TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 1

The Mind of Leonardo: A Real and Virtual Exhibition to

Disseminate the History of Science

Marco Berni, Jacopo Tonini

marco@imss.fi.it, jacopo@imss.fi.it

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 2

Summary• Exhibition• Mounting• Website exhibition

– Scientific Analysis

– Writing Desk

– Geometric man

– Sforza Monument

• Multimedia & Communication• Other web applications• Website structure• Data integration• Networking infrastructure services

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 3

The Exhibition• Although Leonardo is commonly known as a “universal

genius”, the exhibitions dedicated to him have almost always focused on some specific area of his activity: art, anatomy, technology, studies on water, on flight, and so on.

• The Mind of Leonardo offers its visitors a different point of view, inviting them to explore the genius’ very mode of thinking and his unitary conception of knowledge as the effort to assimilate, through bold theoretical syntheses and inventive experiments, the laws that govern all of the wondrous operations of man and nature.

• This approach gives rise to a different image, one that helps to dissolve the aura of mystery in which the myth of Leonardo has often been shrouded: a mind tenaciously endeavoring to decipher the rational processes that animate the phenomena of the physical world as well as the “motions of thought”, driven by the desire to achieve a perfect imitation of nature in drawing and painting.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 4

The Mounting

A view of the exhibition:• Drawings• Models• Animations

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 5

The Mounting

• The Sforza Monument

• Reproduction1:1 scale

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 6

The Mounting

Anatomy of the female body.

Multi-layer model.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 7

The Mounting

• Some of the books owned by Leonardo, and instruments he used to draw.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 8

The Mounting

• A view of the section on painting showing explanatory models and multimedia illustrating physical concepts discussed in Leonardo’s manuscripts.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 9

The Mounting

• A model based on Leonardo’s studies on perspective for application in frescoes on ceilings.

• Viewed from the correct position drawing appears proportional and positioned like the background image.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 10

The Mounting

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 11

The Website exhibition

• On the website are available all the exhibits, captions, models and 3D simulations you can find in the real exhibition

http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/menteleonardo/

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 12

Scientific Analysis of the Adoration of the Magi

Diagnostic investigations on Leonardo da Vinci’s the Adoration of the Magi • Visible light• Infrared• Ultraviolet

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 13

Scientific Analysis of the Adoration of the Magi

Points used to reproduce the drawing

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 14

Leonardo’s Writing Desk

Compasses for drawing…

ellipses parabolas epicycloids

lamp

The most effective expression of the incessant working of Leonardo's mind is found in his extraordinary manuscripts and drawings. The writing desk was the place where the Genius' left hand made visible signs of the motions of his mind.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 15

Leonardo’s Writing DeskEllipses construction

http://vitruvio.imss.fi.it/flash/eIII_2_g_apice3.swf

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 16

The Geometric manVitruvian man the mystery revealed

Leonardo studies the proportions of the human body and its commensurability with the perfect geometric forms (the circle and the square).

This was scientific analysis that had both cosmological meanings (the correspondence between micro- and macrocosm) and artistic ones (correctly representing the human figure and designing architecture based on the proportions of the human body).

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 17

Vitruvian man the mystery revealedProportions of the human body

The navel is the center of the circle

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 18

Vitruvian man the mystery revealedProportions of the human body

The side of the square and the radius of the circle represents the golden section

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 19

Vitruvian man the mystery revealedProportions of the human body

Trunk is one-fourth of the height Arm is one-fourth of the height

Head is one-eighth of the height

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 20

Vitruvian man the mystery revealedProportions of the human body

Face is one-tenth of the height Hand is one-tenth of the height

Foot is one-seventh of the height

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 21

The Sforza monumentThe equestrian monument to Francesco Sforza, on which Leonardo worked during his first stay in Milan (1482-1499), was one of the most audacious artistic and technological challenges of the Renaissance. Leonardo’s approach depended on the study of the perfect proportions for the horse and on the definition of the muscular conformation of its pose.

Studies of horsesMould studies

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 22

The Sforza monument

Machine for extracting the mould sections

Machine for transporting and turning over the casting mould.

Hoisting machine.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 23

The Sforza monumentThe Smelting System

Machines for transporting and turning over the casting mould.

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 24

The Sforza monument

Reverberatory furnace.

The Smelting System

http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/menteleonardo/evideo.asp?c=14062&nf=IV_5_E_p&r=w

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 25

Multimedia & Communication• Typologies of material offered:

• Images

• Manuscripts

• Paintings

• Schemes

• Rebuilt Models

• Real

• Virtual

• Scientific analysis

• Animations and films

• Texts

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 26

Multimedia & Communication• Why a virtual exhibition?

• Enrich physical exhibition

• To promote the real visit

• To help prepare for the real visit

• To document exhibition after its closing

• Extend services to a wider audience

• To offer a virtual visit

• To offer a “permanent” exhibition

• To offer links to other applications/information

• To supply material for educational purposes

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 27

Other web applicationsMultimedia Museum Catalogue The Online Catalogue of the museum presents the more than 1,200 objects on permanent exhibition through colour images and detailed descriptions. The user can access biographical data, explore "In Depth" information and find contextual background related to the selected object.

Leonardo and the Engineers of the RenaissanceThe machines, technical devices and constructions of Leonardo da Vinci, Brunelleschi and the Sienese engineers of the Renaissance.

Scientific Itineraries in Tuscany Itineraries of the most significant places of historical-scientific interest throughout the region of Tuscany.

Court Scientists Evangelista Torricelli

Homo FaberPompeii: Nature, Science and Technology in a Roman Town

Nel segno di Masaccio The invention of perspective

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 28

Website structure (ARAM)

Internet / IntranetDynamic generated web pages

XMLData for dynamic generation of web pages

XSL / CSSStyle sheets for dynamic generation

DirectorMultimedia version

.RTFData for multimedia version generation

WordData generation and data editing

Relational and XML Database (Oracle)

Main page data in relational tables/fields

Page contents stored in XML fields

Data editing is made in a word processor. Data are stored in a relational database. Custom procedures, automatically generates pages for visualization.Data normalization helps their management allowing: 1) one step editing of data used in more than one application; 2) to compare texts used in different applications.

AccessData editing

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 29

Data integration• At the moment in the IMSS database there are three applications on Leonardo totally disconnected. The idea is (using ARAM):

• to keep existing applications to maintain a reference on the web to real exhibitions

• to add a virtual exhibition that gathers and integrates existing data

• having at the same time a centralized system for data and applications (ARAM)

• Chance to share services with different applications (e.g. Digital Library and OPAC) carrying out a complete integration of all the archives of the Museum

• Opportunity for the creation of a network for the History of Science to interchange information among community members.

DATABASE(ARAM)

The Mind of Leonardo

Mechanical Marvels

The “car” of Leonardo

Virtual Leonardo

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 30

Services integration

To give users a common view of IMSS digital resources

DATABASE(ARAM)

Digital Library

OPAC

Others

Web users

TERENA Networking Conference 2006 (15 May 2006, Catania, Italy) 31

Networking infrastructure services

•Create a network infrastructure for:•Sharing information among the History of Science community•Allowing integrated access among distributed resources•Producing a semantic search system for resources

•By:•Creation of shared resources of:

•Web services (integration)•Metadata (ontology)•Search system (semantic web)