the most refined of places:
624
00:34:25,780 --> 00:34:27,750
Windsor Castle,
625
00:34:27,780 --> 00:34:31,250
just outside of London.
626
00:34:31,290 --> 00:34:34,250
Steps away from where
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
627
00:34:34,290 --> 00:34:36,260
posed for their wedding photos,
628
00:34:36,290 --> 00:34:42,760
more than 200 Leonardo drawings
are secured in the Print Room.
629
00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:47,630
Martin Clayton is the curator
of those drawings.
630
00:34:48,740 --> 00:34:50,370
He couldn't help himself
631
00:34:50,410 --> 00:34:52,110
making a beautiful drawing.
632
00:34:52,140 --> 00:34:55,170
But what most interested
Leonardo was the structure,
633
00:34:55,210 --> 00:34:57,080
the machinery of the body.
634
00:34:57,110 --> 00:35:01,080
And this particular drawing
is one of the finest examples
635
00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:03,820
of Leonardo trying to understand
how the shoulder works
636
00:35:03,850 --> 00:35:06,420
purely in mechanical terms.
637
00:35:08,690 --> 00:35:09,836
There's no mystery of the body.
638
00:35:09,860 --> 00:35:11,890
The body is a machine
that can be looked at
639
00:35:11,930 --> 00:35:15,130
and analyzed
in purely objective terms.
640
00:35:17,170 --> 00:35:22,030
The beauty of Leonardo's
drawings is undeniable.
641
00:35:22,070 --> 00:35:23,770
But in light
of all that we've learned
642
00:35:23,810 --> 00:35:26,770
with the help of tools
like the MRI,
643
00:35:26,810 --> 00:35:30,310
did he get it right?
644
00:35:30,350 --> 00:35:33,980
If I were asked to grade
his anatomical drawings,
645
00:35:34,020 --> 00:35:36,450
they would go from A to F.
646
00:35:38,650 --> 00:35:39,990
His drawing of the muscles,
647
00:35:40,020 --> 00:35:42,320
of things that he was
directly observing
648
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,490
and giving functional sense to,
649
00:35:44,530 --> 00:35:48,190
those I would give an A-plus.
650
00:35:48,230 --> 00:35:53,330
In terms of some of the organs,
I could not do so.
651
00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,270
One of Leonardo's most ambitious
anatomical drawings
652
00:35:58,310 --> 00:36:01,610
is called the "Great Lady."
653
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:04,310
It is considered a masterpiece,
654
00:36:04,350 --> 00:36:08,150
but for Van Houten,
it's a bit of a mess.
655
00:36:08,180 --> 00:36:10,650
The feature I went to right away
656
00:36:10,690 --> 00:36:12,250
are strange structures
657
00:36:12,290 --> 00:36:16,460
flying out
from the sides of the uterus.
658
00:36:16,490 --> 00:36:19,990
They reminded me
of carrots with tops.
659
00:36:20,030 --> 00:36:24,760
These strange sort of
horn-like structures
660
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:26,970
are ligaments
observed by Leonardo in a cow.
661
00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:29,700
Leonardo assumed
662
00:36:29,740 --> 00:36:31,380
that all mammals
have the same structures.
663
00:36:32,940 --> 00:36:35,440
He's sort of feeling his way
into a field
664
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:38,210
that had never
been illustrated before.
665
00:36:38,250 --> 00:36:42,220
Leonardo's ground-breaking
dissections
666
00:36:42,250 --> 00:36:45,150
certainly informed his art.
667
00:36:47,290 --> 00:36:52,690
He returned to this painting,
"Saint Jerome," after 20 years,
668
00:36:52,730 --> 00:36:57,660
revising the neck to accurately
portray the muscle beneath.
669
00:37:03,140 --> 00:37:06,610
He did not revisit
one of his earliest paintings,
670
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:08,270
"Ginevra de' Benci,"
671
00:37:08,310 --> 00:37:09,510
and it shows
672
00:37:09,540 --> 00:37:14,550
in what has been called
the flatness of her face.
673
00:37:14,580 --> 00:37:16,780
But by the time
of the "Mona Lisa,"
674
00:37:16,820 --> 00:37:21,550
Leonardo's knowledge of anatomy
is beautifully convincing.
