Summary

Author Walter Isaacson introduces readers to Leonardo da Vinci through a letter his subject wrote at thirty years old, seeking patronage from the duke of Milan. Leonardo's ambition to be a military engineer for the duke despite his background and education in painting summarizes Leonardo's opinion of himself as a man of both science and art. Through this introduction, Isaacson fleshes out his introduction of Leonardo da Vinci as a Renaissance Man, summarizing his interests and experience across multiple disciplines including "studies of anatomy, fossils, birds, the heart, flying machines, optics, botany, geology, water flows, and weaponry" (1). Isaacson asserts that "his ability to combine art and science [...] made him history's most creative genius" (1). He also emphasizes Leonardo's desire to pursue knowledge for its own sake as well as his passionate and obsessive curiosity about the world. Isaacson writes that the ability to...