675
00:37:23,830 --> 00:37:26,730
One intriguing page
of Leonardo's notebooks
676
00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,730
shows several illustrations
of human lips
677
00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:31,630
in exaggerated expressions,
678
00:37:31,670 --> 00:37:35,840
done from dissections.
679
00:37:35,870 --> 00:37:40,370
And it shows how each muscle
and each nerve affects the lips,
680
00:37:40,410 --> 00:37:44,680
and at the very top
is this tiny faint sketch,
681
00:37:44,710 --> 00:37:46,850
and you see the first sketch
682
00:37:46,880 --> 00:37:49,880
of what will be the smile
of the "Mona Lisa."
683
00:37:56,720 --> 00:37:58,490
Anatomy and his painting
technique
684
00:37:58,530 --> 00:38:02,460
explain in part how Leonardo
infused the "Mona Lisa"
685
00:38:02,500 --> 00:38:05,500
with a lifelike quality.
686
00:38:05,530 --> 00:38:07,030
But to complete the illusion,
687
00:38:07,070 --> 00:38:10,700
he needed to explore
another area of science:
688
00:38:10,740 --> 00:38:14,840
how humans see.
689
00:38:16,310 --> 00:38:21,250
Among the many aspects
in which Leonardo
690
00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:22,696
was using his knowledge
as a scientist
691
00:38:22,720 --> 00:38:25,080
to become a better painter
692
00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:26,890
is optics.
693
00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:29,890
And optics is called by Leonardo
694
00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:31,590
"perspectiva"... perspective.
695
00:38:35,560 --> 00:38:37,160
It's basic geometry,
696
00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:39,870
because when you have an object
with parallel lines,
697
00:38:39,900 --> 00:38:43,740
they will seem to vanish
into a point,
698
00:38:43,770 --> 00:38:46,870
which is called
the vanishing point.
699
00:38:46,910 --> 00:38:48,140
Leonardo was fascinated
700
00:38:48,180 --> 00:38:51,980
by many aspects
of how we perceive our world.
701
00:38:52,010 --> 00:38:56,480
He even studied
the composition of air
702
00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,150
to determine
how atmosphere affects
703
00:38:58,190 --> 00:39:01,420
the appearance of objects
in the distance.
704
00:39:01,460 --> 00:39:04,420
Leonardo is trying to capture
the complexity of the world.
705
00:39:04,460 --> 00:39:09,500
But how can you paint something
that you cannot see,
706
00:39:09,530 --> 00:39:14,300
like the transparency of air?
707
00:39:14,340 --> 00:39:17,700
Leonardo not only looked
at mathematical perspective,
708
00:39:17,740 --> 00:39:20,940
but he looked at how colors
change as you get further away,
709
00:39:20,980 --> 00:39:22,880
how the sharpness of something
changes
710
00:39:22,910 --> 00:39:25,180
as you get further away from it.
711
00:39:27,380 --> 00:39:30,920
And did Leonardo also discover
tricks of perception
712
00:39:30,950 --> 00:39:33,820
to pull off the greatest
illusion of all:
713
00:39:33,860 --> 00:39:35,390
that elusive smile?
714
00:39:39,660 --> 00:39:43,430
She's looking out,
and her smile is a reaction
715
00:39:43,460 --> 00:39:46,570
triggered by the arrival
of somebody.
716
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:51,140
This is the fiction that
the painting tries to establish.
717
00:39:51,170 --> 00:39:54,940
The great artists know
how to draw you in,
718
00:39:54,980 --> 00:39:57,210
but not to tell you
what to think.
719
00:39:57,250 --> 00:39:58,380
They offer the tease.
720
00:40:00,450 --> 00:40:02,550
The ambiguity
of Mona Lisa's smile
721
00:40:02,580 --> 00:40:06,850
is indeed part of her allure.
722
00:40:06,890 --> 00:40:10,660
How did Leonardo
pull that effect off?
723
00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:15,160
That is a question
that intrigued
724
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,330
neurophysiologist
Margaret Livingstone.
725
00:40:18,370 --> 00:40:20,870
She studies
the human visual system:
726
00:40:20,900 --> 00:40:23,940
how our eyes and brain
operate together
727
00:40:23,970 --> 00:40:25,740
to make sense of the world.
728
00:40:25,770 --> 00:40:27,010
As a neurophysiologist,
729
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:29,640
I actually learn a lot
from artists,
730
00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:31,380
because they study how we see.
731
00:40:31,410 --> 00:40:32,550
I study how we see.
732
00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:37,780
A lot of good art
takes advantage
733
00:40:37,820 --> 00:40:40,490
of the computations
your brain makes
734
00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:43,460
by exaggerating things
735
00:40:43,490 --> 00:40:45,006
that your visual system
finds important.
736
00:40:45,030 --> 00:40:50,000
Human vision is among the best
in the animal kingdom.
737
00:40:52,130 --> 00:40:53,530
The center of our retina
738
00:40:53,570 --> 00:40:56,140
is packed
with special photoreceptors
739
00:40:56,170 --> 00:40:59,510
that enable us to see details,
or sharpness.
740
00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:05,540
But away from the center...
toward the periphery...
741
00:41:05,580 --> 00:41:08,280
there are fewer of those types
of receptors.
742
00:41:10,750 --> 00:41:15,220
We can see movement,
but not detail.
743
00:41:15,260 --> 00:41:17,560
Okay, now I want you
to close your eyes.
744
00:41:17,590 --> 00:41:21,430
I'm going to put up
two version of the "Mona Lisa,"
745
00:41:21,460 --> 00:41:22,330
one accurate and one distorted.
746
00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:23,800
To illustrate,
747
00:41:23,830 --> 00:41:25,900
Livingstone enlists
her colleague Peter
748
00:41:25,930 --> 00:41:29,470
to see if he can spot
a fake "Mona Lisa"
749
00:41:29,500 --> 00:41:31,300
using just
his peripheral vision.
750
00:41:31,340 --> 00:41:32,386
Okay, briefly open your eyes
751
00:41:32,410 --> 00:41:34,110
and look at the yellow spot,
752
00:41:34,140 --> 00:41:36,680
then close them right away.
753
00:41:36,710 --> 00:41:40,580
And point to which is
the accurate reproduction.
754
00:41:42,650 --> 00:41:44,150
Open your eyes and see
755
00:41:44,190 --> 00:41:46,350
whether you chose
the correct one.
756
00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:08,910
Point at the real version.
757
00:42:13,580 --> 00:42:14,580
Can I keep that?
758
00:42:18,690 --> 00:42:22,690
Peter got only one of four
"Mona Lisas" right,
759
00:42:22,720 --> 00:42:26,660
and Livingstone says
that's not unusual.
760
00:42:26,690 --> 00:42:30,660
Most people don't know how bad
peripheral vision is,
761
00:42:30,700 --> 00:42:32,460
because as soon
as something happens
762
00:42:32,500 --> 00:42:33,600
in their peripheral vision,
763
00:42:33,630 --> 00:42:34,700
they look at it,
764
00:42:34,740 --> 00:42:35,976
and then they bring
the high-resolution part
765
00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:37,470
of their visual system onto it.
766
00:42:39,070 --> 00:42:41,970
In fact, our eyes are
constantly moving...
767
00:42:42,010 --> 00:42:47,510
three times a second,
filling in the details.
768
00:42:47,550 --> 00:42:50,780
The effect got
Livingstone thinking:
769
00:42:50,820 --> 00:42:52,320
could this explain
770
00:42:52,350 --> 00:42:55,320
why the "Mona Lisa" sometimes
seems to be smiling,
771
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:57,090
and sometimes not?
772
00:42:58,530 --> 00:42:59,760
Using a photo app,
773
00:42:59,790 --> 00:43:04,700
she blurs the image,
like in our peripheral vision.
774
00:43:04,730 --> 00:43:06,500
So I filtered the image
775
00:43:06,530 --> 00:43:08,400
in such a way that it would look
776
00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:09,846
like what you would see
to your peripheral vision,
777
00:43:09,870 --> 00:43:11,700
knowing what I know
about processing.
778
00:43:11,740 --> 00:43:14,340
The result?
779
00:43:14,380 --> 00:43:16,640
She's grinning from ear to ear.
780
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,410
As you look at the "Mona Lisa,"
781
00:43:19,450 --> 00:43:23,120
your eye moves
around the painting.
782
00:43:24,850 --> 00:43:26,390
When you look away
from her mouth,
783
00:43:26,420 --> 00:43:28,790
it enters
your peripheral vision,
784
00:43:28,820 --> 00:43:33,790
and Mona Lisa appears to smile.
785
00:43:33,830 --> 00:43:38,160
But look directly at the mouth,
and the smile vanishes.
786
00:43:42,900 --> 00:43:44,270
She seems like she's alive,
787
00:43:44,310 --> 00:43:45,970
because she looks different
788
00:43:46,010 --> 00:43:47,410
depending
on where you're looking.
789
00:43:50,440 --> 00:43:51,880
Leonardo's paintings come alive
790
00:43:51,910 --> 00:43:54,280
because he understands
human emotion,
791
00:43:54,320 --> 00:43:59,720
and because he has a good feel
for the underlying science.
792
00:43:59,750 --> 00:44:01,690
That combination comes together
793
00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:04,920
year after year as he's doing
the "Mona Lisa"
794
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:08,060
to make it
such an interactive painting.
795
00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:14,770
Back at the Louvre,
796
00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:17,100
Cinzia Pasquali has removed
797
00:44:17,140 --> 00:44:18,900
the old yellowed varnish
from "Bacchus,"
798
00:44:18,940 --> 00:44:25,040
uncovering
the brilliant original colors.
799
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:27,710
It reveals
an atmospheric perspective
800
00:44:27,750 --> 00:44:30,780
that suggests Leonardo's touch.
801
00:44:30,820 --> 00:44:34,390
Taking off these layers of
darkened and yellowed varnish,
802
00:44:34,420 --> 00:44:37,720
we were able to rediscover
the original forms,
803
00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:39,430
the quality of the blue.
804
00:44:39,460 --> 00:44:40,590
It's a wonderful blue.
805
00:44:40,630 --> 00:44:44,330
And see how the painter
represent these cities
806
00:44:44,370 --> 00:44:47,630
with that effect of humidity,
807
00:44:47,670 --> 00:44:52,240
of what Leonardo called
the atmospheric perspective.
808
00:44:52,270 --> 00:44:55,540
But Pasquali's investigation
809
00:44:55,580 --> 00:44:56,616
has also uncovered details
810
00:44:56,640 --> 00:44:59,480
like the harsh shading
in the face,
811
00:44:59,510 --> 00:45:00,680
that don't show
812
00:45:00,720 --> 00:45:05,850
the characteristic
sfumato fingerprint of Leonardo.
813
00:45:05,890 --> 00:45:07,350
I can't see Leonardo's touch.
814
00:45:07,390 --> 00:45:11,420
This is a little mechanical.
815
00:45:11,460 --> 00:45:15,560
This line for the shadow
is so hard, you know.
816
00:45:15,600 --> 00:45:18,930
Leonardo don't do this.
817
00:45:20,100 --> 00:45:21,870
Pasquali and the team
at the Louvre
818
00:45:21,900 --> 00:45:24,470
have solved
a centuries-old mystery.
819
00:45:26,110 --> 00:45:30,180
The "Bacchus" cannot
be attributed to Leonardo.
820
00:45:34,220 --> 00:45:38,250
But that doesn't mean
he wasn't involved.
821
00:45:38,290 --> 00:45:41,120
Very often, his apprentices are
actually painting the pictures,
822
00:45:41,160 --> 00:45:44,290
so he would conceive
the general design of the work,
823
00:45:44,330 --> 00:45:45,890
and then the manual execution
824
00:45:45,930 --> 00:45:48,460
would be delegated
to members of his workshop.
825
00:45:53,170 --> 00:45:54,870
The restoration has succeeded
826
00:45:54,900 --> 00:46:00,810
in bringing much of the original
beauty back to this painting.
827
00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:04,110
But it also raises
an intriguing question:
828
00:46:04,150 --> 00:46:08,810
should the same thing
be done to the "Mona Lisa"?
829
00:46:10,450 --> 00:46:12,820
You have to imagine
that under that varnish,
830
00:46:12,850 --> 00:46:16,390
you could see
a wonderful blue sky.
831
00:46:16,420 --> 00:46:20,360
Probably also the face
or the hand are more pink,
832
00:46:20,390 --> 00:46:23,700
like natural skin.
833
00:46:23,730 --> 00:46:27,700
If we could just take
that varnish off,
834
00:46:27,740 --> 00:46:30,770
we could see it
the way Leonardo really did it.
835
00:46:30,810 --> 00:46:35,210
But I think French governments
have fallen for less cause
836
00:46:35,240 --> 00:46:36,456
than trying to take the "Mona
Lisa" out of circulation
837
00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:37,780
and clean it.
838
00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:42,350
Perhaps there is another way.
839
00:46:42,380 --> 00:46:46,650
Could she be given
a digital makeover?
840
00:46:46,690 --> 00:46:51,390
That is what Pascal Cotte
is trying to do.
841
00:46:51,430 --> 00:46:53,060
He has analyzed the "Mona Lisa"
842
00:46:53,090 --> 00:46:56,700
with a remarkably powerful
camera and lights,
843
00:46:56,730 --> 00:46:59,100
which he demonstrates
using a replica.
844
00:47:01,940 --> 00:47:03,240
We make the measurements
845
00:47:03,270 --> 00:47:07,910
in the basement of the Louvre,
inside the laboratory.
846
00:47:07,940 --> 00:47:09,580
It's very emotional,
847
00:47:09,610 --> 00:47:11,940
to have the painting
in your hands
848
00:47:11,980 --> 00:47:13,410
without the frame.
849
00:47:13,450 --> 00:47:14,780
You can look at this painting
850
00:47:14,820 --> 00:47:17,620
under this very intense light,
851
00:47:17,650 --> 00:47:22,150
that reveal everything
that you cannot see usually.
852
00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:30,600
Cotte's extremely detailed scan
of the "Mona Lisa"
853
00:47:30,630 --> 00:47:34,430
and his analysis of the optics
and chemistry of paint
854
00:47:34,470 --> 00:47:38,540
reveal how the colors
may have changed over time.
855
00:47:42,510 --> 00:47:46,010
It's not just the varnish
that yellows and darkens,
856
00:47:46,050 --> 00:47:50,480
but the pigments and oil
in the paint itself.
857
00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:54,420
Cotte's challenge
is to reverse-engineer
858
00:47:54,460 --> 00:47:56,120
the effects of that aging.
859
00:47:56,160 --> 00:47:59,420
This is not just
photoshopping it
860
00:47:59,460 --> 00:48:00,990
and messing around
with the colors,
861
00:48:01,030 --> 00:48:05,060
which you and I could do
and get tolerable results,
862
00:48:05,100 --> 00:48:07,030
but this is based
on pigment analysis.
863
00:48:09,540 --> 00:48:12,440
First, Cotte determines how much
the varnish has darkened,
864
00:48:12,470 --> 00:48:17,810
and with his computer,
peels it away.
865
00:48:20,580 --> 00:48:24,280
Next, he identifies
what the color of each pigment
866
00:48:24,320 --> 00:48:27,020
would have looked like
500 years ago,
867
00:48:27,050 --> 00:48:32,160
and recreates them to see
the colors just as Leonardo did.
868
00:48:32,190 --> 00:48:35,230
For example, we know
that Leonardo make the sky
869
00:48:35,260 --> 00:48:37,860
with white lead
and lapis lazuli.
870
00:48:37,900 --> 00:48:41,470
So, we have software
871
00:48:41,500 --> 00:48:43,870
that remove the wrong colors
872
00:48:43,900 --> 00:48:45,970
to obtain the genuine color.
873
00:48:47,210 --> 00:48:49,510
Then, pixel by pixel,
874
00:48:49,540 --> 00:48:52,610
Cotte restores those colors.
875
00:48:54,980 --> 00:49:00,250
Suddenly, a greenish sky
becomes brilliantly blue,
876
00:49:00,290 --> 00:49:04,660
and a bit of flush
comes back to Lisa's cheeks.
877
00:49:04,690 --> 00:49:08,830
Finally, as the French say:
878
00:49:08,860 --> 00:49:11,930
voilà.
879
00:49:11,970 --> 00:49:15,400
Suddenly, she doesn't look
like a submarine goddess.
880
00:49:15,440 --> 00:49:17,270
She looks
as if she's in the fresh air,
881
00:49:17,300 --> 00:49:18,840
which is just terrific.
882
00:49:21,210 --> 00:49:24,910
Cotte's restoration
has brought Lisa back to life,
883
00:49:24,950 --> 00:49:27,050
at least digitally...
884
00:49:27,080 --> 00:49:32,020
closer to the state
that Leonardo saw her,
885
00:49:32,050 --> 00:49:36,090
allowing us all to see
the painting's legendary beauty
886
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:39,490
and the science it took:
887
00:49:39,530 --> 00:49:44,560
the geometry
and optics of perspective;
888
00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:47,700
the anatomy behind her face;
889
00:49:47,740 --> 00:49:50,840
and the sfumato soft lines,
890
00:49:50,870 --> 00:49:55,810
capturing the mystery
and movement of life.
891
00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:59,440
But even with
all the modern insights,
892
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,910
the "Mona Lisa" is vastly more
893
00:50:01,950 --> 00:50:06,650
than the sum
of her scientific parts.
894
00:50:06,690 --> 00:50:10,590
Pinning down exactly
why we are so drawn to her
895
00:50:10,620 --> 00:50:15,630
ultimately
remains as elusive as her smile.
896
00:50:19,700 --> 00:50:21,800
Three years before his death,
897
00:50:21,840 --> 00:50:23,770
Leonardo was invited to France
898
00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:28,110
to live and work for the king.
899
00:50:28,140 --> 00:50:31,910
He crossed the Alps
by horse or mule,
900
00:50:31,950 --> 00:50:36,450
carrying three paintings.
901
00:50:36,480 --> 00:50:39,850
Those paintings,
including the "Mona Lisa,"
902
00:50:39,890 --> 00:50:42,090
now hang at the Louvre,
903
00:50:42,120 --> 00:50:44,490
where the doors
are about to open
904
00:50:44,530 --> 00:50:48,790
on the 500-year blockbuster
Leonardo exhibition...
905
00:50:48,830 --> 00:50:52,160
a celebration of a genius
who fused together
906
00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:56,100
the worlds of art and science.
907
00:50:56,140 --> 00:50:58,840
Leonardo is an Italian
Renaissance painter,
908
00:50:58,870 --> 00:51:02,540
but his genius is universal,
and it speaks to everybody.
909
00:51:06,710 --> 00:51:08,650
Leonardo wanted you to forget
910
00:51:08,680 --> 00:51:12,280
that you're looking
at pigments on a piece of wood.
911
00:51:14,460 --> 00:51:15,820
The idea is
912
00:51:15,860 --> 00:51:21,060
that you're looking at a real
living, breathing being.
913
00:51:25,370 --> 00:51:27,930
The key to Leonardo da Vinci
914
00:51:27,970 --> 00:51:30,700
is that he doesn't make
a distinction
915
00:51:30,740 --> 00:51:33,410
between the beauty of nature
that he studies in his science
916
00:51:33,440 --> 00:51:35,570
and the beauty of his art.
917
00:51:41,650 --> 00:51:46,020
He could have spent more time
just being a painter.
918
00:51:46,050 --> 00:51:47,450
But had he done that,
919
00:51:47,490 --> 00:51:49,790
he wouldn't have been
Leonardo da Vinci,
920
00:51:49,820 --> 00:51:52,760
and he wouldn't have
painted the "Mona Lisa."
921
00:52:18,290 --> 00:52:20,720
To order this "NOVA" program
on DVD,
922
00:52:20,750 --> 00:52:25,560
visit ShopPBS
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.
923
00:52:25,590 --> 00:52:30,560
This program is also available
on Amazon Prime Video.70458
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